English Last Tuesday, (Oct 25th) Landworkers’ Alliance held a rally outside Scottish Parliament to call for more support for small-scale farms and crofts in the upcoming Agriculture Bill.
The rally was organised in partnership with the Nature Friendly Farming Network, Scottish Crofting Federation, Propagate and Soil Association Scotland, and saw small-scale food producers, crofters, campaigners and MSPs come together for a series of speeches and to share in a local food feast on the grounds of the Scottish Parliament.
Small-scale farmers came to share their stories with policymakers, including Bryde Marshall from Falkland Kitchen Farm in Fife:
“I am really proud to be on 2 hectares yet feeding a hundred households for eleven months of the year. For us, being small is incredibly important. Being small allows us to manage a really complex, diverse ecosystem, and growing a diversity of crops in turn allows us to provide a nutritious diet for our customers, and it also gives us a lot of resilience against different weather conditions, pests and diseases.”
And Ruth Aston-Shaw from Low Aulgirth Steading in Dumfries:
“Small farms use fewer external inputs and produce higher nutritional yields per acre than their larger counterparts. I know this because I run one of these small-scale organic regenerative farms. I see firsthand the difference my small farm can make where every progressive change however small sends ripples through our landscape, through our communities and into the wider society.
Photo credit: Clem Sandison
It is well recognised that small-scale agriculture plays a key role in providing sustainable, nutritious food for communities across the globe. Yet in Scotland, there has been little recognition of the crucial value of small farms and crofts to society, with underrepresentation of small-scale producers in key advisory groups such as ARIOB and and previous area-based payment schemes which have left small-scale producers – particularly those engaged in horticulture – at a disadvantage.
New farm support schemes, which will be put in place through the new Agriculture Bill, provide Scotland with an opportunity to transition towards a more sustainable food and land-use system which can produce good food, fuel and fibre while also protecting and enhancing biodiversity and helping to address the climate crisis.
We are therefore urging policymakers to recognise the value of small-scale farms and crofts in this transition, and remove the minimum 3ha eligibility threshold for new subsidy payments.
We are also calling for a number of other measures to support small-scale farming enterprises including an income support scheme for small farmers, more inclusion and consultation of small farmers in political decision-making processes, and targeted support for farms who provide fresh fruit and veg to their communities via hyperlocal supply chains.
Photo credit: Clem Sandison
Tara Wight, LWA’s Scotland Policy and Campaigns Coordinator said:
“It was inspiring and energising to see so many people gathered outside the Scottish parliament today in support of small farms and crofts. We heard from crofters, farmers and growers from right across the country about the importance of small-scale agriculture to local food system resilience, nature and climate, and the cultural heritage of Scotland. There was an atmosphere of celebration in the crowd, but also one of serious frustration at the lack of government support for small-scale agriculture.
We were joined by John Kerr, the Head of Agricultural Policy at the Scottish Government, the MSPs Finlay Carson, Ariane Burgess, Jenni Minto, Jim Fairlie, Rachael Hamilton, Alasdair Allan and Mercedes Villalba from the Rural Affairs committee, and many others. We hope that our action today will influence and inspire the decisions of these policy makers and MSPs going forward, and lead to better support for small farms and crofts in upcoming legislation.”
Kirsty Tait is the Sustainable Farming Lead for Nature Friendly Farming Network Scotland, a partner organisation of the event. She said:
“Crofting and small-scale farming are integral for the health of our communities, our nature and our environment in Scotland. It was heartening to see the strength of support today – from the MSPs who took time to listen, to the crofters, farmers & growers who spoke so passionately and all the people who gathered.
The challenge now is to turn that support into action and create a food and farming system that works for them rather than against them.”
You can still take action by writing to your local MSPs using our template letter, asking them to be a voice for small farms and crofts as the Agriculture Bill passes through parliament.
