Western Isles Holyrood hopeful Donald Crichton has called on the Scottish Government to halt the transfer of specific crofting grants from the Crofters Commission to Edinburgh after the elections in May.
In a letter to Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham the Labour candidate said the process of transferring the Croft House Grant Scheme and the Bull Hire Scheme should be halted until after the May elections so that further consultation can take place.
Mr Crichton said: “I understand that the process for transferring the Croft House Grant Scheme and the Bull hire Scheme from the Crofters Commission to your own department in Edinburgh has commenced.
“This is a retrograde step and not only diminishes the role of the Commission but puts at risk the status of specific crofting grants.
He continued: “Along with many other damaging aspects of the new Crofting Act the transfer of specific grants from the Commission will further threaten the status of crofting.
“Leaving these grants to the fate of being distilled into a larger agriculture pot will be a disincentive and result in a decline in demand. This is something I fear that is by design rather than accident.”
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