Crofting’s future faces ‘clear danger’

Environment minister says radical action needed to save it from a ‘perilous state’

Published:

Radical action is needed to save the crofting industry in Scotland from its “perilous state”, Environment Minister Mike Russell has warned.

The minister said yesterday there was a “clear and present danger in terms of the future of crofting”.

He added: “I do think radical action is required.”

Mr Russell spoke out as MSPs at Holyrood debated a new report on the way forward for the sector.

A committee of inquiry on crofting, chaired by Professor Mark Shucksmith, was set up to look at the future for crofting.

While the committee was set up by the previous Scottish Executive, Mr Russell said when he took up his post last year he had encouraged it to be radical.

He said: “I believe radical change is needed to reverse years of decline in crofting. We have an obligation now to ensure crofting carries forward into future generations.”

As one of its recommendations, the committee called for the Crofters Commission, responsible for overseeing crofting legislation and developing crofting, to be abolished.

It suggested the commission be replaced by a Federation of Crofting Boards, which would consist of up to 10 elected local crofting boards.

In addition, the report said, development of crofting should be the responsibility of a new crofting and community development body, which would ideally be part of Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

Mr Russell said the committee made “bold recommendations” in relation to a variety of issues affecting the sector, including land and the environment, the rural economy, housing, crofting regulation and on attracting new entrants into crofting.

He told MSPs he would consider the report “very carefully” over the summer, and announced there would be a detailed response after that.

The minister also told MSPs the Scottish Government was “minded” to designate new areas for crofting tenure in Arran, Bute, Greater and Little Cumbrae and parts of the Moray Council and Highland Council areas – as proposed in a previous consultation.

Labour's Sarah Boyack described the recommendations in the Shucksmith report as “radical” and “far-reaching”.

Ms Boyack, Labour’s rural affairs spokeswoman, went on: “The report’s analysis is spot-on, and we need to make sure we have widespread consultation and consideration.”

But she said there were also areas where the Government could act now.

Ms Boyack said: “We need to look at addressing the urgent housing and agricultural support issues that can be acted upon now.

On the issue of housing, she argued that housing grants were “urgently needed” to help crofters build new homes.

Ms Boyack concluded by telling MSPs that the report was a “fantastic vision for the future”.

And she said: “There are a lot of very good recommendations. We need to take our time to get it right, and funding is crucial.

“We need to know that, whatever we support, the Government will fund it fully so we can take these recommendations forward.”

For the Tories, John Scott told MSPs that crofting had been described as “an island surrounded by a sea of legislation”. He added: “The more one looks into it, the more that becomes apparent.”

Mr Scott added: “Scottish Conservatives, in particular, welcome the determination to address absenteeism and neglect, which has sadly affected much crofting land in the past.”

For the Liberal Democrats, Tavish Scott told MSPs the report came at a time when local and other issues affecting crofting were changing dramatically.

He went on to warn: “Any reform must be about securing food production, cattle and sheep in the crofting counties. Livestock means families, families mean schools, and schools mean a future for islands, glens and the high hills of Scotland.”