SLE responds to Scottish Land Commission report on land market

Press Release

Scottish Land & Estates, the rural business organisation, issued the following statement in response to the publication of the Scottish Land Commission’s Rural Land Market Insights Report 2023, which covers patterns of landownership in Scotland.

Sarah-Jane Laing, chief executive of Scottish Land & Estates, said:

“We fundamentally disagree with the assertion by the Scottish Land Commission that land is only available to a ‘limited few’. This is not borne out in the report nor is the interpretation that there is an increasing concentration of landownership in Scotland.

“The Scottish Government’s own research highlights the growing number of assets coming into community ownership and the Scottish Land Fund has supported community ownership through hundreds of grants to purchase a multitude of landholdings of all sizes. Where there is a genuine desire by communities to own land, legislation already exists to make that happen.

“The report clearly states that the majority of land market transactions are conducted by farmers, and farmers are looking to expand their operations when prime arable land becomes available. It also notes that the appetite of institutional investors in purchasing land has slowed.

“There is a changing pattern of landownership in Scotland, a market which in which government, individuals, communities, charities and businesses all participate.

“One striking feature of the report is the desire of different parties to operate at scale in order to deliver for people, jobs and nature.  There is an irony in that one of the biggest recent off-market deals was the purchase of Glenprosen Estate for £17.6million by the Scottish Government, which is already the largest landowner in Scotland and yet is bringing forward land reform legislation that will inhibit large-scale land transactions. The fact is that the acquisition and operation of larger scale landholdings creates opportunities for other businesses, enterprises and communities to benefit.

“Scotland’s estates provide a huge value to the wellbeing economy, generating an estimated £2.4 billion GVA/year for the Scottish economy and supporting approximately 57,300 jobs – around 1 in 10 rural jobs. They are also providing homes for 13,000 families and land for 14,000 rural enterprises whilst attracting an estimated 5.4 million Scottish residents annually to enjoy the natural environment.

“Forestry clearly remains a main driver of land purchases. The sector is hugely important to Scotland, employing more than 25,000 people and generating around £1billion per year GVA through forestry and timber processing as well as forest recreation and tourism.

”The Scottish Government has set a target of 18,000 hectares of new woodland each year by 2024/2025 and it will lead to a change in land use at a time when future support for agriculture, post-CAP, remains up in the air.”