Investors shocked by latest Avocet revelation

by EWAN LAMB

Shareholders who have invested millions of pounds in the Avocet group of 'disruptive technology' businesses have been told the company has never owned three Berwickshire farms, valued at between £8-£10 million in documents circulated by the firm's directors in 2018.

The shock disclosure is contained in the latest letter to shareholders from Avocet chairman Martin Frost; he describes it as a 'rant', and pledges to resign as soon as possible. The farms in question were earmarked for ambitious agricultural projects by Avocet.

Earlier this year Avocet subsidiary Orrdone Farms PLC (previously called Avocet Farms) was declared insolvent with joint administrators appointed to take control of the company's affairs.

In a report to creditors the Orrdone Farms insolvency team of Emma Porter and Jeanette Brown stated: "The company is recorded at the Scottish Land Register as owning Sunwick Farms, part of Greenwood Farm [Houndwood] and Harcarse Hill Farm. There are a number of allegations and assertions regarding the ownership of these properties and the existence of leases, which are currently being investigated."

UK Agricultural Lending Ltd. claim they are owed £3.2 million - a loan said to have been made to Avocet Farms in 2016 to purchase the farms from another company called Hamilton Orr Ltd.

But Mr Frost has now told Avocet's 650 shareholders that the 'planned loan' from UK Agricultural Lending Limited "never happened to Orrdone Farms Limited".

He states that Orrdone Farms Limited did not purchase the three farms from Hamilton Orr Limited in 2016, adding "regrettably, I, my fellow directors, and company accountants and auditors were misled into thinking that Orrdone had purchased the three farms." He had only discovered this in 2018.

Avocet’s Edinburgh lawyers had advised it was no longer possible to proceed with an Orrdone purchase because Hamilton Orr Limited had been struck off the Company Register. And Mr Frost writes: "Wrongly, I was advised to restore Hamilton Orr Limited to the Company House register and thus the purchase transaction could continue...I confused the position and Hamilton Orr Limited was incorrectly restored with the current situation that all three farms remain Crown Property." 

"Late in 2018, two further faults occurred – namely incorrect property transfer consideration values were shown, and the Edinburgh lawyers wrongly backdated the property transfer to 2016. In 2019, when Avocet was unable to sell the farms due to title problems, I was advised that a court judication (sic) was required to sort out the resultant title and tax mess."

Companies House records show that an application to restore Hamilton Orr Ltd to the Register of Companies was lodged by Mr Frost on October 5th 2018. The company had been dissolved on July 10th 2018.

However, a source who contacted Not Just Sheep & Rugby this week pointed out that in an  Information Memorandum to the Asset Match shares platform dated November 2018, a month after Mr Frost says he became aware that Avocet did not own the farms, Avocet Farms Ltd. is shown to  have assets of £8,321,044 in the last quarter of 2018 rising to £9,121,044 in the first quarter of 2019.

Our attention was also drawn to an Avocet shareholders’ letter of March 2018 which included the text of a lengthy email to Stuart Lucas, a director of Asset Match, dated 5-3-2018 in relation to a forthcoming visit by Mr Lucas to Harcarse Hill for meetings on 7th and 8th March 2018.

Mr Frost wrote: "Note: The Harcarse Hill, Houndwood and Sunwick farms that you will see are being developed to be show pieces of Avocet technology."

And later in the message: "Asset value: as an astute entrepreneur you asked what Avocet’s assets are. Taking tangible assets first – Avocet’s directors as at 5 March 2018 estimate:

Land and farm buildings would fetch £8-£10 million on the open market. Eight cottages and two farmhouses would fetch over £2 million on the open market; plant, machinery and saleable fixtures £1.5 million."

There are a number of other items listed including development land and recreation area. It is then stated: "Against the above Avocet has some £4 million of secured borrowing and trade creditors.".

In his June 28th report to shareholders, Mr Frost tells them: "I fear I have not served you well, but in turn I have been ill-served by some of Avocet’s advisers. Admittedly extreme ill health coupled with both mental and physical attack...curtailed my ability to protect Avocet.

"ANC [Avocet Natural Capital] Plc remains a solid and potentially very highly profitable company despite Avocet generally suffering over £20 million of losses and interest from its agricultural activities. Broadly, some £5 million of this loss may be put down to experimentation and learning, the balance down to the perceived wrongdoing of the Orr family and their acolytes."

And in conclusion, Mr Frost writes: "Going forward, ANC Plc does not need this legacy, as soon as is possible I shall resign – that said, I shall devote the remainder of my life to ensure that justice is done."

Allegations of Avocet 'Ponzi' schemes dismissed by directors

by DOUG COLLIE

The management of the Avocet Group of businesses took the opportunity to strongly refute allegations they were running so-called Ponzi schemes and indulging in theft and VAT fraud following a petition seeking to liquidate their flagship company.

A 'private and confidential' letter sent to hundreds of shareholders in early February also revealed the likely extent of the indebtedness of Omega Infinite PLC, (previously called Avocet Infinite) including some £1 million owed to two law firms with more than £2.5 million said to be due in total to trade creditors.

The eleven-page letter running to some 5,000 words sought to explain the reasons why Avocet's directors had decided it was "publicly best" to allow Omega Infinite to go to the wall. It had been at the forefront of the Group's activities which include 'green' fuel and revolutionary crop and livestock production.

Despite its parlous financial state in the early months of 2020 the Infinite brand was still being regularly featured in Parliamentary Review, a Westminster-based publication which charges businesses up to £4,000 for inclusion in its 'Best Practice' pages. The outlet is chaired by former government ministers Lord (David) Blunkett and Lord (Eric) Pickles.

In the February letter Martin Frost, Avocet's chairman, told shareholders: "Omega Infinite Plc is to go into some form of insolvency. A winding up petition initiated by lawyers Fieldfisher for some £400,000 is to be heard on February 12th in London; likely now to support this petition are lawyers Womble Bond Dickinson for another some £600,000 along with various other creditors for £300,000. 

"The total trade creditor indebtedness of Omega Infinite Plc is likely to reach some £2.5 million, and on top of which there are private Avocet controlled loans in excess of £10 million. Despite this debt Omega Infinite Plc is an absolute (sic) solvent company which should eventually provide each recognised shareholder with over a tax effective £2 return per ordinary share.

Investors were also informed that from both personal and company resources the Omega insolvency could have been prevented. But the directors decided it was "publicly best that the world should see the nastiness of the Scottish Borders rumour mill".

The letter continued: "In recent weeks the directors of Omega Infinite Plc are accused of theft and fraud. It is alleged that the directors have stolen all the money out of Omega, that we engage in VAT fraud, that we are running Ponzi type schemes with our master franchise companies."

Mr Frost, who recently gave notice of his intention to raise legal actions against 'naysayers' and some shareholders, added: "I can confirm that Omega has indulged in an extensive ‘fact find’ so that the miscreants can be identified, reviewed and then appropriately dealt with – and to this end Avocet is allocating substantial resources."

In April joint liquidators were appointed to Omega Infinite which was also the subject of a Winding Up order by the courts. The investigation into that company's affairs is ongoing.

An assurance was given that the value of shares would not be diminished by Omega Infinite's insolvency. The company had issued 22 million one pound shares prior to court action being instituted against it.

According to the February document: "Both your demerged shareholding in Avocet Bio Solutions Plc (an Irish-based subsidiary) and Avocet Natural Capital Plc (Avocet’s new flagship company) are worth at least the face value of your share. In real terms for each pound invested in Omega Infinite Plc there will be a collective return of over £4 – which on balance is excellent."

Avocet's recent decision to switch shares in Omega Infinite to Avocet Natural Capital [ANC] resulted in a 50% uplift in each individual shareholding.

Investors were told in February: "On ANC Plc there are realistic plans to increase the issued share capital to 350 million one pound fully paid shares. The bulk of this new investment coming from the Middle East with China a useful second. Currently, there are 50 million ANC Plc shares – holders of these shares are likely to receive a bonus share for each share legitimately held – this will then bring the issued capital to 100 million on top of which Middle East, Chinese and institutional investors will take a further 250 million shares for cash."

"Because of the magnitude of the perceived net worth of Avocet, a full Dublin Stock market listing is expected in 2020. That said interim arrangements are being put into place for ANC Plc to shortly trade on Asset Match [London based investment specialists] from April 2020." 

'Law of Jante' costs the Scottish Borders dear

by EWAN LAMB

A mere fifteen months after its 'disruptive technology' was hailed by a senior Scottish Borders councillor as the harbinger of major investment and jobs, the chairman of the Avocet group of companies told hundreds of shareholders the entire operation would be leaving the region which he described as "an entrepreneurial blackspot".

Martin Frost, who leads the Avocet businesses which are said to be developing 'green' fuel and revolutionary forms of agricultural production admitted in a letter to investors: " It was my mistake that I attempted to progress and develop the Avocet concepts in a society which neither understood nor could rise to the required work practices."

And yet Mr Frost had been at the helm of several companies which were located in the Scottish Borders 35 years ago, so presumably had experience of the perceived shortcomings of the local population. 

In October 2018 Avocet's chairman told The Berwickshire News : "This is about investment, employment and skilful innovation and it’s all happening here in the Scottish Borders.”

At that time a number of major schemes were outlined for the farms of Sunwick, Harcarse Hill, and Greenwood - all situated in Berwickshire - involving Mr Frost's Avocet Farms firm.

According to the Berwickshire News article 'After visiting Harcarse Hill farm, Councillor Mark Rowley (Conservative), Scottish Borders Council’s executive member for business & economic development said: “The model is fascinating, I hope it will bring significant investment and employment to the Borders.

"Berwickshire has an exceptional reputation for agricultural innovation; from James Small’s revolutionary plough to the innovations of liming and marling that were pioneered here.It is exciting that such new and innovative techniques are now being pioneered by Avocet and local farms here in the Scottish Borders almost 300 years later.”

Not Just Sheep & Rugby has been sent a copy of Mr Frost's letter to his 650 shareholders dated March 30th this year in which he predicts: 'By the close of 2020, Avocet will have vacated the Scottish Borders.'

The news of the intention to withdraw was circulated just two weeks after Avocet Farms Ltd (by now called Orrdone Farms) was the subject of a damning report by joint administrators Emma Porter and Joanne Brown. They had been appointed by a firm of financial lenders with a claim for £3.2 million against Orrdone Farms.

The insolvency team's initial report stated: "The Company is recorded at the Scottish Land Register as owning Sunwick Farm, part of Greenwood Farm and Harcarse Hill Farm. There are a number of allegations and assertions regarding the ownership of these properties and the existence of leases, which are currently being investigated. Once investigations have been concluded, the property will be dealt with appropriately and where possible marketed and sold."

Mr Frost's lengthy letter alleges: "In my opinion the ‘Law of Jante’ extends into the Scottish Borders rendering the locality an entrepreneurial blackspot."

A dictionary definition of the Law of Jante says: "(Danish: Janteloven) is a code of conduct known in Nordic countries that characterizes not conforming, doing things out of the ordinary, or being overtly personally ambitious as unworthy and inappropriate."

In Mr Frost's view Janteloven’s social code dictates emphasis on collective accomplishments and well-being, and disdains focus on individual achievements. 

"It is an underlying Scandinavian philosophy principle that applies across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. Understanding Janteloven is paramount to understanding both the history and modern-day cultures of these countries", Mr Frost wrote.

And he added: "Succinctly, because of Janteloven’s social code, it is my belief that it was a mistake for Avocet to setup or attempt to establish itself in the Scottish Borders. 

"Happily, for Avocet, the world is a much bigger place than the Scottish Borders – today witnesses the third in a series of articles published in the British Parliamentary Review about Avocet, avocet’s methanol cetane additive, and its remarkable innovative work on renewable methanol.

"Once more, Avocet is invited to locate in the US - and when again it is safe to travel, the Washington invite shall be taken up and a US master franchise shall be established there.

"Contradictorily, in the Scottish Borders farming community one should take account of the soil before you sow it. It is a very true maxim. Avocet was predicted to become one of Scotland’s largest companies. Now Avocet will flourish but in a climate of enterprise devoid of the Law of Jante."

Chinese 'partners' told of Avocet's multi-million pound losses

by DOUGLAS SHEPHERD

A catalogue of loss making events which apparently cost the Avocet Group of 'disruptive technology' companies and their shareholders many millions of pounds was included in a company document aimed at attracting potential Chinese investment into the business.

The 26-page presentation from Avocet Natural Capital's board and directed at a Professor Ji (Karena) Yang was also circulated to the Group's 650 investors two days before Christmas 2019. It is headed "Avocet’s natural capital technology and concepts shall transform the world”.

This pitch for Chinese partners to help develop Avocet's 'revolutionary' products in the fields of agriculture and green fuel was made shortly after the Group's annual meeting when chairman Martin Frost announced they would be 'parking' flagship company Omega Infinite, previously known as Avocet Infinite.

In an accompanying letter to existing shareholders Mr Frost wrote: "When I and colleagues were putting this Chinese note together, we were amazed by just how much we have all achieved upon this Avocet journey and just how little money this success is built upon.

"Again, there is a touch of sadness that Avocet needs to go to the Chinese because we are unable to further finance Avocet. However, if you can support Avocet a little further with investment it will give Avocet greater countervailing power in our present Chinese negotiations."

Avocet's presentation to Professor Yang explains that the planned 2018 acquisition of a state-of-the-art chemical plant at Seal Sands [Tees-side] to manufacture the ‘avocet cetane additive’ had been aborted due to ‘health & safety reasons with a direct £700,000 expenditure loss plus much executive time.'

And according to Mr Frost and his fellow directors:"The 2018 failed IM fund raise alongside the 2019 Johne's disease debacle lost potential new investment of some £15 million plus into Avocet."

The all-embracing document also says identifiable direct losses in 2019 occasioned by a family dispute exceeded £1.7 million, adding "though overall in share price terms the dispute has probably lost the corporate body of shareholders over £250 million.

Professor Yang is then told that financial support for the creation of Avocet Bio Solutions Plc, an Irish-based subsidiary and described in the presentation as an independent master franchise proved burdensome with a failed Italian farm purchase occasioned by the death of the vendors coupled with the collapse of the Irish cattle market "alongside general EU / Brexit buggeration – an Omega cash drain exceeding £2 million of which over £1 million will be a loss in Avocet Bio Solutions Plc books."

And the company's management claim: "The central fact is that in 2018 Avocet determined that it needed to raise some £8 million to proceed in 2019. For whatever reason the fund raise with [London-based investment specialists] Asset Match not only failed but cost Avocet some £850,000 in legal and other costs for the failed fund raise."

The document suggests that "Legal advice recommends that Omega Infinite Plc first enters into a year long Company Voluntary Arrangement to settle out all problems and creditors, to be followed by a tax efficient Members Voluntary Liquidation which on current predictions will provide a shareholder with a tax efficient sum of some £2 per share in 2021."

In fact a petition to wind up Omega Infinite had already been submitted to the High Court on November 20^th 2019, a month before the “Chinese” document was circulated. The petition was lodged by law firm FieldFisher, claiming to be a creditor of Omega Infinite. Liquidators were subsequently appointed on April 28^th 2020.

And Mr Frost told the annual meeting in October 2019 the company's name had been changed from Avocet Infinite to protect the business from a threatened injunction which would have frozen £800,000 of Frost family money that had been earmarked for creditors of the firm.

He explained to shareholders Omega had once been the "master" company in the Group but it had been damaged by internal splits, and due to mishaps it had lost its credit rating. Avocet Natural Capital would become the dominant Avocet company and Omega Infinite would be 'parked', he said.

£30 million of reserves in 'cash-strapped' council's coffers

EXCLUSIVE by DOUG COLLIE

"Cash-strapped" Scottish Borders Council ended the last financial year with an under-spend of more than £1.5 million, its reserves broke through the £30 million barrier and the cost of remunerating the authority's team of top officials increased by over 20% in the space of twelve months.

These and many more pieces of financial information are contained in SBC's unaudited accounts for 2019/20 which appeared on the council's website earlier today among the agenda papers for tomorrow's Audit & Scrutiny Committee meeting.

According to the Conservative controlled council's leader Shona Haslam, in a foreward to the accounts, highlights during the last financial year included: "Against a very difficult financial background, the Council has achieved £13.3 million of Financial Plan savings, £9.3 million of which were on a permanent basis; delivered a net under-spend of £1.538 million from a revenue budget of £263.3 million".

Councillor Haslam also points out that SBC delivered Capital Investment of £44.3 million in schools, flood protection, roads, lighting and other assets; undertook a five yearly review of all Common Good & Trust Fund assets; delivered savings in processes and new digital developments in order to protect front line services in the Borders wherever possible.

From 2013/14 to 2019/20 the Council had delivered permanent savings of £55 million alongside significant improvements in performance, she said

The 127-page document displaying the accounts also reveals SBC had as of 31 March 2020 a total Reserves Balance of £30.1 million (£28 million at 31 March 2019) a net increase of £2.1 million during the year.

A section of the report covering senior employees' earnings reflects the council's Corporate Management restructure, readers are told.

In 2018/19 total remuneration paid to top officials stood at £736,373. The amount paid in 2019/20 is recorded as £890,616, a 20.9% difference.

Chief executive Tracey Logan's total remuneration last year was £143,432, according to the accounts, including a fee of £5,422 in her role as returning officer at elections. Her remuneration in 2018/19 was £129,246.

The overall cost of salaries and expenses for the 34 Borders council fell slightly in 2019/20 from £758,000 to £743,000. But those elected members in so-called senior positions, including Cabinet members accounted for £360,419 compared to £337,909 in 2018/19, equivalent to a 6.6% increase in their combined salaries, fees and allowances.

Leader Councillor Haslam's remuneration of £34,944 was an increase from £33,992 while convener David Parker's £26,208 was up from £25,494.

There was a dramatic drop in the sums paid to finance golden goodbyes or exit packages, as the council calls them. In 2019/20 six individuals receive a total of £111,107, well down on the previous year's £613,042 required to fund 12 packages, three of them above £100,000.

The paragraphs outlining the council's loan debts and outstanding payments for three PFI schools always makes for interesting reading. In 2020/21 a PFI payment of £11.457 million will be needed as next year's contribution towards the development of new high schools in Eyemouth, Earlston and Duns, completed some ten years ago.

Total payments for the schools will amount to £260.373 million, including interest of £42.271 million.

Meanwhile actual borrowing from the Public Works Loans Board (PWLB) stood at £167.131 million at March 31st 2020, up from £159.632 million at the close of the previous financial year. When other outstanding loans are taken into account total borrowing stands at £206.628 million (£199.121 million in 2018/19).

A management commentary sets out SBC's debt position. On debt management it says: "The Council continued to maintain an under-borrowed position, this means that the capital financing need was not fully funded by external loan debt and instead internal cash supporting the Council’s reserves, balances and cash flow has continued to be used as a temporary tactical measure.

"This strategy remains both prudent and cost effective in an environment where investment returns are low and counterparty risk is high."

In a section headed  External Debt taxpayers are told: "The Council’s outstanding external debt as at 31 March 2020 was £207 million. Additional long term borrowing was undertaken during the year amounting to £7.5 million, with no requirement for short term borrowing during the 2019/20 year. The average rate of interest paid on outstanding external debt was 4.67%."

SBC remains by far the region's largest employer. The latest statistics show it has a total of 4,992 employees - 1,295 male and 3,697 female. The workforce breaks down as 2,586 full time and 2,406 part-time staff.

FOOTNOTE: Readers of the accounts book may be able to spot a howler on page four where, included in a profile of the Scottish Borders a population total for the region of 155,510 ("mid-2019 estimate National Records of Scotland") is included. The quoted figure is 40,000 higher than the actual estimate of 115,510 which can be found on the NRS website..

Avocet shareholders threatened with legal action

by EWAN LAMB

The chairman of a group of companies who has vowed to initiate legal proceedings against some of his own shareholders, and has promised to sue the administrators of one of his insolvent businesses has been banned from raising actions in any Scottish court since 2006 when he was branded a vexatious litigant.

Martin Frost, head of Avocet Natural Capital and its many subsidiaries, informed the Group's 650 shareholders on Friday of his intention to go to law in pursuit of criminal and civil complaints.

He wrote: "On Thursday, 18th June 2020, Police Scotland advised me that their report  to the Procurator Fiscal was pending and it was now OK for Avocet to proceed with further criminal complaints (involving some £1.5 million of theft & fraud against Avocet) and bring civil actions (amounting to over £5 million in loss and damages).

"Most regrettably such actions will again fall upon my wife’s family and some other Avocet shareholders. A resume of these complaints including the current conspiracy and badmouthing charges against their acolytes and publicists will be forwarded to you, Avocet’s owners, for this Monday 22nd June 2020.

"For the avoidance of doubt: on Monday 22nd June, 2020, prior to service of further criminal complaints and civil actions, Avocet owners shall be advised against whom and for what such actions shall be taken – regrettably the naming of names does include some Avocet shareholders who have sought to rob and defraud their fellow shareholders along with Orr publicists and their purported Administrators of Orrdone Farms Limited."

Earlier this year joint administrators Jeanette Brown, of Dodd & Company, and Emma Porter, of accountants Aver were appointed to take control of Orrdone Farms which has debts in excess of £3.5 million. Their initial report to creditors indicated it had been extremely difficult to obtain adequate and up to date financial information about the company's affairs.

In a previous shareholders' letter dated March 15th Mr Frost declared: "I regret a mischievous and erroneous report by the Administrators of Orrdone Farms Limited was published on 13th March 2020 in which Avocet’s £10 million plus development support of Scottish farming was ignored & negated. Legal action against the Administrators shall flow."

And as recently as May 30th the Avocet chairman warned "I and Avocet will sue (named individual) and all her acolytes. In May alone, my family spent over £95,000 on private enquiry agents, lawyers, and counsel to bring these people to book – from collected evidence, we shall obtain justice from this irresponsible bad mouthing."

Mr Frost is one of eleven individuals on Scotland's list of vexatious litigants. His inclusion followed a petition to the Court of Session by Lord Advocate James Wolffe which was granted by a panel of three judges in November 2006.

Mr Wolffe, the petitioner, sought an order which meant "no legal proceedings shall be instituted by the respondent [Mr Frost] in the Court of Session, Sheriff Court or any other inferior court unless the respondent first obtains leave of a judge sitting in the Outer House of the Court of Session, having satisfied such a judge that such legal proceedings are not vexatious and that there is a prima facie ground for such proceedings".

The Lord Advocate claimed:“The respondent has habitually and persistently instituted vexatious legal proceedings without any reasonable ground for doing so. He has sought to use legal process for reasons unconnected with the issues in the case. His conduct of proceedings has involved the court and other parties in unnecessary procedure, time and expense.

"Judges have repeatedly commented adversely on his written pleadings and oral submissions. The respondent has been sequestrated and parties who succeed in obtaining an award of expenses against him have little prospect of recovering those expenses. ...".

In his response Mr Frost claimed that, in his opinion, "the petition paints an unrepresentative, contradictory and often factually incorrect or distorted picture". 

In his written judgement, Lord Osborne explained: "The respondent addressed us at length. At times his submissions were coherent, at others they were rambling and incomprehensible to anyone not possessing an encyclopaedic knowledge of his own affairs. He persistently addressed us at length upon matters which were plainly irrelevant to the issues arising in this petition.

"The respondent went on to describe in minute detail the background to the raising of those proceedings. In doing so he observed that, in the last twenty five years, he had been involved in more than 500 litigations, ten per cent of which had been in Scotland. The remainder had been raised in England, in the European Union, in the United States of America and in Canada."

The judge said Mr Frost had also criticised a number of individuals; "a number of members of the legal profession whom he had encountered could not be described as honest. 

"In connection with a number of problems related to such persons the respondent had been advised to go to the police. He stated that in fact he had been in contact with the Metropolitan Police and had been interviewed in connection with the "cash for peerages" inquiry, which he appeared to consider relevant to the task that we had to perform."

Lord Osborne said in all the circumstances, having regard to the conduct of the respondent, amply demonstrated in the litigations which formed the basis of the application, the judges were wholly satisfied that the appropriate course was for them to exercise their discretion by making the order sought.

"In reaching this conclusion we have been particularly influenced by the fact that the respondent has made a practice of taking assignations from other persons of their interests in claims or litigations, upon that basis then proceeding to have himself sisted as a party to those litigations, and then practising his own particular brand of advocacy.

"That has involved the making of reckless and unfounded allegations, the wholly unnecessary prolongation of legal proceedings by the exploration of the legally irrelevant, the subjection of his opponents to the trouble and expense of countering his allegations, with little hope of any remedy becoming available to them, in practice, through an award of expenses, on account of the fact that the respondent has been sequestrated, and the diversion of scarce public resources in the court system to the investigation of groundless claims. Accordingly we shall grant the prayer of the petition."

Avocet projects yet to materialise

by DOUGLAS SHEPHERD

A number of the ambitious development projects being touted by the Avocet Group of companies as far back as 2017, and which shareholders were told would produce tens of millions of pounds of income for the business have yet to reach the construction stage.

As Not Just Sheep & Rugby reported recently a number of truly eye-watering predictions of profit were being dangled before investors by Group chairman Martin Frost. They were contained in a number of circulars to 650 shareholders with stakes in a business involved in the 'disruptive technology' fields of fuel additives and hydroponic agriculture.

Three of the significant proposals for generating income were to be located in Tipperary, on Tees-side and in North Northumberland. But none of them appear to have got underway so far.

In July 2017 a delegation from Avocet visited Lisheen, near the village of Moyne in the Republic of Ireland, the site earmarked for one of the company's flagship schemes. Personnel from Avocet met with representatives of Tipperary County Council, presumably to discuss the details of a major initiative, and posed for a photograph to mark the occasion.

Lisheen mine was a lead and zinc mine where extraction had ceased in November 2015 after 17 years in operation.

According to the Avocet literature: "While surface and underground rehabilitation has been in progress, the mining company has actively collaborated with the local authorities in finding possible users for a site that is well served by power, water, and waste disposal infrastructure. The EU, Irish and Tipperary vision is of a bio-economy campus powered by the wind turbines that dot the neighbouring landscape and situated in an area of natural beauty. Avocet ticks all the bio-economy boxes and so is a perfect match."

Avocet was said to be conducting a feasibility study to assess the economics from Avocet’s perspective. Shareholders were told: "Simply put, Avocet has the resources and partners to prompt a 100-million-euro investment into Lisheen, What Avocet needs to understand is will the EU; the Irish Government, Tipperary Council and others match in whole or in part Lisheen’s proposed bio – economy?"

When asked to comment on the Avocet project this week, a Tipperary County Council spokesperson said:"The council can confirm that no public funds were committed by Tipperary County Council to Avocet projects".

Meanwhile there has also been a lack of apparent progress at Seal Sands on Tees-side, the venue for a 'small scale' production plant capable of "avocet additive sales of some £8 million for 2019 rising to £80 million by 2021 - such can facilitate some £400 million  pounds worth of blended avocet / methanol fuel by 2021."

Here's what Mr Frost and his fellow directors said about the scale of the North-east England venture in March 2018: "Projected estimated capital and setting up cost of proposed Seal Sands plant is between £16 to £20 million of which Avocet Fuel Systems Plc via Avocet Infinite Plc will need to put up between £2 and £4 million with an anticipated £10 million in grant funding supported by £6 to £8 million in unsecured low-cost government loans."

A third project in the Avocet portfolio was centred on Newburn, a 60-acre farm a few miles from Berwick-on-Tweed, and a property with "recently lapsed planning permission for an abattoir and anaerobic digestion unit. 

"Avocet has agreed (subject to planning) to acquire Newburn farm with the prime purpose  of exclusively slaughtering  all its  own Piemontese  cattle  and thereafter storing  and  marketing  all its  beef. Piemontese cattle are easily stressed and so as with deer/venison, special  handling and de-stressing  practices  need to be used."

The plan was to put through 1,000 cattle  in 2019, 2,000 in 2020, 3,000 in 2021 and settling down from  2022 to 4,000 per annum or some 80 carcases  per week.

"The  source  of the  Piemontese cattle  will  broadly be 50% British  and 50% Irish.The  planned 2022 sales turnover of Avocet  Farms will  be some  £20 million  per annum giving a  gross sales  margin in excess of 40% to which an additional  retail sales margin of £10 million  needs to be factored  to cover the butchery, storage, and direct marketing of the  meat."

Northumberland County Council planning department files show permission was granted for an abattoir to be developed at Newburn Holdings in 2005 with a condition that work should start within three years. But there is no record of any subsequent applications to revive the abattoir proposal.