Positive news from Crofting Commission

Figures released last month from the Crofting Commission highlight a positive upturn in the number of new entrants to crofting.

Across Scotland, the commission reports 510 new croft tenants in 2022/23, with almost half that number being women and almost a third aged under 41 years.

The figures mark a five- year high in the number of new entrants to crofting and highlight the growing interest in this unique land tenure system, particularly among younger generations.

In Uist, the positive picture played out with 29 new entrants, including 12 women and 12 under the age of 40.

The news has been welcomed in the Western Isles, where the decline in population is currently around 5.5% and a continuing cause for concern.

Commenting on the release, Western Isles MSP Alasdair Allan said: “The latest figures for new entrants to crofting are very encouraging. This progress demonstrates new measures on helping prospective new crofters secure a croft tenancy are working, though of course there is still more that can be done to make the process more efficient and to further widen access.

The entrants are taking up their new role as crofters at a critical time for the sector. Changes to the way agricultural support is awarded will be introduced in 2026 and are expected to place greater burdens on smaller farmers and crofters.

The Scottish Crofting Federation (SCF) has called for a fairer approach to the new funding regime, and last month joined fellow sector organisations in a protest at the Scottish Parliament.

Addressing the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee, SCF Chief Executive Donna Smith said:

“We believe that the agriculture bill is not fit for the purposes stated in the objectives, such as the production of high-quality food and nature restoration. It will not enable crofters and other small-scale producers to deliver on these objectives. There are no firm mechanisms to truly support rural communities, but rather a focus on large-scale industrial food production.”

The national picture makes for a worrying backdrop for local crofters, who face significant increases in the price of feed and fertiliser, the additional cost of transporting stock on and off the island and a still uncertain future for Lochmaddy Mart.

Click through to the March edition of the paper to read about two families taking up crofts.