Following weeks of heated debate in the agricultural press over granting farm tenants the "absolute right to buy" their farms, SNP MSP Rob Gibson raised the issue in the Scottish Parliament this week.
Mr Gibson, the newly elected convener of the Scottish Parliament’s cross-party Rural Affairs Climate Change and Environment Committee, weighed into the land reform debate by declaring: “There is a clear case for investigating the calls by many parties for an absolute right to buy for tenant farmers, because they are the bedrock of our farming industry and it is our duty to ensure that they receive a fair deal and fair access to land.
“I see this SNP majority Government as a golden opportunity to implement real and impacting land reform.”
Angus McCall, chairman of the Scottish Tenant Farmers Association, commented: “We welcome the Government’s commitment to revisiting agricultural holdings legislation during the next session of Parliament. The law as it stands is failing tenants.
“Inevitably as long as landlords continue to ignore the barometric pressure within the tenanted sector and wider public domain, these calls for further measures such as extending tenants’ right to buy will persist and are likely to increase.”
United Auctions sold 5550 prime lambs at Stirling on Thursday to a top of £85 per head and 200p per kg to average 165.3p (+2p on the week).
There were also 1417 cast sheep forward with ewes selling to £118.50 for Texels and £63.50 for Blackfaces.
The Cumberland and Dumfriesshire Farmers Mart sold 5004 prime lambs in Longtown on Thursday to a top of £93.50 per head and 198p per kg to average 170.5p.
The 6202 cast sheep forward saw heavy ewes sell to £142.50 for Suffolks and average £77.74, while light ewes peaked at £74.50 for Cheviots and levelled at £49.10. Cast rams sold to £134.50 for a Texel and averaged £83.94.
Messrs Craig Wilson Ltd sold 1548 warranted Blackface ewes at Ayr on Thursday to a top of £125 and an average of £81.58 (+£8.69 on the year).
The 336 Blackface gimmers forward peaked at £155 and levelled at £123.94 (+£21.46).
The firm also sold 550 ewe lambs with Mules selling to £90, Texels £102 and Blackfaces to £73.
A good show of 766 sore lambs saw Texels sell to £70 and the overall average level at £60.82 (-£2.87 on the week).
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