2018-05-16 |
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Report says Highlands & Islands Agriculture is Unique
The Scottish Crofting Federation (SCF) has welcomed a report launched on Monday 14th May that “demonstrates unequivocally that Highlands and Islands agriculture and land use stands out as unique in Scotland and the UK”.
At the gathering for the launch of the report ‘Post-Brexit
Implications for Agriculture & Associated Land Use in the
Highlands and Islands’, chair of SCF Russell
Smith said;
“We
welcome this very important piece of work that demonstrates
unequivocally that Highlands and Islands agriculture and land
use stands out as unique in Scotland and the UK. The contribution
that this region, and therefore crofting, makes to food production
and public goods such as environment, landscape and culture
is shown to be very significant, but along with that the report
emphasises the vulnerability and constraints this fragile area
suffers.”
Mr Smith continued;
“Crofters are rational people; if they
cannot make a living from crofting they will stop doing it and
will have to leave, with the negative consequences for the local
economy, communities and environment. The critical mass that allows
communities to thrive would be lost.”
The study, carried out by Andrew Moxey of Pareto Consulting and Steven Thomson of SRUC, was commissioned by the Highlands and Islands Agricultural Support Group and draws on published analysis, literature and data plus interviews with stakeholders. The work considers the potential economic, social and environmental implications of Brexit’s impacts on the distinctive agriculture, crofting and related land use found across the region.
Mr Smith added;
“There are two things that I would highlight
in planning our future agricultural support policy. One is that
common grazings must be brought into the planning, not added as
an afterthought as has been the case. This is a huge and underused
resource.
Secondly, support must be based on activity, but ‘activity’ has to be carefully defined as land use rather than as a measure of financial turnover. Some crofting areas can only support very low stocking densities and small units will have low total stock numbers. But these should still be supported because of the environmental diversity, economic activity and community resilience they provide.”
Andrew Moxey, co-author of the report, summed up saying;
“The
study shows that Highlands and Islands agriculture and land use
is different from the rest of Scotland. This report is just the
beginning; there is much work to be done."
