SEVEN farmhouses are currently empty on the Isle of Bute, with more farms due to become vacant in the coming month, leading many of the island's remaining farmers to questioning what will become of them.

Robert Mcintyre dispersed his dairy unit, Dunallan Farm, in May this year, and will vacate his farmhouse in November, while James Macalister will also hold a final dispersal sale at his dairy unit, Bruchag Farm, at the end of August.

Mr Mcintyre claimed that he, and many other farmers on the island, want to know what the Bute Estate intends to do with these empty units, and whether they will become available as tenancies.

"The position on Bute now is totally different than it was a year ago," he explained. "Four farms will require new tenants in the next year, all of which produced milk three years ago.

"There is also a large cropping farm available to let, and, in my opinion, the estate needs to welcome new faces and give those new faces tenancies for these empty units."

The last new tenancy to be taken on the island was at Kerrycroy Farm, 20 years ago, which Mr Mcintyre said was a very positive thing for Bute: "The Nairn family, who took the tenancy, gave the island a great boost, and I believe further new tenants could do the same.

"Since 1997, no other new tenants have been taken on at any of the farms, and in a few weeks or so, we will be down to just nine dairy farms. It is my belief, and I know it is shared by almost all of the tenants on this island, that the units being exited should be offered as tenancies which would encourage, and bring, new farmers onto Bute."

Giving Bute Estate's position, factor Bob Baines, commented: “The Mount Stuart Trust is continuing with its multi-million pound investment programme to develop former steading sites left vacant by the national trend of increasing farm sizes.

"In the last few years, a number of these steadings have been developed by the trust to non-agricultural uses in spite of challenging financial returns, including two long term lets and holiday cottages. The trust still has a number of sites to tackle and these are at various stages of redevelopment, some going into planning this summer and a few no longer in agricultural use are due to be sold."

Mr Baines said that the trust had no outstanding notices to quit from its current farm tenants, but acknowledged there was much "anecdotal discussion" about various farmers retiring.

"It is likely that we will continue to see farms being re-let over the next few years and how these are re-let will depend upon the individual farm," he said. "Certain farms considered sustainable on their current footprint with good fixed equipment will be re-let to new incoming tenants from the mainland and we continue to get strong levels of interest in this regard. Other farms may be merged with neighbouring farms to produce more sustainable tenant businesses."

The trust would, he said, persist in its support of dairy farming because of its value to the local economy, prioritising vacant land towards milk production, particularly in the short term whilst the island’s production volume recovers.