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McGrigor says crofting needs practical support measures  13/3/13

Jamie McGrigor, Highlands and Islands Conservative MSP, has called for the Scottish Government to do more to assist crofters through practical and accessible support schemes.

Mr McGrigor was speaking in a parliamentary debate last night on the role of crofting in the Highlands and Islands where he covered a range of subjects including local food and food traceability, and paid tribute to the Scottish Crofting Federation and Crofting Connections for the good work they do in promoting the crofting sector.

Mr McGrigor told MSPs: “While there is genuine political support for crofting across the political parties in Scotland, crofters want to see more done by government to assist them through practical, common-sense measures including support for crofting housing and new entrants.

“The Croft House Grants scheme has not followed inflation and should be recognised as an efficient way of providing affordable housing in rural Scotland.

“The current reform of the Common Agricultural Policy is crucial to the future of the sector and we need to ensure that the specific needs of crofters are protected in this reform. I remain concerned and alarmed at the decline of crofting as demonstrated through continuing reductions in livestock, cropping and the communal management of common grazings.”

Mr McGrigor added: “Securing a much better SRDP programme, including of course the successor to its LFASS element, is vital to halting and reversing these declines, as of course is ensuring that pillar one payments offer our marginal areas appropriate levels of support. It is absolutely vital that the SRDP successor offers use-friendly options that crofters, including common grazings managers, and small unit managers are able to apply for and that offer practical benefits as there is a consensus that the current SRDP simply did not offer these to current small producers.

“The very small total approved number of application cases since the start of the SRDP and LMO and Rural Priorities compared with the potential number of small holding applicants demonstrates this very clearly; too many are simply put off applying by the complexity, labour or anticipated time required, or believe the options are not appropriate for smaller scale producers.”