CHANGES to Scotland's agri-policy are likely to have a disproportionately large impact on tenant farmers – so it would have been appropriate for the tenanted sector to have had stronger representation on the newly announced implementation board.

That criticism aside, the Scottish Tenant Farmers Association has welcomed the launch of the Agriculture Reform Implementation Oversight Board and the publication of the Scottish Government’s consultation on 'Agricultural Transition in Scotland'.

STFA’s new managing director, Doug Bell, commented: “STFA is looking forward to engaging with the Scottish Government, the ARIOB and other stakeholders to represent our members and the tenanted sector in general in delivering a new future for rural Scotland.

“The transition towards a new sustainable farming policy will present the tenanted sector with some unique challenges. The consultation document acknowledges that ‘concerns were raised in the tenanted sector of land use change being potentially imposed on tenants who might not then benefit from any of the financial benefits that might be available’," noted Mr Bell.

"However, the impacts of policy change on those renting farmland, are potentially much more wide-ranging in terms eligibility for, and access to, whatever new measures are introduced.

“STFA would have liked to have seen tenants have a stronger sectoral interest represented on the ARIOB, but welcome the diverse and wide-ranging farming, geographical and environmental experience and expertise of board members and look forward to working with them over the coming months," he said.

“The tenanted sector encompasses nearly a quarter of Scotland’s agricultural land the role tenant farmers can play in achieving the objective of sustainable food production while addressing the climate change and bio-diversity agendas must not be under-estimated or constrained."