Tenant farmers have been given the opportunity to help shape the future of Scottish farming.
The news comes from the Scottish Government, which has issued a survey to every tenant farmer across the country so they can play a fundamental role in “major research” capable of influencing the agricultural landscape going forwards.
Responses to the questionnaire will, according to Holyrood, inform the work of the ministerial-led agricultural holdings legislation review which is considering, among other issues, absolute right to buy for traditional secure 1991 agricultural tenancies.
Corresponding surveys will be sent to landlords shortly, the Government said.
According to Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead, a map has been published this week showing the distribution of tenant farms across Scotland.
“But we need to build up a much more detailed picture of the issues facing the sector and those working in it,” he said.
“The surveys being carried out on our behalf have been developed in collaboration with the Tenant Farming Forum and ask important questions about people’s experiences of farming and views on the future of the tenanted agriculture sector,” he said.
“To get the best from our land and the people farming it, we need a vibrant tenant farming sector and so I urge everyone who is asked to take part in these surveys to take full advantage of this unique opportunity to make their voice heard. All responses will be treated in the strictest confidence.”
NFU Scotland and Scottish Land & Estates have also called on the tenanted sector to engage with the survey.
Last year the NFUS held two seminars which saw a wide range of stakeholders map out a vision for how land tenure in Scotland might look come 2020.
NFU Scotland president Nigel Miller, who chaired the union’s recent seminars, said: “It is hugely important to Scottish agriculture that we have a tenanted sector that works for existing tenants and landlords, while also ensuring that there are opportunities for new and expanding businesses to rent land.
“The remit of the review group is to examine if we have the appropriate legislation to deliver a tenanted sector that’s fit for purpose or if changes are required to improve existing tenancy agreements, such as changes to the rent review process and waygo.”
Douglas McAdam, chief executive of Scottish Land & Estates, said the survey is “vital”, particularly as part of the review of agricultural holdings legislation.
He said: “It is essential that the review is given comprehensive, accurate and factual information from across the sector and is not placed in a position of taking extremely important decisions based on only polarised input from vested interests on any side.
“This review is a cross-roads for the industry and it is in the best interests of Scottish farming that the foundations for the future are rooted in sound facts and evidence from right across the mainstream sector.”
Responses can be submitted online or on paper and are requested by February 7. Those who do not complete the survey by that date will be contacted again with a final closing date of March 10.