Caithness smallholder offers advice to crofters with six months until new pay system comes into force
A Caithness smallholder is encouraging crofters to seek advice ahead of new environmental rules that come into force from next year.
Willie Budge, a senior agricultural consultant at SAC Consulting, part of Scotland’s Rural College, says that support from the organisation can help keep crofts running smoothly through the changes.
Crofters across Scotland have just six months before the first of the new payment conditions is implemented.
SAC Consulting this week launched a campaign to encourage crofters and smallholders to prepare ahead of the initial rule change in May.
The Scottish Government wants members of the crofting community to meet new environmental guidelines as a condition of financial support.
The Whole Farm Plan, taking effect on May 15, 2025, will require crofters and small farmholders to initially meet two of five potential requirements to ensure the Basic Payment Scheme remains available to them.
The Scottish Government is introducing the five elements as part of its plans to tackle climate change and prevent biodiversity decline.
The requirements, which all relevant crofters and small-scale farmers will need to meet in their entirety by 2028, include a carbon audit, biodiversity audit, soil analysis, an animal health and welfare plan for those who have livestock, and an integrated pest management plan for those who use pesticides or herbicides.
SAC Consulting says it can offer crofters the advice they need – not least because three quarters of its own members are facing the same situation.
Mr Budge said: “Many of my colleagues in SAC Consulting live in the communities where they work and are active crofters and smallholders in their own right.
“So, we are well placed to understand both sides of the argument.
“The landscape is changing, and we all need to change with it. And we can help.”
Mr Budge stressed how important continued financial support is to the crofting sector.
“Crofts need to be financially viable,” he said. “The crofter needs to be able to pay the associated costs of managing livestock, growing crops and see a return on the time they have personally invested.
“Crofters want to be agriculturally and economically active and are quite rightly proud and passionate about the food they produce and the biodiversity and landscapes they maintain.
“With the right support, crofters and smallholders can be fully prepared for the changes ahead and ensure their businesses continue to be an essential part of the fabric of the vibrant rural communities they call home.”
More than 750,000 hectares of land in Scotland is in crofting tenure, with approximately 33,000 people living in crofting households.
SAC Consulting has served farmers, crofters and rural estate owners for more than a century, working across food supply chains to help those it advises rise to the challenge of climate change, biodiversity loss and food security.
Its consultants offer technical advice using the latest research, providing valued and trusted support to businesses and the public sector.
Farmers are encouraged to contact SAC Consulting for independent advice and solutions.
