BY KIRSTY WATT
The new Crofting and Scottish Land Court Bill is a welcomed first step to “modernising and simplifying crofting law”, Eilidh Munro, SNP candidate for Skye, Lochalsh and Badenoch told the Free Press this week.
The bill, agreed in principle by the Scottish Parliament last week, aims to make regulation less onerous for active crofters and streamline administrative process.
The bill will also see the merging of the Scottish Land Court (which currently deals with disputes between landlords and tenants in Scottish farming) and the Lands Tribunal for Scotland (which deals with disputes over land or property).
Speaking ahead of the vote in parliament last week, Ms Munro, who has worked in the office of Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar for over 4 years, said: “It is widely accepted that crofting law reform is long overdue, and there has been extensive consultation with stakeholders on what form this reform should take.
“This government bill will make a range of changes to existing statute, handing new powers to the Crofting Commission and enhancing crofters’ grazing rights, while reducing bureaucracy both for the Commission (to allow them to focus on enforcement efforts) and for crofters themselves.
“Many crofters want to see more radical changes to legislation across several key areas, which would better support new entrants to crofting, tackle absenteeism, ensure crofts are put to productive use, and bring the Commission closer to the crofting communities it serves. There is much more to be done, and the minister for agriculture has acknowledged this as the bill has progressed.”
MSPs now have until 29th January to submit any amendments to the bill before these are debated at a meeting of the committee on the 4th February.
Ms Munro said: “Personally, I would be keen to see a requirement for the commission to consult directly with working crofters on proposed policy changes – at present it’s only HIE and local authorities that are required to be consulted – and I also want to see a requirement introduced for prospective owner-occupiers to go through the same assignation process as non-family tenancy applications before they are granted ‘crofter’ status, something which is supported by the SCF and Community Land Scotland.
“I would also like to see the Croft House Grant scheme eligibility criteria expanded to ensure that this funding is able to be fully utilised by crofters, though this is likely something for future legislation at this stage.”
Ms Munro also warned proposed updates within the bill, which would allow tenants and owner-occupiers to put their crofts to “environmental use”, need to be more clearly defined to “prevent a croft being abandoned in the name of rewilding.”
“Crofting is a crucial part of the cultural and agricultural fabric of the Highlands and Islands. If the people of Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch put their faith in me in May, I’ll stand up for crofting communities, as well as our farmers, ensuring the right agricultural support is in place, and necessary legislative changes are progressed.”
