Scottish Land & Estates and WWF Scotland welcome the announcement by Fergus Ewing, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy, of a new Agriculture Transformation Programme to help farmers contribute positively to the climate emergency. The two organisations have previously jointly called for such a fund to be established. Farmers are...
A sporting estate in a remote glen in Dumfries & Galloway, which welcomes tourists from around the world, has received a prestigious accreditation which recognises landowners who are committed to best practice in conservation, habitat and wildlife management. Covering 2000 acres, Auchenbrack estate in Tynron has been accredited by...
Conflicting evidence on the future of deer management in Scotland should not overshadow the recent progress achieved, Scottish Land & Estates said today. The organisation, which represents rural businesses and landowners, said that many of the findings in this week’s Deer Working Group report came in sharp contrast to SNH’s report...
Important technical changes to the calculation of non-domestic rates on shooting rights and deer forests have been welcomed by Scottish Land & Estates. The rates, reintroduced as part of the Land Reform Act 2016, saw valuation notices issued to proprietors which was followed by a substantial number of appeals entered to the Scottish...
Landlords of private rental property will now have until October 2020 rather than 1 April 2020 to complete any required energy efficiency changes to their properties. The announcement of these crucial additional six months comes after our open letter last week to Kevin Stewart, Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning and Paul...
The implications of a new climate change report for Scottish land use needs to be fully considered alongside our food production and biodiversity goals, Scottish Land & Estates said today. Following publication of the Committee of Climate Change (CCC) report, Land use: Policies for a Net Zero UK, SLE chief executive Sarah-Jane Laing said...
A lack of guidance and leadership from the Scottish Government on the incoming changes to the energy efficiency of homes is putting unnecessary pressure on Scotland’s vital private rental sector. Scottish Land & Estates (SLE) has today written an open letter to the Scottish Government urging them to immediately publish the finalised...
Major changes proposed for the operation of Scotland’s grouse moors have not been economically assessed and could deliver a hugely damaging blow to rural Scotland. Following evidence by members of the grouse moor review group to the Scottish Parliament’s Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee today, a joint statement was...
New police training to detect and investigate instances of wildlife crime has been welcomed by Scottish Land & Estates. Announced by Cabinet Secretary Roseanna Cunningham MSP, Police Scotland has today (Monday 20 January) launched a new wildlife crime investigators course to enhance capability in this complex area of local policing. Sarah...
Commenting on today’s introduction of a new UK Agriculture Bill, Sarah-Jane Laing, Chief Executive of Scottish Land & Estates said: “Today’s UK Agriculture Bill gives English farmers more certainty than Scottish farmers which demonstrates that we urgently need a long-term vision to secure the future of Scottish farming and land management...
