Farm business tenancies meet resistance

The Scotsmans farming columnist looks at the thorny issue of land ownership in Scotland.

He notes that the proportion of tenanted land has dropped dramatically in Scotland – down from 90% to 34% this century, including an 11% change since 1980.

He notes also the resistance to farm business tenancies in Scotland, despite the fact that this type of tenancy in England and Wales has made more land available for let.

But all parties on the Scottish farming scene – the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, the Scottish National Farmers Union and the Scottish Office – are still not keen on the idea, according to the columnist.