Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Forestry versus farming in Scotland, Farm bakery

Are plans to boost forestry pushing some Scottish tenants off their farms? Caz Graham hears from both sides of the argument.

New land-use plans on the Buccleuch Estate, one of Scotland's biggest estates with almost a quarter of a million acres, are being called into question by the local community around Langholm in Dumfriesshire. It follows the announcement last summer that Buccleuch was to offer ten tenant farmers the opportunity to buy their land and bring to an end the old-style "limited partnership" tenancy agreements, which are being phased out in Scotland. The plan to sell land was widely welcomed, but there are now reports of problems with other farms including one on a five-year limited duration tenancy, where the tenant is not being given the opportunity to extend the tenancy when it expires. Farmers claim that Buccleuch now intends to benefit from forestry grants by planting trees in areas which have traditionally been grazed by sheep. Nancy Nicolson meets a spokesman for the aggrieved farmers, and Caz Graham talks to the chief executive of Buccleuch Estates.

Continuing a week-long look at farm diversification, we visit a farm in Cornwall where the family have set up a mill, bakery and caf茅 on the farm.

Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Emma Campbell.

13 minutes

Broadcast

  • Thu 25 Jan 2018 05:45

Podcast