Crofting Matters

Farm Advisory Service
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More than 750, 000 hectares of land in Scotland is in crofting tenure. In this Crofting Matters series, hosted by Siobhan Macdonald, we will explore all aspects of crofting. Covering seasonal and topical issues, crofting agriculture, regulation, wildlife, support and other associated businesses. Producer Ashleigh Forster, Editor Ross Mackenzie , Executive Producer Kerry Hammond. In association with The Scottish Government. Scotland’s Farm Advisory Service is funded by the Scottish Government. Our podcast covers a range of topics which help support your farm or croft to be more profitable and sustainable.

  1. 10/29/2025

    Covering the Croft and Common

    Insurance for Crofters and Common Grazings. Welcome back to Crofting Matters! In this episode, Siobhan is joined by Jonathan Hogg, a rural insurance expert from NFU Mutual’s Dingwall branch.  Johnny has an agricultural background, works in a crofting area and understands the issues that crofters and grazing committees face with access, theft and weather-related incidents. We remove the ambiguity surrounding the need for Public and Employer’s liability cover, and what to do if the bull can outrun humans.  We discuss:  Whether a small crofting business needs insurance, and what kind? The need for Public Liability insurance. Livestock – minimising the risk. Wording on signs. When to cover machinery and livestock for theft and loss. Employer’s liability when you may not think of yourself as an employer! Common Grazings and Sheep Stock clubs – cover required.  FAS Resources  https://www.fas.scot/news/common-grazings-and-sheep-stock-clubs-liability/

    39 min

  2. 09/24/2025

    Starting up in Crofting

    Welcome back to Crofting Matters. On today’s episode, Siobhan is joined by Graham Fraser (SAC Lerwick) to discuss an often asked question – how to start up a croft, smallholding or farming business. The Farm Advisory Service has an Advice Line – free to call or email for advice.  Every year the team receives lots of questions about starting up a farming business.  It can be tricky to get a croft, but tenancies and purchases do come up so if you are looking for an opportunity, then this will help you understand the process when it happens. Graham and Siobhan talk about setting up an agricultural business with particular emphasis on crofting and chat through some of the questions they have received through the advice line. Timestamps: 01.07   Starting up in crofting – things to consider 03.09   Owner occupier, tenancy and assignation explained 05.14  Land that goes with a croft 08.39  Common grazing shares 10.05    The 3 duties of a crofter 12.39   Common grazing responsibilities 13.45   Subsidies and grants that a new crofter could be eligible for 18.13   Preparing for Sustainable Farming (PSF) 19.33  Applying for BPS (Basic payment Scheme) & LFASS (Less Favoured Area Support Scheme) 20.31  Getting a BRN (Business Refence Number) 27.36   Numbers of livestock on a common grazing 29.23  Keeping livestock for the first time 30.56  Getting your own flock/herd number 33.01   Getting registered and set up – the order of events FAS Resources FAS - New Entrants -Getting Started FAS Introduction to crofting - Gaelic FAS -Introduction to crofting - English Other Resources Highlands and Islands Enterprise(business support) Scottish Enterprise(business support)   CroftingRegister Welcome| Crofting Commission RuralPayments and Services Animaland Plant Health Agency - GOV.UK Preparingfor Sustainable Farming For more information, visit www.FAS.scot Facebook: @FASScot National Advice Hub Phone: 0300 323 0161 Email: advice@fas.scot

    37 min

  3. 08/29/2025

    Breaking the Grass Ceiling - Women in Crofting

    Please note: We recorded this episode while out at an event, therefore the audio quality varies throughout. Interviewees: Prof Sally Shorthall Karis Beattie Haley Shepherd The Grass Ceiling is an EU-funded project that helps rural women become leaders in innovation—especially in farming and sustainable rural development. It runs from 2023 to 2025 and supports women across Europe through ‘Living Labs’ where they test ideas, get training, and connect with others.  The aim is to help women to drive real change in rural communities—whether it's through eco-tourism, smart farming, or green energy projects.  In short: it’s about lifting the “grass ceiling” so women in rural areas can grow, lead, and shape the future.  The Scotland Living Lab is based in the Highlands and Islands, working with eight rural women innovators connected to crofting communities. It’s a partnership led by NICRE (National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise) and the Centre for Rural Economy (Newcastle University), in collaboration with the Scottish Crofting Federation.  The Lab officially launched with a workshop in Ullapool in June 2023, bringing together women from across the Highlands & Islands.  Women share practical rural innovations, such as livestock rearing, croft diversification, wildflower seed sales, water sports ventures, and creative uses for wool.   Related Resources Women in Agriculture (FAS.scot) https://www.fas.scot/rural-business/women-in-agriculture/ Glass Ceiling - The Living Lab https://www.grassceiling.eu/living-labs/scotland/?utm_source=chatgpt.com Diversification on a Shoestring https://www.fas.scot/article/diversification-on-a-shoestring/  Croftworks podcast Croftwork Podcasts - Scottish Crofting Federation Business support from https://www.hie.co.uk/  and https://www.scottish-enterprise.com/

    19 min

  4. 07/30/2025

    Croft Diversification - New Enterprises in Uist

    Thinking of diversification projects on the croft?  Hear from two entrepreneurs who have set up shops, campsites and tours in Uist, and are managing to bring in tourists and have a healthy footfall.  They discuss the issues with funding on croftland, ferries, finishing animals, abattoirs, Instagram posts, Scottish Agritourism, and Enterprise agency support.  Anne MacLellan runs Balranald Campsite, the Dunes Cabin, a catering business, a new self-service vending machine with fresh veg and fish, and a self-catering cottage and a pod.  Lyndsay Robertson and DJ run Long Island Retreats, with a shop of local and islands produce and offer immersive tours of the croft and machair to UK and international travellers.   Related FAS Resources https://www.fas.scot/article/diversification-on-a-shoestring/ FAS TV Series 5 Episode 9 - Supporting Crofting with Diversification - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrYYHOqkQbI Other Related Resources Business support from: https://www.hie.co.uk/ https://www.scottish-enterprise.com/

    49 min

  5. 06/27/2025

    FFIS, CAGS, WFP and Greening for Crofting

    The Future Farming Investment Scheme (FFIS) grant scheme is a new scheme in 2025, allowing crofters and farmers to invest to improve business efficiency, nature and climate friendly farming. The FFIS offers flexible capital grants to support investments with tiered levels of funding available. There are other changes affecting crofters, such as a simplified Crofting Agricultural Grants Scheme, which offers grants towards infrastructure; and changes to Greening rules which will affect crofters with more than 15ha of arable land.   The Preparing for Sustainable Farming scheme is available this year, for the last time, and can help with the Carbon audit and Soil elements of the Whole Farm Plan.  For 2026, the Whole Farm Plan requirements are for 2 elements out of the five choices: Carbon Audit, Animal Health Plan, Biodiversity audit, Soil Analysis and Integrated Pest Management.  This episode covers many schemes!  For background, have a listen to the previous podcasts on Subsidy and Support Changes for Crofting, and Subsidy Future and Current Schemes, to find out more about the structure of support for the agricultural sector.  Related FAS Resources Preparing For The Future | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service Crofting Agricultural Grant Scheme (CAGS) | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service

    38 min

  6. 05/28/2025

    Changes to Improve Welfare of Lambs

    A game changer for sheep on hill grazings?    It’s very tricky to castrate and tail lambs within 7 days unless lambs are born inbye.  Could two new techniques, that allow castration and tailing up to 3 months of age, not only reduce pain levels in lambs, but allow better and easier management on commons and hills?  The all-important intake of colostrum and bonding of ewe and lamb can be disrupted by tailing and castrating.  Changing timings, so that one or other is carried out when the lamb is older, perhaps alongside other treatments such as vaccination or worming, reduces mismothering, and could be more efficient.   The Animal Welfare Committee (AWC) report on tail docking and castration of lambs (2022) recommends that effective anaesthesia and analgesia should be used routinely for castration and tail docking of lambs, when the methods used are likely to cause significant pain.  In recent years new equipment that can reduce the pain associated with tailing and castrating have been developed. Numnuts and Clipfitter are now more widely available and have been shown to have welfare benefits when used for tailing and castrating.   In Scotland, the Government has allowed these techniques to be used beyond 7 days of age.    Here we discuss the two products: techniques, benefits and drawbacks, costs and practicalities for use with lambs and calves.  Subscribe to hear more about the project when we report on crofter’s experiences of using the products.    Related Resources: Watch our webinar recording where we look at how three farmers are using different methods and approaches to tail docking and castration Webinar - Sustainable Sheep Systems - Tail Docking and Castration Technical Note (TN679): Castration and Tail Docking of Lambs  Using clipfitter in practice: Using Clips for Castration and Tails FAS TV - Tail Docking and Castration in Lambs

    26 min

  7. 11/01/2024

    Matchmaking New and Retiring Crofters (Updated)

    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

    39 min

  8. 09/25/2024

    Subsidy and Support Changes for Crofting

    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

    40 min
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About

More than 750, 000 hectares of land in Scotland is in crofting tenure. In this Crofting Matters series, hosted by Siobhan Macdonald, we will explore all aspects of crofting. Covering seasonal and topical issues, crofting agriculture, regulation, wildlife, support and other associated businesses. Producer Ashleigh Forster, Editor Ross Mackenzie , Executive Producer Kerry Hammond. In association with The Scottish Government. Scotland’s Farm Advisory Service is funded by the Scottish Government. Our podcast covers a range of topics which help support your farm or croft to be more profitable and sustainable.

Information

  • Creator
    Farm Advisory Service
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2025
  • Episodes
    24
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 Farm Advisory Service
  • Show Website
    Crofting Matters