DUMFRIES hill farmer Mr Rog Wood, of Auchentaggart, Sanquhar, has been

elected a special member of the British Wool Marketing Board.

He received 351,890 votes against the 305,735 secured by the sitting

member, Mr Joe Raine, of Kirkoswald, Penrith. Only 16% of producers

voted.

Mr Wood, who campaigned for younger men with fresh ideas on the board,

took the tenancy of his 700-acre hill farm 17 years ago, where he runs

750 ewes and 50 suckler cows.

He has been concerned about the losses incurred by the board's

subsidiaries, including British Wool International, and wants to see a

stronger management team.

''When the wool guarantee is withdrawn, we will have to extract every

last penny from the market place and our subsidiaries,'' he said.