‘Rights to Buy’ must be scrapped if Scotland’s farming industry is to thrive and survive, a leading agriculture expert has warned.
A chronic shortage of farms to let and an ageing farming population is being "exacerbated" by legislation that punishes landlords and squeezes available land.
Malcolm Taylor, a rural land management partner at Bell Ingram, welcomes new measures to encourage newcomers to farming but suggests that they would fall flat without the corresponding available land.
He said: “It is vital that the government abandons rights to buy for tenancies and provide security and incentives for landlords to let land. A 10-year lease must mean a 10-year lease.
“The government wants a vibrant tenanted farming sector but seems unwilling to facilitate it.
“While recent announcements by the Royal Bank of Scotland that new entrants to farming need additional support are to be commended, this will be of little use if there are few or no farms available for young entrants to apply for.”
'Glaring issues'
Though efforts are being made to create space for new entrants in agriculture, there remain glaring issues that are preventing more landlords from offering land.
According to Taylor, intervention from the top is needed to redress the balance.
He added: “The Forestry Commission, too, is to be applauded for the creation of starter farms offering a first step on the farming ladder. But the word ‘starter’ implies a progression and suggests that after the initial lease, they will be expected to move on to a larger unit.
“This is all very well in an ideal world, but in reality there are no farms to progress to.
“What will happen at the end of the tenancy? The tenant could rightly say the farm is their home and business and refuse to move, and this is not an attractive prospect for landlords.
“Somebody needs to take the lead and the answer is in the government’s hands. Trying to influence the Brexit debate seems more important to some than the future of our young farmers and our rural economy - this needs to change.”
'New opportunities'
In England, some rural councils have addressed the issue at hand and made a success of generating new opportunities for new farmers.
Mr Taylor added: “In England, forward-thinking Cambridge Council turned its back on a quick capital boost to funds by selling land, and instead is supporting tenanted farms.
“The application criteria for these farms are strict. Applicants must be between the age of 23 and 40, have had five years’ practical experience or a three-year formal agriculture qualification; have sufficient financial support and must not be from established farms.
“Those who can demonstrate direct employment generation will have enhanced potential. The final element is that the farms will be let on farm business tenancies (FBT) for a period of more than two years. The kind of flexibility of the FBT is vital to making new tenancies work.”
