Crofters Bull Hire Scheme under consideration

Options for the future of the crofters’ Bull Hire Scheme have been presented to Scottish Ministers for consideration.

A final decision on the future of the 100-year-old scheme, which provides crofters with access to bulls to ensure the quality of cattle, will be announced early next year.

Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham said:
“The Bull Hire Review Group, chaired by Sarah Allen, has dedicated a great deal of time and resource in order to fully analyse the scheme’s relevance in a modern Scotland.

“Full and careful consideration will be given to all the options before a final decision is taken.”

The Committee of Inquiry into Crofting, led by Professor Mark Shucksmith, concluded that the Bull Hire Scheme did not provide value for money and recommended its closure.

The Bull Hire Review Group was established to investigate practical options to encourage crofters to work together to keep high-quality cattle in remote rural Scotland. It was also asked to identify those parts of the country where crofting communities would be unable, without support, to maintain quality livestock and to provide options to Ministers on a cost-effective way of providing access to bulls.

An estimated 1,800 crofters keep cattle yet only around 450 use the Bull Hire Scheme. Approximately 120 bulls are involved in the scheme, most kept at stud farms on the outskirts of Inverness.

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