SCF Head Office
Lochalsh Business Park
Auchtertyre
Kyle of Lochalsh
IV40 8EG
SCOTLAND
Tel: 01599 566 365
Fax: 01599 566 375
News
SCF Praises Parliamentary Consensus on Shucksmith report
Thursday, May 15, 2008
The Scottish Crofting Foundation (SCF) today praised MSPs for their unanimity in acceptance of the Committee of Inquiry on Crofting’s report which was published this week. In a debate at Holyrood this morning, MSPs of all parties warmly commended the radical conclusions of the report. SCF Parliamentary spokesman Norman Leask said, “It is remarkable that a subject as contentious as crofting produced such a consensus amongst the politicians. All speakers accepted the recommendations of the report, although, quite rightly, some were keen to see the detail worked out. There was on all sides a genuine appreciation of the social, economic and environmental benefits of crofting and of the huge contribution it can make to rural development.”
SCF praises ‘thorough and radical’ report from Shucksmith Committee
Monday, May 12, 2008
The Scottish Crofting Foundation (SCF) has given a warm welcome to the report of the Committee of Inquiry on Crofting launched in Stornoway today (Monday 12th May). The Inquiry, chaired by Professor Mark Shucksmith, was commissioned following the failure of the Crofting Reform Bill in 2006. SCF Chairman Neil MacLeod said, “We have waited a long time for this and it has been well worth the wait. Professor Shucksmith and his Committee are to be congratulated on producing such a thorough and radical report at this crucial time. The report echoes many of the policy initiatives pursued by SCF over the last few years, such as on Less Favoured Area support, crofter housing, assistance for younger new entrants, strengthening and simplifying regulation and democratising the regulatory process. An Inquiry such as this only takes place perhaps once in a generation, so we are very pleased to see that the Committee has fully recognised the social, economic and environmental importance of crofting, and we look forward to legislation being brought forward to enact their proposals.
SCF-praises-Shucksmith-report.pdf
Future of Crofting Report presented in Stornoway
Monday, May 12, 2008
The Committee formally presented their recommendations for the future of crofting in Scotland to Mike Russell MSP, Minister for Environment at an event held on 12th May 2008 in Stornoway.
View the full report or watch a video summary of the Committee's recommendations delivered by the Chairman of the Committee, Professor Mark Shucksmith.
http://www.croftinginquiry.org:80/Documents/final-report
SCF submission to Housing Inquiry
Monday, April 28, 2008
The Scottish Crofting Foundation (SCF) is pleased to offer the following evidence to the Scottish Parliament rural housing enquiry.
SCF is the only representative organisation for crofters and crofting in Scotland. There are approximately 18,000 crofts in the ‘crofting counties’ of Inverness, Argyll, Orkney, Shetland and Eileanan an Iar. Crofters and their families comprise around 10%, or 30,000, of the Highlands and Islands population forming 30% of households on the mainland and 65% of households in Skye, Eileanan an Iar and Shetland. Average crofting household income is £21,000, and crofting provides around 30% of that income1. 25% of agricultural land in the Highlands and Islands is under crofting tenure. Crofting has been successful in maintaining populations in some of Scotland’s most remote areas by giving people access to land, homes and jobs. Housing support given to crofters has historically given excellent value for public money in rural housing provision, but that support has been massively devalued over the last twenty years.
SCF contribution to Food Policy Discussion
Friday, April 25, 2008
Scottish Crofting Foundation (SCF) is pleased to offer the following contribution to the discussion on the National Food Policy for Scotland. SCF is the only representative and campaigning organisation for crofters and crofting in Scotland. We congratulate the Scottish Government on this policy initiative which has far reaching importance for our members.
Food production in Scotland must concentrate on quality, local provision, provenance and environment. Maintaining food production, especially livestock, in upland, peripheral and island areas is of inestimable social, economic and environmental importance. Small scale agriculture, such as crofting, has been successful in maintaining populations in some of Scotland’s most remote areas. By contrast, industrial scale agriculture driven by a commercial UK food policy, whether in the Straths of Sutherland or the arable prairies of the East of England, has cleared rural populations leaving a degraded environment and a countryside that is the preserve of the very rich.
Crofters Welcome Food Initiative
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
The Scottish Crofting Foundation have hailed the Scottish Government's food policy discussion and the forthcoming meeting with supermarket representatives hosted by the First Minister as ground-breaking.
SCF food spokesman Donald MacDonald said “the Scottish Government have taken an unprecedented step in recognising that we need to change the way in which we produce and consume food in Scotland. Their food discussion initiative is not only welcome but is extremely exiting. We have the chance now to make some fundamental changes, to look forward to doing what crofters do best – produce good, healthy, fresh food – and to get just reward for that. The fact that the supermarket representatives are willing to participate in the discussion is a very clear indicator that they too recognise the need to change.”
Crofters’ Anguish Over SRDP
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
As it unfolds, the true shortfalls of the Scottish Rural Development Programme are becoming apparent. The Scottish Crofting Foundation has been inundated with complaints and pleas for help from crofters and small-holders regarding the SRDP, the main route to Scottish Government support for rural enterprises.
SCF Past-Chair Norman Leask said “This is something that affects all rural development, crofting being one of the main enterprises in the Highlands and Islands. There were measures that were good for crofters in the old Land Managers Contracts and environmental schemes, for example the maintenance of footpaths for access to the countryside, animal health plans and membership of certain farm assurance schemes, but these have been taken out of the new Land Managers Options – the bit which can be accessed by post. So the only part of the SRDP that is fully accessible has little or nothing in it for crofters. The larger part, ‘Rural Priorities’, is out of the reach of many crofters, it being only accessible ‘on-line’ and so the only way they can apply is by paying for consultancy services to make an application for them – not cost effective for small initiatives.”
SCF Launches Housing Report
Thursday, April 10, 2008
The Scottish Crofting Foundation (SCF) has this week launched its report on meeting housing needs in the crofting areas, ‘Houses on Crofting Land’. The research has been carried out by Derek Logie of the Rural Housing Service, one of Scotland’s leading experts on rural housing, with the intention of finding methods whereby crofting land could help to meet the need for affordable housing in Highland and Island communities, while safeguarding crofting interests.
Croft to let on Fair Isle
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
This National Trust for Scotland-owned croft will be available to let under crofting tenure in summer 2008. The croft house has four-bedrooms and good outbuildings and sits on 10.5 hectares of croft land with associated common grazing.
Particularly suitable for a young family or couple who are eligible for the Croft Entrant Scheme and keen to join small island community of around seventy people.
Please write to The National Trust for Scotland, Balnain House, Inverness, IV3 5HR by 25 April 2008 for further information and application details.
SCF To Launch Report of Housing on Croft Land Study.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
An in-depth study looking at the sustainable use of croft land to help meet rural housing needs commissioned by the SCF has been completed and the report will be launched on 8th April at a reception at Cowan House, Inverness.
View in pdf format below. (1MB)
Sheep Tagging Petition
Friday, March 14, 2008
The NFUS, together with the Scottish Farmer, has launched a sheep tagging petition, focusing on the current double tagging rules and threat of individual recording and have asked for our help in ensuring as many sheep producers as possible sign up.
Please consider signing this petition, either electronically or by text / phone (see below for details).
The link to the e-petition is: http://www.thescottishfarmer.co.uk/sheeptaggingpetition
There is also a text message service for people to sign up. For someone to sign up, they just need to send a text from their mobile to 80011 starting the text with the word “NFUS” followed by their name and town. There is also a phoneline (0131 472 4015) where people can leave their details for the petition.
Cabinet Secretary urged to consider further use of National Envelopes
Friday, March 07, 2008
The Scottish Crofting Foundation this week wrote to Cabinet Secretary, Richard Lochhead stressing the importance of the Scottish Beef Calf Scheme in supporting suckler cattle herds in the hills.
According to SCF Chairman Norman Leask, the effectiveness of the scheme, which recycles money within the beef sector to support breeding herds, provides an example of how mechanisms under the CAP can be used to achieve specific outcomes.
He said, “The CAP Healthcheck will provide an opportunity over the coming year or so to decide what we want to see happening with agricultural support. Decoupling of support has produced many challenges, especially in more marginal hill, upland and areas. In some places, particularly in the Highlands and Islands, declines in livestock numbers are pretty steep. Cattle numbers, though, are holding up better than sheep and we think this is partly to be explained by the targeted, simple and accessible support available through the Beef Calf Scheme.
Indigenous People
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Parallels between highland crofters and Norwegian Sami and some political implications of indigenous status.
crofters-indigenous-people.pdf (4.2 mbs)
Anomaly of Uk Government Stance on Indigenous People Highlighted
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
The Scottish Crofting Foundation will present the research project “Crofters; Indigenous People of the Highlands and Islands” at the Parliamentary Crofting Cross Party Group today (27th). The report looks at parallels between Highland crofters and Norwegian Sami and some of the political implications of indigenous status.
Indigenous Peoples legislation has developed in response to the oppression of peoples' language, culture and way of life in colonial and postcolonial societies worldwide. Throughout the world recognition is growing and many indigenous people, including the Sami of north Norway, Sweden and Finland, now have their own elected representatives to determine policies that relate to their way of life.
Indigenous People
Thursday, February 21, 2008
CROFTERS' INDIGENOUS STATUS REPORT TO BE LAUNCHED
How the United Nations can help promote the distinctive culture of the Scottish Highlands is the subject of a report being launched at the Scottish Parliament next week by the Scottish Crofting Foundation.
Specifically, the report looks at whether crofters can be considered the indigenous people of the Highlands and Islands and what benefits indigenous status would bring to the area.
After generations of summary eviction from their ancestral lands, crofters won the right to live in perpetuity on their crofts in 1886. Administration of the crofting system is carried out by the Crofters Commission, a quango administered by the Scottish Executive and mandated by Scottish Government ministers. The Scottish Crofting Foundation has been examining aspects of United Nations legislation on indigenous peoples to consider how it might apply in a Highland context.