Farmers and food production must be prioritised if new national park is to go ahead, union says

The Scottish Government wishes to see a new national park established by 2026.

Plans for a new national park in Scotland must prioritise food and farming for when they go ahead, the National Farmers Union Scotland (NFUS) has said.

The Scottish Government has invited communities and organisations to submit proposals to become the country’s next national park.

At present there are two - the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond and the Trossachs - but the nominations process has now opened to increase that number.

NFU Scotland Environmental Resources Policy Manager Sarah Cowie.

A key commitment in the Bute House Agreement was to designated at least one new national park by 2026.

In response, NFUS environmental policy manager Sarah Cowie said the announcement prompted “valid concerns” from crofters and farmers about the future of their businesses.

She said agriculture is likely to be the predominant land use in any new park, yet the Scottish Government’s statement had “no mention of agriculture, food production or agri-tourism despite these being key pillars and drivers of the rural economy.”

“With justification, our members are concerned that the wider impacts of national parks on their businesses aren’t being taken into account,” she said.

“We completely accept the fact that we have to take action on climate change, as well as restoring and protecting biodiversity, but our members are unconvinced that a new national park is the best way to do this. Essentially, we’re unclear on what the added value of a national park is and believe its objectives can be achieved through other existing means such as economic development agencies, regional land use partnerships (RLUP) and tourism bodies.”

Ms Cowie said there are concerns introducing another national park will be “another layer of bureaucracy” and there is a sense that tourism and attracting more visitors to parts of Scotland is the main driver and prioritised over agriculture and food production.

She added: “We do believe a balance can be struck, as long as all views are listened to and not just those who are fully supportive of the proposals.”

The Scottish Government recognises on its website that national parks can be areas of Scotland which “encourage nature-friendly farming, forestry and coastal and marine use.”

In its guidance for applying, it said the broad selection criteria that will be used to help assess nominations will include areas of outstanding national importance, size, character and coherence; meeting the special needs of the area; strategic contribution; visitor management and tourism; and local support.

Co-leader of the Scottish Greens Lorna Slater said: “We believe that a new National Park should be founded upon local community demand, which is why we are launching this unique nominations process.

“In May we invited early expressions of interest and we have already had a really positive response from communities and organisations across the length and breadth of the country. This is not at all surprising given just how much Scotland has to offer.

“I encourage everyone that is considering putting forward a proposal to read the guidance that we have published on the Scottish Government website, and get in touch to find out about the support available.”

The deadline for nominations is 29 February next year. They will then be appraised before a detailed investigation is carried out by NatureScot before a new national park is officially designated by 2026.