Farmers ‘ don’t like to take risks’

Nearly 40 percent of Scotland’s farmers are“riska verse ”, according to a report on the industry’ s attitudes towards planning for Brexit.

The survey of nearly 2,500 f armers, crofters and smallholders showed that 39 per cent fell into this category, while 44 per cent were defined as “risk- cautious” – with only 17 per cent viewing themselves as “risktakers”.

Economists from Scotland’s Rural College ( SRUC), which carried out the survey with the James Hutton Institute said the agricultural economy required some level of risk taking for the industry to grow. The researchers said that risk- taking farmers were more likely to have increased their intensity of production or their level of on- farm diversification – and also to have taken up new technologies.

However, on more environmental- led approaches, the differences were less extreme, especially in aspects around woodland expansion, which the researchers said could be signs of different approaches to public good activities.

Unsurprisingly a higher proportion of the risk- takers were under the age of 45. “Risk- taking activity can lead to higher levels of investment and therefore increasing on- farm efficiencies,” said Professor Andrew barnes froms ruc, the survey’s lead researcher.

But he admitted that while risk taking could lead to more sustainable growth, the high level of debt within Scottish farming could also support a more cautious approach to investment.

“Nevertheless, supporting farmers to move away from being risk-a verse should be encouraged though support and advisory schemes,” said Barnes.