The Scottish Land Matching Service (SLMS), which aims to help match new entrants with well-established farmers who may be thinking of retiring from the industry, claims momentum for the project is growing.
According to Ian Davidson, the former head of agriculture policy at the Scottish Government, who is running the service, a growing number of individuals involved in farming have made contact with him and several one-to-one meetings have taken place since SLMS launched in late September.
In the last three months, he has attended 11 meetings around the country and a further three meetings are in the diary for January.
However, Mr Davidson said many arrangements were being agreed “off the radar” and he appealed to anyone involved in discussions to get in touch so he could learn from their experiences.
He added: “There is a will in the industry to move forward and there are some excellent opportunities available.
“The service is a great way to match up those with similar interests and aims for land use. As with any match, it’s up to the individuals to decide for themselves if it will work or not.
“One of the key objectives for the public meetings we have held has been not only to raise awareness but to get people thinking about the future.”
nnicolson@thecourier.co.uk
