By Farm Advisory Service
The podcast currently has 18 episodes available.
Many aspire to having and working a croft, however crofts are difficult to obtain, at least in the more productive and scenic areas. At the same time, retiring crofters sometimes find it hard to give up their business, their source of income and home. The Scottish Land Matching Service is designed to help aspiring new producers, whether crofters or farmers, with advice, guidance, and a database of opportunities. Ian Davidson joins us today to discuss the SLMS role in helping crofts to remain in productive use.
Related Resources
Scottish Land Matching Service
Support is changing, and although not all details are clear, crofters claiming subsidy need to have specific items and plans in place by next spring. Listen in to hear the essential information you need for next year’s Basic Payment Scheme claim.
We simplify one aspect of the new system, which is called the Whole Farm Plan. The WFP is actually made up of 5 different parts, of which 2 need to be in place next year, by the 15th May 2025. We discuss the most sensible and easiest routes for crofters to prepare.
The changes have come about as our subsidy system evolves outwith the EU. The new support system is in four Tiers, with the familiar Basic Payment Scheme in Tier 1. The Whole Farm Plan will affect Tier 1 Basic Payment Scheme. We will cover the other Tiers in future podcasts as more details are released and we understand the impact on crofting, so please subscribe to keep up to date.
Related FAS Resources
Preparing For The Future | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)
Crofts & Small Farms resources for farmers from Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)
Crofting Businesses: Carbon Audits and Preparing For Sustainable Farming | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)
Preparing Small Farms and Crofts for 2025 and Beyond - Events
Disease risk in livestock, and biosecurity is something we perhaps don’t consider as much in crofting areas as farmers might in more intensive systems. Crofting tends to be more extensive, with lower densities of stock, but we often share bulls, and graze on common ground. In this episode I’m joined by Kythe MacKenzie, who is a vet with SRUC, and Kate Lamont, who is a researcher, to discuss the practicalities of managing disease risk.
Linked FAS Resources
Crofting Discussion Groups | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)
Succession Planning – Crofting | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)
Crofting Legislation | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)
This episode hears from 2 crofters with two different routes into crofting. In this episode we discuss how they gained their croft, what they found were barriers, and hints and tips for aspiring or new crofters. I’m delighted to be joined by Derek Dick, who is a relatively new crofter in Berneray, and Angus Ferguson, who is an experienced crofter in North Uist.
Linked FAS resources:
Crofting Discussion Groups | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)
Succession Planning – Crofting | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)
Crofting Legislation | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)
In this episode we look at what we can learn from the Irish system, where farms are similar to our crofts. A group of crofters are just home from a study tour to Ireland, and we hear from Derek Jamieson who crofts in Unst, Shetland, what he took from this exchange of knowledge. We also hear from Keith Fahy, advisor with Teagasc, explaining the Irish subsidy system and improvements being made to their national flock and herd.
Ireland Study Tour with Crofters
Crofting in Unst
Typical Irish farms
Croft tenancies
Mart provision in Ireland and Scotland
Subsidies in Ireland
Agri-environment Schemes
The Irish Green Cert
Discussion Groups for Crofters
Linked FAS resources:
https://www.fas.scot/rural-business/crofts-small-farms/crofting-discussion-groups/
Gary Campbell is our guest this week. Gary is the new Chief Executive of the Crofting Commission, having just started his role in January this year. With a background working in both the public and private sectors he talks us through his previous roles, his own family crofting story, what he is planning to achieve in his new CE role and his vision for the Crofting Commission.
Related FAS Resources:
Crofting & Smallholders Guide to Organisations
Succession Planning – Crofting | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)
Crofting Legislation | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)
We are at Dornie hall, talking to clerks and committee members about the issues they face when trying to run the common grazing, especially when it comes to finances. Firstly, we talk with Finlay Beaton from the Crofting Commission, about the problems that they deal with and the solutions for clerks. Finlay also has the advantage of having worked with RPID, so also understands the grant and subsidy systems. Arthur Macdonald adds his take from years of running finance training, working with landlords and crofters, and working at the CC. These meetings are continuing around the crofting counties, so if you are a clerk, book on!
We cover:
Common themes such as monitoring and accounting for funds, who is responsible for the funds; how and who to bring onto your committee; how to set it up; the difference between CG and clubs; vacant crofts
Useful Links
Finance Forms for Common Grazings | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)
A Simple Guide to Common Grazings Terms | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)
Appointment of Grazings Committees | Crofting Commission (scotland.gov.uk)
Regulated Commons Grazings | Crofting Commission (scotland.gov.uk)
Common Grazings Dilemmas | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)
Don’t miss out on the current schemes which boost income and improve animal and soil health! We discuss the PSF scheme, the future of subsidy, recent changes to the Croft House Grant and what we should all do now to prepare for the 2025 change.
We cover:
What the term ‘conditionality’ means
PSF Animal Health & Welfare
Eligibility
How to carry out and how to claim
Benefits of animal health
Soil sampling
Carbon audits
What do we know so far
What is Just Transition
What are the Tiers
BPS
Whole Farm Plan
Habitat assessments
Grazing shares
Beef calf scheme
Scoteid My herd stats
CHGS changes
Top tips to prepare for 2025 – FAS biodiversity audits, carbon audits, psf scheme
Related FAS Resources
Crofting Businesses: Carbon Audits and Preparing For Sustainable Farming | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)
The Croft House Grant Scheme | Information helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)
Crofter’s Fuel Poverty – Improving the Existing Housing Stock | Information helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)
Other Related Resources
Preparing for Sustainable Farming Support (ruralpayments.org)
Croft House Grant (ruralpayments.org)
MyHerdStats Information Guide - ScotEID Library (dozuki.com)
Crofting legislation is fairly complicated and its no different when it comes to succession! Brian Inkster, well-known crofting law specialist, takes us through different scenarios and highlights what to watch out for when it comes to passing on a croft.
We cover:
Terminology such as Executor, Testate and Intestate
Wills and witness signatures
Procedure for a Straightforward tenancy with a will in place
Moveable items
Confirmation
Docket
Splitting a croft to leave to different people
Owner occupied crofts
Deemed crofts
Heritable and moveable
It might not sound that interesting, but, especially these days, understanding what you can and should be doing with accounts and tax is important to save unnecessary expense and keep within the law. Margi Campbell, an expert in tax and vat, gives some insight into what crofters can do to improve their finances. It’s a confusing topic, but in this podcast we chat about the different terms, and what they mean in practice for crofters who are self-employed or employed, or vat registered or not.
In this episode, we cover:
Do crofters need to do tax returns?
Is an accountant needed to prepare accounts?
What are audited accounts?
How much could a set of accounts cost?
What is a sole trader, why would you be one, what tax do you pay, can you be vat registered?
What are partnerships and Limited companies?
What do the terms Incorporated/unincorporated mean?
What is the effect of the 5 year rule for hobby farms?
What items are tax deductible?
Can you offset your income with the cost of buildings, such as a shed?
What about smaller kit and tools?
The best way to keep records, VAT, MTD, can you keep everything on paper/programme?
What is the Herd basis?
Who gets taxed through a Sheep Stock Club?
Who pays tax from Common Grazing income?
What should you do if you are starting up?
Top tips
FAS Resources:
Women in Agriculture, Balivanich: Why Keep Accounts?
Bookkeeping and Farm Accounts | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)
Other Links:
You can contact Margi through LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretcampbellinverness
Or at www.Saffery.com
Also listen to Margi’s story on Episode 6 - Margi Campbell - Women In Wellies | Acast
The podcast currently has 18 episodes available.