Crofters fear new law could threaten Scotland's rural heritage

Crofting is about working the land, producing food, and creating communities in some of Scotland’s most remote locations.

It has been a practice for hundreds of years but crofters fear it could be lost if new government legislation doesn’t address key concerns within their sector.

Donna Smith from the Scottish Crofting Federation said: “We are already seeing a reduction in the number of active crofters.

“There’s the rise in the cost of land, which is prohibitive for some, land is being bought for other purposes, and people don’t always realise what a croft is.

“People have a notion that it’s a nice romantic cosy place, and yes the scenery can be lovely, but it’s more than a piece of land, it’s a working piece of land that helps keep people in rural communities.”

A croft is a small agricultural piece of land, usually based in the Highlands, and across Scotland’s islands, and is usually around 12 acres but can be as large as 30 to 40 acres.

Most crofters work the land alongside another job, and use the food produced from it to feed their families, selling excess produce into the local market.

‘Additional paperwork will put people off’

Beth and Tim Rose bought Birchwood Croft in Strathnairn 14 years ago.

They believe changes recently made to the way two key Scottish agricultural payments are made – The Whole Farm Plan and the Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme – favour much larger operations.

Beth said: “I think the additional paperwork required for things like the Whole Farm Plan will put people off.

“Crofting is often done on land which can’t be used for anything else, and it’s not an intensive process, we don’t have the same output as other farms and we’re not selling into the wider food market.

Her husband, Tim, works offshore and added: “Crofting is and should be distinct from other agricultural practices like commercial farming.

“We’re already probably starting to see it becoming less distinct from other land uses and if that continues, it will disappear, and the communities that are based around them too.”

The Scottish Government said support is available to help navigate different agricultural funds, and that £40m worth of “crofting specific” funding has been made available to the sector every year.

Ministers are currently consulting on the new crofting reform bill, which aims to create opportunities for new entrants.

But concerns have also been raised about proposals in it that could change the way crofts are transferred, also known as the assignation process.

The consent of the Crofting Commission is currently required in any change of tenancy, and the body will show the proposals to the community before any transfer is allowed.

Donna explained that current plans in the crofting bill could leave the sector more vulnerable.

She said: “The proposal basically means that the Crofting Commission won’t be looking at these assignation applications.

“So, the community won’t be given the opportunity to comment, and our concern is basically that this will surrender crofts to the free market which already a problem we’re seeing.”

The Scottish Government are currently meeting with crofters to discuss the proposals.

Jim Fairlie, minister for agriculture and connectivity, said: “We’re in the process of doing the consultation and there’s a huge amount of consultation already done.

“So we need to collate all of that information and look at what the proposals are – we’ll work out which ones are working and which ones need tweaking.”