Written by Rachel Martin
Around 6,400ha of Scottish public sector land has been made available to support those who want to become farmers.
The land has come from public bodies such as Forestry and Land Scotland, Crown Estate Scotland, Scottish Water, Highland and Islands Enterprise, East Lothian and Highland Councils.
The ground will benefit up to 24 farmers and is part of the Programme for Government commitment to identify and make available land for new entrants to the farming industry.
It brings the total number of Scottish starter farms to 94.
Among the people benefiting is Callum Lindsay, a farmer’s son who has long wanted to establish his own farm but has not been able to because of high land prices.
Lindsay, whose home farm is not big enough to support both him and his parents, has been awarded 40ha of public land at West Torrie, near Callander, on a five-year tenancy.
He said: “Due to the high price of land and the shortage of ground available to rent for livestock, it is becoming increasingly difficult to get yourself established.
This five-year tenancy is a golden opportunity to establish myself in the industry – a start that would not be achievable if I had to buy my own land.
Welcoming the land award to Lindsay, Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said: “The availability of land remains one of the primary barriers to attracting new entrants to farming and I am clear that overcoming these challenges is vital for the future sustainability of the industry.”
The forestry estate alone has already identified more than 2,800ha of land for potential lease to aspiring farmers, with many other public organisations doing likewise.
“With the average age of Scottish farmers at 58, attracting new entrants is essential,” Ewing added.
By further opening up public sector land, I hope that we can provide more opportunities to get onto the first step of the farming ladder.
As well as helping new entrants into the industry, the scheme assists existing farmers to make their businesses more sustainable by renting them additional land.
To ensure other ambitious young people are provided similar opportunities, successful turn-over of tenants is a key principle of the starter farm initiative.
As such, all candidates are made aware of these terms and the need to re-let units after the duration of their tenancy.
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