News

Fear of retrospective legislation driving decline in tenanted land, survey finds

Press Release

A new survey by rural business organisation Scottish Land & Estates (SLE) has revealed that a lack of trust in government policy and fear of retrospective changes to legislation are the biggest barriers to land being let for farming in Scotland. The SLE Agricultural Holdings Member Survey 2025, conducted among estates and farming...

Safeguards needed in Natural Environment Bill to protect nature and rural jobs

Press Release

Rural business organisation Scottish Land & Estates (SLE) is calling for safeguards to be introduced to the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill to protect both nature and rural livelihoods, as the Bill progresses to a debate in the Scottish Parliament on 30 October, ahead of Stage 2 scrutiny. Ross Ewing, Director of Moorland for SLE, said...

Land Reform Bill must be workable and proportionate, warns Scottish Land & Estates

Press Release

The Scottish Parliament must ensure that new land reform legislation is proportionate, evidence-based and workable - or risk delivering a hammer blow to Scotland’s rural economy, Scottish Land & Estates (SLE) has warned. With Stage 3 of the Land Reform Bill due to begin tomorrow, SLE has issued a detailed briefing to MSPs highlighting...

Call for Scottish Government to resist punitive Land Management Plan amendments

Press Release

Scottish Ministers were today urged to rescue their plans to demand rural businesses produce publicly available land management plans or face a ‘bureaucratic nightmare’. The proposals to make owners and operators of landholdings over 1,000 hectares publish land management plans are included in the latest Land Reform Bill which is going...

Farming sector urges Ministers to accept constructive changes to new tenancy legislation

Press Release

Scottish Land & Estates, the rural business organisation, today urged Scottish Government Ministers to ‘act in the true interests’ of the tenant farming sector by accepting amendments to the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill that are supported by farmers and the majority of the agricultural sector. The section of the Bill that affects...

Scottish Land & Estates welcomes progress made at first Wildfire Summit

Press Release

Scottish Land & Estates (SLE), the rural business organisation, has praised the commitment to collaborative working at Scotland’s first Wildfire Summit, held today in Grantown-on-Spey. Chaired by Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie and Community Safety Minister Siobhian Brown, the event brought together rural stakeholders, gamekeepers...

Urgent need for Scottish fire management strategy to protect precious peatland and habitat

Press Release

Scottish Land & Estates (SLE), the rural business organisation, is calling for a Scotland-wide Integrated Fire Management Strategy to protect some of Scotland’s rarest species and habitats. The call comes ahead of the Wildfire Summit taking place on 14 October in Grantown-on-Spey, chaired by Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie and Community...

Evidence-based postponement of muirburn licensing following record wildfires welcomed by Scottish Land & Estates

Press Release

A pragmatic and evidence-based decision to postpone the implementation of muirburn licensing has been welcomed by Scottish Land & Estates. The rural business organisation commented after the Scottish Government announced that it was suspending the start date of the scheme until the start of the next muirburn season in autumn 2026. The...

Wildlife Estates Symposium demonstrates strength and ambition of European Initiative

Press Release

From 8 – 10 September 2025, delegates from across Europe converged at the Fondation François Sommer in Paris for the annual Symposium of the European Wildlife Estates (WE) Initiative. Since 2004, WE has been recognising exceptional landholdings for their outstanding biodiversity and wildlife management practices. There are over 580...

Rural businesses welcome key role for land managers and farmers in setting biodiversity targets

Press Release

Scottish Land & Estates, the rural business organisation, today supported a parliamentary committee report which calls for land managers and farmers to play a key role in developing and implementing future biodiversity targets to help tackle nature loss. The Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs and Islands Committee has published its...