Paterson brothers fight on as eviction day looms closer
Time is running out for the Paterson brothers facing eviction from their farm home.
Despite fresh mediation talks the tenant farmers are still facing the very real threat of eviction on November 28.
And this week they were left with no choice but to try to make alternative arrangements, not only to find themselves somewhere to stay, but also to find a new home for the farm animals and pets. But they have vowed to keep fighting until the day of the eviction.
Glenree has been home to John Paterson his brother Ian and parents Pauline and Jim for 22 years. But in a complex case they are being evicted having lost their security of tenure as a result of the infamous Salvesen Riddell court ruling.
As a result, Arran Estates has taken the chance to reclaim vacant possession and has served the eviction order which comes into effect in two weeks.
The brothers and their lawyers are due to meet with Arran Estates for me- diation talks in Edinburgh next Thursday but that is only being seen as a day to ‘broker a deal’ over the sale of the assets of the farm which the family have considerably improved during the past 22 years.
They are also back at the Court of Session next week for the final day of a hearing in which they and six other Scottish tenant farmers are seeking compensation from the Scottish Government for historic legislative mistakes. But even if the farmers win, it could take up to nine months for any compensation to be paid.
Any payout could help the Paterson brothers start up a new farm which Ian said he would be ‘100 per cent’ committed to on the island.
He said: ‘Arran has always been my home and I would dearly love to stay here. All my friends are here and I don’t want to leave. But at the moment we will be evicted on November 28 and the landowner has told us there will be no new tenancy agreement, but we intend to fight on.
‘However, we have had to make alternative arrangements. If the eviction goes ahead our sheep will be looked after by our brother who has a farm in Galston. I also have to find a home for my 78 breeding falcons which can go to a friend in Dumfries.’ But he said he will lose a whole breeding season, as they are extremely sensitive to their environment, costing him a lot of potential income.
‘We are literally packing up our worldly possessions. It is very upsetting.’
If evicted, they will be forced to move back to the mainland where they have a small house in Ayrshire but they will have no room for a lot of their possessions or family pets which they will have to find new homes for.
Brother John added: ‘We have a farm sale booked for November 24 and everything will be gone after that, including a lifetime’s work.
Mum Pauline added: ‘It was ironic watching Elaine C Smith on Arran talking about the clearances on Arran on TV last week. That is what is happening to us today. The Scottish Government could still step in. There is nothing stopping it. It was originally sympathetic but because of the court case, the shutters have come down,’ Ian added.
Tenant farmers, including the Patersons and others from Arran, had a meeting with MSPs at Holyrood last week and this week it was hoped that an emergency bill could be put forward to stop all evictions until the court ruling. However, any move would be unlikely to get the cross-party support which would be required for legislation to be passed.
Government sources also pointed out that both the Agricultural Holdings Act and the ‘fix’ a decade later were flawed and so they are reluctant to legislate quickly in case it – again – leads to unintended consequences.
As a result, the Patersons need a solution now, or it will be too late.