Boat of Garten sawmill could close with loss of 40 jobs

Boat of Garten is one of BSW Group's oldest UK sawmills

A sawmill in the Cairngorms National Park could close with the loss of 40 jobs.

BSW Group, which is headquartered in Earlston in the Scottish Borders, has announced the proposed closure of its Boat of Garten site.

The mill, which is one of the oldest of the group's seven UK sawmills, could close at the end of September.

BSW Group said the move came amid a downturn across the timber industry globally.

It added that the war in Ukraine and increasing energy costs were factors.

BSW Group was acquired by Austrian timber company Binderholz last year.

Tony Hackney, of BSW Group, said: "Since our acquisition by Binderholz, we have continued to make significant investments in technology, innovation and processes, which will enable the business to achieve its future growth plans and efficiency targets.

"However, under the backdrop of a pandemic, the conflict in Ukraine, increasing energy costs and a 40-year high in cost of living expenses, the timber industry has experienced a global downturn."

He added: "To counter the impact of this, we have had to make the very tough decision to propose to close our sawmill at Boat of Garten from 30 September 2022."