Croft carve-ups in focus after order to re-let Skye plots

Published on Tuesday 4 December 2007 00:56

CROFTING, which is essentially small-scale farming on a part-time basis in the more remote areas of Scotland, has always been tenuous as a commercial proposition.

However, some sharp operators have realised the potential in splitting holdings and building homes for occupation by town and city dwellers seeking a more relaxed pace of life - despite the fact that many islanders are still keen to acquire the tenancy of a croft. This is an issue that has been causing some consternation in recent years.

The Scottish Crofting Foundation (SCF) and its 2,500 members yesterday welcomed action by the Crofters Commission, a government agency, to require the owners of three unused crofts in Harrapool on Skye to be re-let with immediate effect.

Norman Leask, chairman of the SCF, said: "It is good news that the commission is at long last to exercise power in this regard. However, we must bear in mind that the situation in Harrapool has been created by the commission itself allowing repeated subdivision of crofts for speculative reasons. In our response to the Crofting Reform Bill last year, we asked for a minimum area to be set beyond which subdivision would not be allowed."

There has been friction between islanders, incomers and absentee landowners, especially in recent months, but Leask is satisfied that the ground rules have now been established.

He said: "I hope this move will remind owner-occupiers and absentee landlords of crofts that the land they own still remains a registered croft and as such is subject to regulation.

"This is the start of a very necessary process to bring back into use neglected and vacant crofts. We look forward to similar action throughout all of the crofting counties."

The SCF also understands that a croft on the fertile west coast of Harris, which had attracted media attention when offered for sale by an absentee owner as five housing sites, has now been assigned to a young local family following representations to the selling agents.

It has been one of the worst years in living memory for the crofting fraternity, according to Leask, who is based on the west coast of Shetland. He said: "Confidence has been largely destroyed by some very insensitive decisions in the wake of foot-and-mouth made in London. However, the Scottish Government has acted much better and the 15 per head light lamb cull has helped greatly."

Crofters face an expensive winter, with the price of barley having doubled in a year and only moderate crops of hay and silage secured during a difficult summer. Transport costs are another major issue.

Leask, who runs 500 small Shetland ewes on common grazings, says it is the drop in the value of livestock that will hit home most of all. He said: "Cast ewes have been worth absolutely nothing and the auctioneers advised us not to even bother taking them to the sales. Most have had to be shot and put in a hole.

"I have a dozen suckler cows, but the suckled calf trade has been back by as much as 100 per head. I decided not to sell, but keeping them through to the spring is still a gamble because I have little idea of what they will be worth then and the costs just do not bear thinking about."