News

SLE warns sporting rates policy risks repeating family farm tax mistakes

Press Release

Axing sporting rates relief would land a severe blow on farms and rural businesses, repeating the mistakes of the botched family farm tax, Scottish Land & Estates said today. The warning came after a meeting of the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs Committee, where government officials and Rural Secretary Mairi Gougeon gave evidence on...

Scottish Land & Estates says Budget lacks measures to boost rural Scotland’s economy

Press Release

Scotland’s rural businesses have been provided with little confidence by today’s Scottish Budget, despite being asked to invest, adapt and deliver for communities and the economy. Scottish Land & Estates, the rural business organisation, said many of the announcements in Finance Secretary Shona Robison’s Budget were a ‘sticking plaster’...

Scottish Land & Estates expands natural capital team

Press Release

Rural business organisation Scottish Land & Estates (SLE) has appointed Laura Ferrier to boost its natural capital services and advice for land managers in Scotland. Laura joins SLE as Policy Adviser (Natural Capital), with a particular focus on carbon codes, compliance requirements, private finance and establishing baselines for natural...

Fall in Scottish rental properties as rent caps ‘backfire’

Press Release

New research from rural business organisation Scottish Land & Estates (SLE) shows a decline in the number of properties available for rent in rural Scotland, as Scottish Government interventions have dissuaded landlords from investing in the sector. A decline in availability of private rental homes was recorded in 14 predominantly rural...

More storms on the horizon – but rural communities left out in the cold

Press Release

Urgent action is needed to bolster resilience in rural communities as winter storms become increasingly frequent, reports rural business organisation Scottish Land & Estates (SLE). Eleanor Kay, Senior Policy Adviser, Agriculture and Climate Change, at SLE warned that storm disruption is now a recurrent problem: “Devastating storms used to...

Welcome reprieve for farming businesses, as APR thresholds changed

Press Release

Scottish Land & Estates (SLE), the rural business organisation, welcomes the announcement by the UK government of further changes to the forthcoming reforms of agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026. The announced changes mean the government is protecting the viability of more farms and businesses...

Wildfire recovery fund provides support to rural businesses

Press Release

Scottish Land & Estates (SLE), the rural business organisation, has welcomed the allocation of funding to compensate for equipment damaged tackling the devastating wildfires earlier this year. The first tranche of funding has been awarded to rural businesses, with further sums expected early in the new year, enabling the rapid repair or...

Scottish Land & Estates supports police appeal following disappearance of white-tailed eagle

Press Release

Scottish Land & Estates has today expressed its support for a Police Scotland appeal for information following the reported disappearance of a white-tailed eagle in the Moorfoot Hills. The four-year-old bird is believed to have been in the vicinity of the Northern Moorfoot Hills during early November, before its satellite tag stopped...

Rural businesses face ‘existential threat’ from new business rates, SLE warns

Press Release

Farms and estates that have spent years diversifying to strengthen and safeguard their businesses face an existential threat unless the Scottish Government reevaluates forthcoming reforms to non-domestic rates. Scottish Land & Estates (SLE) issued the warning amid continuing outcry from businesses across the country over the draft...

Innovative solutions to bring young people back to Rural Scotland

Press Release

Rural business organisation Scottish Land & Estates (SLE) says innovative solutions to the issues that really matter to people in rural areas can reverse the tide of rural de-population. New research carried out by the Diffley Partnership on behalf of Homes for Scotland, NFU Scotland and Salmon Scotland finds that a perceived lack of well...