THE CROFTER, SEPTEMBER 2012 1 Scottish Crofting Federation THE CROFTER rooted in our communities The journal of the Scottish Crofting Federation, the only member-led organisation dedicated to the promotion of crofting and the largest association of small-scale food producers in the UK SEPTEMBER 2012 Number 96 Sort your croft To him who hath succession shall be given… ICTURE the following situation: you are HE LATEST Common Agricultural Policy blood we need. The historic basis of SFP since a crofter, or at least you think you are. reform, even at this fairly early stage its inception has deliberately excluded new P Why should you think otherwise as Tin the process, seems set yet again to entrants from the scheme – and that exclusion you’ve worked your croft for twenty years and follow that Biblical dictum. looks set to continue as the post-2013 scheme you have the security of crofting tenure? The establishment of the Single Farm will use 2011 as the reference year. If you had There’s just one snag. The croft is still in the Payment Scheme (SFP) in the last reform in no entitlements in 2003, you therefore had no name of your elderly mother who lives in the 2003 is generally regarded as a disaster. It was entitlements in 2011 unless you purchased croft house. Time goes by and your mother designed to decouple support from production, them in the preposterous artificial market that has to go into residential care, which has to a measure that has emptied the hills of sheep trades in these things to further the profits of be paid for. Along comes a council official who and created a highly successful new breed, the dealers and speculators. informs you that your mother’s assets will be so-called slipper farmer, generously supported The post-2013 proposals offer a one-off assessed and she will be charged care home by the taxpayer for doing precisely nothing. application window to a national reserve of fees on the basis of the value of her savings The 2003 reform was designed to cut entitlements open exclusively to those under and property and that property includes her production and in that regard it certainly 40, who will also receive a 25 per cent uplift in croft tenancy. succeeded. A whole series of reports entitlement value for five years. Undoubtedly, But hang on, you say, that’s my croft. It’s commissioned by the government and up-market land agents and lawyers will be busy been in the family for four generations, it’s an its agencies over the last few years has working out ways for their clients to exploit important part of my livelihood and it’s left to me documented the economic, social and that situation, while those who really need the in my mother’s will. Tough, says the council, it’s environmental damage caused to Scotland’s support will continue to be denied it. in your mother’s name so it’s her asset and it has hills and islands through loss of livestock. Is there a genuine desire to have new a value. It will have to be sold. The global political economy of food has people in agriculture or is the real agenda That’s bad enough, but it gets even worse. drastically changed over the ten years since of government and agri-business one of If an elderly person sells or assigns an the last reform and the need for production consolidation and intensification? Will there asset, including, apparently, a croft tenancy, and food security is back on the agenda. again be an artificial market created in which within five years of going into residential care, The post-2013 CAP proposals at least move entitlements will be traded for profit rather than it is open to the local authority to claim that the towards a link between direct payments and allocated on a basis of need? person has deliberately disposed of the asset production, but in other important respects A superficially-attractive small farmers’ in order to avoid care home charges. will continue and compound the errors and scheme is proposed that would offer crofters We are only aware of one local authority anomalies of SFP. a flat-rate annual payment of between €500 taking this exceptionally harsh line over croft Given the age profile of farmers and and €1000 and a lower requirement of cross- tenancies. They say they are only following crofters and the Scottish Government’s stated compliance, as an alternative to area-based Scottish Government instructions. We commitment to new entrants to the industry, direct payments. However, the rate as proposed disagree. There is nothing in government we expected positive moves in this CAP is far too low to be of interest to many and guidelines to say that a croft tenancy must reform to encourage and support the new would in any case not be available to those be treated as an asset for the purpose of Continued on page 7 assessing care home charges. Someone within that local authority has decided to interpret the guidelines in such a way. If members have had similar experiences, please let us know. Meantime, anyone who could get into this situation should get their croft succession sorted out without delay, as the alternative could be losing their croft. Do it now! INSIDE THIS ISSUE • SCF Horticulture handbook • Crofting Connections • Community mapping • Food sovereignty • Access on croft land and much more Martin Benson © 2 THE CROFTER, SEPTEMBER 2012 Message from the chair... Derek Flyn Scotland in their preparations for map-based information on every AGM in June, we announced the new Crofting Register. Others croft and every common grazing. changes to the board. Marina are considering the draft plan of But we at SCF are hoping for more. Dennis and Alasdair MacMhaoirn the new Crofting Commission. When crofters map their land it can retired after giving good service and In recent years the Scottish be the starting point for community I wish to record our thanks for the Parliament has invested a asset-planning, working towards a time and effort they have devoted considerable amount of time brighter future. We are encouraging to the organisation. I am pleased reforming the law that applies to crofting communities to see the to report that they have both agreed crofts. The next step is to invest multiple benefits that can be had to continue in valued roles and their public monies in making the from mapping the croft assets as enthusiasm for crofting will not be system work. There are changes a group. lost to us. taking place that will be costly and Meanwhile, we shall become The present board of myself, they will not please everybody. The aware of the impact of the SCF is committed to understanding Commission’s new powers to Fiona Mandeville, Paddy Zakaria these changes, to being able to tackle absenteeism and to deal with and Norman Leask invited possible explain them to our members and neglect and misuse of crofts. This will candidates to attend the AGM N ADDITION to other seasonal to working with government to affect many crofting communities, and we are hopeful that we shall events, this summer finds us busy implement them. We believe we hopefully for the better. shortly be joined by them as fellow Iwith a number of consultations. owe it to the taxpayer to capitalise Previously, I asked members directors of SCF. Some of us have met with and on the investment wisely. to get more involved with SCF Look for the announcement in are responding to the Registers of The Crofting Register will collect activities. The time is ripe. At our the next edition of The Crofter. Our man in Brussels Norman Leask reports Y RECENT TRIP to prepare for my meetings in the Later, through my contacts with Brussels was like the European Commission. The first Shepherd Net, I was invited to take Mcurate’s egg, good in parts. of these was the sheep and goat part in a discussion with German A delayed flight turned into a meat advisory group. The main shepherds, who are taking the EC bonus as I happened to meet issues here are with the individual to the European Court of Justice Struan Stevenson MEP in the electronic identification of sheep over the individual sheep tagging airport, which afforded the (EID) and with the commission’s legislation. So this is why the EC opportunity to put to him some of strange views of permanent officials are so up-tight. A record the issues of concern to crofters. pasture in their CAP proposals. of the meeting follows on page 3. So the time was not wasted. I do not understand why they I completed my trip by attending Arriving in Brussels, I had a call this committee an advisory the agricultural committee of the very worthwhile meeting with the group, when they refuse to discuss European Parliament to observe adviser to the transport, agriculture in a conciliatory or compromising and energy working group of the fashion on these two issues. In their deliberations. While there European Parliament. Many topics fact they stooped to terminological I was able to meet with several of interest were discussed and the inexactitudes, when explaining researchers for the MEPs that I specific circumstances of crofting why individual identification was know and also with MEPs Alan were of great interest to him. introduced. They were so angry Smith and Martin Hausling who Passing through the office of that they closed the meeting are still leading on CAP and EID the European Coordination Via without completing the agenda problems.