Scottish Government
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Farmland ownership
Rented-out Agricultural Land in Scotland Survey.
Surveys are being sent to land owners who rent out agricultural land in Scotland to ask about their experience and views on the future of Scottish farming.
It is the second phase of a major piece of research that will inform the work of the Ministerial-led Review of Agricultural Holdings Legislation to identify how to get the best from Scotland’s land and the people farming it. The review is considering, among other issues, absolute right to buy for traditional secure 1991 agricultural tenancies.
In the first phase of the research, questionnaires were completed by about 3,000 tenant farmers.
Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead said:
“This research is vital to the review of Agricultural Holdings Legislation I am leading, as responses will influence our findings and the future of Scottish farming.
“The survey of tenant farmers has had a great response and we now need to hear from as many land owners as possible. This means everyone who rents out agricultural land in Scotland on all types of lets and leases, and may include farmers who also rent-in land and have already completed the tenant farming survey.
“Although this is a busy time in the agricultural calendar, the questionnaire will take less than half an hour to complete and I urge everyone to take full advantage of the opportunity to help us create a vibrant tenant farming sector in Scotland.
“Copies of the survey are being sent to landowners and can be obtained directly from Ipsos MORI Scotland. It is important to use only original forms as duplicates will be not accepted. All responses will be treated in the strictest confidence.”
Notes To Editors
Surveys asking about experiences and views on the future of farming of Scotland are being sent over the next week to about 3,000 farm businesses that the Scottish Government knows rent out land. The Scottish Government is also asking agents to contact clients who are land owners about the survey.
Anyone who has not received a copy of the survey by Friday April 4, 2014 can request one by contacting David.Myers@ipsos.com and providing details of the relevant farming business including holding reference numbers. Responses can be submitted online or on paper and are requested by April 7, 2014 although will be accepted until early May.
Follow up research to better understand landlord and tenant farmer relationships will be carried out with a sample of tenant farmers and land owners in the coming months.
All responses to these surveys will be treated in the strictest confidence.
The surveys have been carefully developed in collaboration with Tenant Farming Forum members including National Farmers Union Scotland (NFUS), Scottish Land and Estates (SLE), Scottish Tenant Farmers Association (STFA), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Scotland (RICS), and Scottish Agricultural Arbiters and Valuers Association (SAAVA).
A report incorporating all the strands of the research will be published on the Scottish Government website later this year.
