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.”