The Scottish Government is to retain the century-old bull hire scheme for crofters it wanted to ditch.
The decision from Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham was welcomed last night by Scottish Crofting Foundation chief executive Patrick Krause and NFU Scotland’s Highland and Islands committee chairman Jo Durno.
The bull scheme had been under threat since 2004 because of EU state aid rules. The deathknell seemed to be sounded in 2008 after the Shucksmith inquiry into crofting recommended the bull hire scheme was stopped. But the SNP administration, which had been backing the recommendation, was forced into a U-turn amid a political storm. It then set up a review group to look at the scheme, which reported its findings last year to Ms Cunningham.
Mr Krause said retaining the scheme was excellent, adding: “It has been an important factor in crofters producing top-quality calves.”
Ms Cunningham echoed those remarks herself as she revealed the government’s long-awaited decision on the review group's recommendations. She recognised that keeping the scheme was the best way of ensuring the continued quality of livestock coming out of the crofting communities.
Looking to the future, Ms Cunningham said she still wished to see community-run studs rather than a central facility. The review group had concluded community studs were not practicable in the short term for a number of reasons.
But Ms Cunningham added: “My long-term view remains that communities should provide this facility for themselves. Community groups should start to build their own capacity with a view to running studs where bulls are needed most.”
There was no timescale attached to this shift to community ownership. In fact, the government intends spending £1million to upgrade its stud facilities at Knocknagael and Balrobert, near Inverness.
The cash for this will come from selling the bulk of the farmland attached to both units, with only enough retained to produce sufficient winter forage for the bulls.
NFU Scotland said its fight to retain the scheme had been successful.
Mrs Durno, of Deepdale, Glenlivet, who sat on the review group, was delighted at the government's change of heart. She is now looking forward to seeing the details of how the scheme will be managed in future.
She added: “There is no doubt that the scheme has provided tremendous value to crofters and to the farming community at large in terms of better quality breeding stock. The bull hire scheme review group and I strongly believe that this should continue and that it can be done in an efficient way.”
Between 2006 and 2008, on average, 120 bulls were hired to about 450 participants in 106 crofting townships. These bulls served 4,083 cows in 2008 out of a total of 28,315 cows held on crofts, representing 14% of crofters’ cows. The scheme operates with a 60% subsidy on the cost of the bulls. The cost of hiring bulls is being increased by £137 to £1,250, which includes transport, insurance and an overwintering fee.