The Scottish Crofting Federation (SCF) believes NFU Scotland’s recently published paper Steps to Change lacks an understanding of the culture of crofting and crofting communities, and the federation has suggestions for future editions of the paper.

SCF chair Russell Smith said SCF supported various aspects of the paper – including the food production thriving while also providing positive environmental outcomes, as well as public goods that are not paid for by the market being supported with public money.

Smith said: “It must be very challenging trying to write policy that will satisfy all their members, but they have made a good start on it.

“Unfortunately, the paper comes across as a treatise on the industrial agriculture model, showing a fundamental lack of understanding of crofting and its wider benefits to crofting communities.

“In fact,” he added, “whether talking about crofting or agriculture in other parts of Scotland, there is no mention of community whatsoever.”

He continued: “This document claims to be a vision for the future of Scottish agricultural support, yet the future – new entrants – don’t get a mention.”

NFUS response

In response to SCF’s concerns, NFU Scotland president Andrew McCornick said the document “was generated following an unprecedented level of engagement with our membership in 2017, including our 800 crofting members, and it seeks to set out a future policy structure with appropriate measures to serve all of Scottish agriculture regardless of sector, region, business type or tenure”.

McCornick added: “Our Crofting, Highlands and Islands Committee (CHIC) and its new chair Barney Macaskill will be feeding in their important take on the latest Change document and NFUS will be sharing its post-Brexit vision with the Scottish Parliament’s cross-party working group on crofting later this month.”