Farming
By Neale McQuistin
Transformative changes are being proposed to the way Scotland’s land is used and managed in order to ensure greater benefit to communities and the environment.
The Scottish Government is seeking views on ambitious proposals for its new Land Reform Bill, which will be introduced by the end of 2023.
The Bill aims to address long-standing concerns about the highly concentrated pattern of land ownership in rural areas of Scotland.
Proposed measures include: the introduction of a public interest test for transfers of large-scale land holdings; a requirement for owners of large-scale holdings to give prior notice to community bodies of their intention to sell and a requirement on those seeking land-based subsidies to have the land registered in the Land Register, and to ensure transparency around who benefits from public funding.
In addition, the consultation asks questions about how to ensure communities benefit from future investment in Scotland’s natural capital, and that there is greater transparency around land and asset ownership.
Environment and Land Reform Minister Mairi McAllan said: “Land reform is a pervasive issue in Scotland. We have a strong record of progressive and innovative land reform – but this journey is not complete. We must continue to develop and implement land reform that addresses historical inequalities and at the same time, we must rise to changing social, environmental and economic issues in contemporary Scotland.”
Market round-up
Messrs Craig Wilson sold 1,139 prime lambs and 183 cast sheep at Newton Stewart yesterday.
Prime lambs sold at extreme rates to average 320p (+13p) or £137 (+£5). All Lambs 40kg plus, with plenty of flesh, were easy to sell and peaked at £180 on two occasions, while Beltex lambs led per kilo at 341p.
Cast sheep were slightly back up on the week but still managed to peak at £200 for a Texel, while Mules sold to £148. Blackface ewes sold to £123. A small show of hoggs sold up to £169 for a Beltex.
C&D Auction Marts held its weekly primestock sale in Dumfries yesterday.
Prime cattle sold to 295p/kg for a Limousin heifer consigned by J Jardine. OTM’s were a plainer entry but were in great demand. Beef types sold to £1,726 for a Beef Shorthorn and to 198p for an Aberdeen Angus. Dairy types peaked at £1,575 and 178p for Holsteins. There were also 814 prime lambs through Dumfries yesterday that sold to £165 and 333p per kilo. There were 482 lambs weighing between 39kg and 45kg that sold to average 325p (+9p).
The 343 cast ewes and hoggs were slightly easier on the week for a plainer show.
Heavy ewes (280) peaked at £192 to average £113, while 46 light ewes sold to £128 for Blackfaces to average £95.
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