Plans to beat the age barrier

While gaining access to land has been a longstanding barrier for anyone wanting to start up in farming, Scotland’s Land Commission hopes to help remove this major hurdle for new entrants.

And a whole range of regulatory and fiscal incentives are likely to be reviewed in the wideranging report which has been commissioned into increasing the availability of let land in Scotland.

Tenant Farming Commissioner Dr Bob Macintosh said that the average age of Scotland’s tenant farming population continued to increase – with more than a third of tenant farmers aged 65 and over.

“For a thriving farming sector there needs to be new entrants to drive innovation and best practice, improve efficiencies and contribute towards the economic vitality of the sector,” said Mcintosh.

He said the current options for farmers and landowners for succession and retirement would be scrutinised with a view to providing business opportunities for new entrants:

“Working with NFUS we plan to hold a series of joint roadshows based on the guidance to encourage existing farmers and landowners who, in developing their own business interests, could offer opportunities for new entrants.”

He said that the commission would explore ways of stimulating the tenanted sector by the development of different approaches and incentives for the letting of land, adding the initial report would be published in the New Year.

NFU Scotland president Andrew Mccornick said the union was keen to work towards finding solutions for the next generation wishing to get into farming – and for the older generation wishing to step back.