The need to build rural resilience is essential as these times of Brexit approach

We have to embrace reform but also increase profitability, says Sarah-jane Laing

Nestled at the heart of Scotland’s Great Glen, Loch Ness Shores is an award-winning camping and caravanning site that draws thousands of visitors to the village of Foyers every year.

Opened in 2013 on the loch’s southeast shore, the land occupied by the business was originally farmland before owners Lyn and Donald Forbes sought to diversify their agricultural business which they believed was becoming difficult to sustain.

Yet their decision to make that leap coincided with one of the most difficult periods imaginable for our rural businesses, with the lasting effects of the economic crash of 2008 combined with challenges as constitutional uncertainty and hurdles around poor mobile and broadband services.

Speaking at Scottish Land & Estates’ annual conference held just last month, Loch Ness Shores’ owner Lyn Forbes was one of many who reflected on what the latest challenge, Brexit, may mean for rural Scotland and the bravery required to invest in uncertain times.

Yet, above all else, the message coming from all the conference attendees was the need to build rural resilience – and give rural businesses the tools they need to unlock the entrepreneurial creativity that undoubtedly exists in our countryside.

We cannot be blind to the fact that no matter what shape Brexit takes – hard or soft – it will be arguably most keenly felt in our rural areas, especially where farming is at the heart of many communities.

Although the Common Agricultural Policy is guaranteed until at least 2020, there is little doubt that we should expect less public money to be available to support farming in future decades. Where there may still be some funding available, we expect it to be directed differently.

That means our rural businesses, especially those involved in agriculture, must be equipped to meet the tests the countryside will face. We have to embrace positive reform but also look to increase business profitability, an issue that has long been a problem for a farming sector challenged by global commodity prices. Larger agricultural units and new uses of technology may be the answer for some but we are simply not going to able to be able to continue to operate in the way that it has Aye Been Done, or we’re going to get overtaken by events.

But whilst businesses need to change, there is also a requirement for politicians to recognise Scotland’s needs in Brexit discussions. In England, only 15 per cent of farming land is classified as poor or ‘less favoured’ – in Scotland that ratio is flipped, with 85 per cent of our land less favoured. That means a far trickier set of circumstances for our agriculture – and what policy works for other parts of the UK will not necessarily work in Scotland.

One of the key strengths of landsuch

owners in Scotland is their ability to continually adapt but the pace of change we see coming is stark.

Speaking at the conference, Fergus Ewing, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Connectivity, agreed that estates and government needed to work side by side to deliver for our rural areas, and made clear that he was continuing to pursue the not just the policy outcomes but also the connectivity tools needed, such as fibre broadband, to ensure rural entrepreneurs could unleash their potential.

In the case of Loch Ness Shores, this ability to diversify has provided an economic boost to the business but also social benefit to the local area. The village was once extremely vibrant, located near an aluminium smelter which at one time employed 500 people. After the smelter’s closure in 1967, the village went into decline and amid fears the village shop was going to close in the mid2000s, Lyn and Donald were determined they could use their assets to help the community.

Now boasting 5-star accreditation from Visitscotland, World Host status and a Gold Green Tourism Award, Loch Ness Shores employs four fulltime and four part-time staff, with a further six jobs in the summer – most of whom are employed from the local area.

Whilst not every farm can diversify, with the beauty of Loch Ness on the doorstep, the ingenuity of the Forbes family has contributed to a situation where the business and the village feel more readily equipped to meet the challenges and opportunities that Brexit will bring. The challenge for government and rural enterprise across Scotland is to work together to replicate that. outcome. Sarah-jane Laing, executive director of Scottish Land & Estates