The future of hill farming in Scotland

Chartered Accountant, David Ogilvie has a great love of the outdoors and as well as a passion for sailing, his routes and heart are in farming. His family farmed in Peeblesshire and continue to have close links with both farming and forestry.

As the 2009 Highland Show approaches, David has been considering the impact of changes in farming practices which he highlighted in his question to the panel at the 2008 show. With first hand knowledge of hill farming and its importance to rural and remote communities, David took the opportunity at Farmers Question Time to ask the panel:

The simple question is, since this is the twentieth meeting, will hill farming be a viable sector of Scottish agriculture in 2020?

The 2008 panel consisted of Jim McLaren, President NFU Scotland, Dr Maitland Mackie, Brian Pack, OBE, Chief Executive of A & N Group Ltd., Cabinet Secretary, Richard Lochhead MSP – Rural Affairs and the Environment, and was chaired by Professor Donald MacRae, Chief Economist at Lloyds TSB Scotland.

Taking it in turns to answer the question, the panel members, succinctly outlined their various points of view and when the audience was asked if they agreed hill farming would be a viable sector of Scottish agriculture in 2020, the majority agreed.

Understanding what drives and shapes the future of hill farming, rural communities and the environment is at the heart of its future. Stimulating discussions on the future of hill farming and the policies that might be needed are vital. NFU Scotland (NFUS) has called for a revised package of measures to save agriculture in Scotland’s hills and uplands. These were laid down in the NFUS report "Manifesto for the Hills". The call was made following the publication of a report by the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) entitled ’Farming’s Retreat from the Hills’, which highlights the dramatic reduction in the numbers of hill sheep being kept in more remote parts of the country.

The report was launched at a hill farming event held in August 2008 and clearly highlights, for the first time, that in some areas up to 60% of sheep have left the hills.

David Ogilvie is questioning again how the hill farming community has coped since then and whether the review of support signalled at last year’s meeting has indeed had a positive impact on rural Scotland and hill farming in particular.