Hebrides crofters encouraged to respond to Pack report

Western Isles  MSP, Alasdair Allan, has encouraged crofters in the islands to give their views on a review of support for agriculture in Scotland.

Brian Pack has published an interim report into the future of agricultural subsidies for the Scottish Government and crofters have until 5th March to write in with their views, although the date has been extended to the 19th March for crofters in the Western Isles.

This was because public meetings in the islands could not be held until late on in the process.

Alasdair Allan spoke in today’s parlementry debate on this issue. He also asked a question of Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham saying: “whether the Scottish Government agrees that crofters and farmers in most of the Highlands and Islands operate in an unusually harsh environment and that this deserves to be recognised in any changes to the existing subsidy regime.”

Speaking in the debate Alasdair Allan said:

“A whole host of good reasons can be given for continuing investment in crofting and hill farming. If the landscape of my constituency had not been grazed it would have been abandoned by its population virtually entirely many decades ago. We have to recognise in whatever system we have in future that the agricultural disadvantages faced in places like Harris are of an entirely different magnitude to those faced in West Lothian. Yet those places are both currently classed as ‘severely disadvantaged’. We have to find a system that better recognises the difference.

“I would encourage all crofters to take part in the consultation and to make the case for the needs of crofters, particularly on the issue of less favoured area status.”

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