Scottish Land & Estates

areas and many businesses are actively involved in building homes. They are dedicated to meeting a real social need but they are frustrated. Delivery of new homes is more complicated than it need be, and we continue to lose affordable rented housing due to ever increasing burden on landlords. The rate of new build affordable rented houses just cannot match the homes we are losing from the sector week on week.

“The time for action is now and we need to see the Scottish Government deliver on its commitment to provide rural solutions to rural housing need.”

Farmers and crofters can play a leading role by planting more trees to help tackle dual climate and nature emergencies

A new joint report from Woodland Trust Scotland and Soil Association Scotland makes the case for the widescale integration of trees on farms and crofts across Scotland as a key strategy to tackle biodiversity loss and climate change.

Woodland expansion and tree planting are crucial to the nature and climate crisis and will play a significant role in delivering a 75% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2045. The Scottish Government has also set a target to achieve 21% forest and woodland cover by 2032, while achieving greater land use integration. The report highlights how trees on farms have largely been overlooked in Scotland and yet offer significant benefits to farmers and society while complementing farming systems, enhancing soil fertility and reducing erosion, providing shelter for livestock, habitats for wildlife and pollinators and providing welcome additional revenue for farmers.

However, the report also highlights significant barriers to achieving this in Scotland, not least the current focus on grants for woodland creation rather than a more integrated approach and cultural issues which have maintained a separation of trees and farmland as well as a shortfall in skills, education and research. It seeks to address this by outlining the benefits and challenges of integrating trees and farmland and making recommendations to support a significant increase in tree planting on Scottish farms and crofts.

David McKay, Soil Association Head of Policy for Scotland, said: “Integrating trees on farms and crofts offers a viable and cost-effective way to enhance tree planting without reducing agricultural production and therefore offshoring the impacts of the food system.

“New tree planting and farm woodland can provide a range of environmental benefits and improve the performance and resilience of food production in the face of the twin climate and nature emergencies. Agroforestry – integrating trees on farms – can also open up potential new markets for farmers in timber products, fruit and nuts.

What price carbon credits?

By Stephen Young, Head of Policy at Scottish Land & Estates

It’s the time of year where thoughts turn to the agricultural show season and more than ever, there is a level of anticipation about meeting friends old and new - while we all make the excuse that it’s all about business.

If Scotsheep is anything to go by then we’re looking forward to an enjoyable summer ahead. The day itself was well organised and the mood was very upbeat, despite these being quite precarious times for livestock farming.

The Foot on the Farming Ladder seminar saw two new entrants from the south of Scotland share their experiences. The energy and passion was impressive, with both working as part of joint ventures with estates, sharing the capital burden and enabling them to grow their businesses and innovate to enhance their resilience and profitability. Perhaps most impressively, both had entered into further agreements with the estates which saw them grow their business again, demonstrating while it is not easy to do, it can be done. The session was chaired by Ian Davidson of the Scottish Land Matching Service, which plays a crucial and growing role in enabling new entrants to enter the industry.

One of the other seminars at Scotsheep discussed farming and the journey to net zero. One piece of advice given was to hold onto carbon credits as your supply chains may need them. This I do take issue with.

Unless supply chains are able to extract a premium for producers, then there is no way we should be handing over any credit. We have seen multiple times before things which begin with a small premium for enhanced products then becoming the norm, with no premium being paid but more onus being put on the primary producer. As an industry we should resist any moves by supply chains to lay their hands on carbon credits unless the price is right. What that price is now is not exactly clear - but it is vital that we don’t hand it over for very little gain.