FARMING COMMUNITIES are being lost, rural amenities threatened, and generations of farming knowledge wiped away, by the current race to plant trees.

The Scottish Farmer heard from local farmers and shepherds in Dumfries and Galloway – whose families have been working the land for multiple generations – their concerns that neighbouring farms have been disappearing fast and trees taking their place.

Read more: Crofters invited for chat about tree-planting

With the Scottish Government financially incentivising tree planting activities Scotland-wide, they say that this has opened the door to ‘greenwashing’ by rich investors looking to clear their consciences and in the process, pricing farmers and crofters out of the market, as good farming land is being lost.

They have warned that down the line there will be less and less land available to produce food, which could lead to more intensive farming practices to feed a growing population and have called on policy makers to value the role of farmers in not only producing food but supporting rural communities and conserving local wildlife, before it is too late.

Farming families wiped from the map

Beef and sheep farmer Robin Jardine from Upperhardland Farm, Balmaclellan, argued that farming families and generations of farming knowledge could soon be lost for good.

“We are entering a new era where Scotland’s land is being bought over by wealthy businesses to plant trees and clear their consciences and generations of farming families are being wiped from the map in the process,” said Mr Jardine, who’s own family have been farming in the area for almost 100 years.

He suggested that government policies have been so focussed on incentivising tree planting targets that decades of land and nature management by farmers has been forgotten.

“Farming folks are comparable to hefted ewes, once they’re gone, that knowledge and special relationship with the land disappears. Yes, you can bring people into the countryside but that sense of generations of knowledge of that land, passed on by families, will no longer be there – hundreds of years of breeding lost, never to return,” he explained.

Quoting figures from Wallet Marts, he reported that in 1995, 3240 Scotch Mule ewe lambs were sold through the mart, but only 540 ewe lambs were sold in 2021.

He went on to critique those in power for looking down on farming as a profession, and not recognising its valued place in society.

“For many of our young ones, their university is the land, that is their campus, and the lecturers are their grandparents and parents. You can have 200 years of knowledge being passed down – that can’t be replaced by going to university.

“As a boy growing up here, your parents and grandparents would tell you where peewits or oystercatchers were nesting in the field, and you took care to avoid them – woe betide you if you ran over them. People are often unaware of the intimate knowledge many farmers have of nature and soon it will be too late.

“I have personally seen the demise of all the ground nesting waders that were once a common sight around here,” he reported. “Birds such as peewits, curlews, red shank and oyster catchers are now almost extinct in the Glenkens due to the protection of birds of prey. Red kites, buzzards, sparrow hawks, ravens and carrion crow are wiping out all other bird life and small mammals. RSPB and other environmental agencies have created a monster and they don’t know how to deal with it.

“Further up the Glenkens, two habitats where blackcock were regularly spotted have now been planted with trees and there have been no more sightings of the birds.”

 

Two areas in the Glenkens where blackcock were regularly spotted have now been planted with trees and local famers say there have been no more sightings of the birds

Two areas in the Glenkens where blackcock were regularly spotted have now been planted with trees and local famers say there have been no more sightings of the birds

 

All you can see are miles of trees

Jimmy Wallace’s family have been farming at Fingland on the Earlstoun Estate since 1905. What was once a thriving farming area, according to Mr Wallace, has witnessed four neighbouring farms turned to trees in recent years, leaving only one other.

“Every area around here is now covered in forestry,” he said. “Two neighbouring farms which were planted have now recently been replanted again.

“We once had a tremendous view in this part, but now all you can see are miles of trees – not the picture-perfect tourist destination many would lead you to believe.”

He said that in nearby Carsphairn, four farms are currently being planted, adding that they were all good hill farms.

“It is the loss of family communities that bothers me the most – the tree planting drive is clearing away any sense of community spirit,” he continued. “The next generation aren’t going to want to live here isolated themselves.

“Only last year the local school in Carsphairn closed down as there weren’t enough children and it won’t be the last. Farmers simply can’t compete with wealthy business owners; no farmer can justify the current prices for hill land.

“The Government has to realise that in 50 years’ time there won’t be enough food being produced in Scotland if we keep turning good farming land to trees.”

Sitka trees which are a dead zone for biodiversity

Local shepherd Drew Jardine has been working on the same estate in New Galloway for 40 years and said he has witnessed many changes to the farming landscape during that time.

“I’m the only shepherd left on the estate but way back when I started there were four of us on this estate alone,” he told The Scottish Farmer.

“All the hills surrounding us have been disappearing to trees as there is more money to be made. My boss is holding out from planting, but if farming here becomes no longer viable, he too will have to go down the same road soon enough.

“Money is being flung into forestry, so you can’t blame farmers for selling up. Companies from down south have been coming up and buying land, we get brushed over as locals.”

It is not just shepherds who have been declining in number, but gamekeepers too, Drew explained. “There are no gamekeepers round here anymore, there is no work for them, and many don’t realise the valuable work they carried out protecting local bird species.

“The land around here is covered with sitka trees which are a dead zone for biodiversity, all we have around here are crows, buzzards and red kites. We used to have oyster catchers and lapwings but there are few ground nesting birds left. It is not just farming folk but local wildlife which is being lost.”

 

Farmers in the region say peewits and other ground nesting birds have been disappearing in recent years as well as people from the hills

Farmers in the region say peewits and other ground nesting birds have been disappearing in recent years as well as people from the hills

 

Every few years, someone disappears, and no one replaces them

Tower Farm in Dalry has been owned by the Peacock family for over 100 years and is surrounded by farms which are selling for ‘astronomical’ prices to plant trees.

“We’re seeing trees coming up all the time here,” reported James Peacock. “Just recently 600 acres of a really good hill farm was turned over to trees by the owners resulting in another farm being lost. Another 500-acre hill farm at Corsock was recently purchased and the rumours are it went for almost double over the asking price.

“Businessmen want to buy land for trees and are willing to pay well over the odds. There are many cases of deals done in private, so farmers don’t even get a chance to compete.”

Echoing Drew’s sentiments, he said that there were once three local gamekeepers, but added that all have now gone: “Every few years, someone disappears, and no one replaces them,” he continued. “We have an ageing population and soon no one will be coming in behind us.

“The red kite were introduced down here and in the summertime, when I’m cutting silage, there can be 15 or 20 circling above us for food – we are overrun by predators whilst small bird numbers are declining. I recently came across a lapwing nest and marked the area to avoid it, but no sooner had they hatched, and they were taken,” he reported. “It is a similar story for oyster catchers.

“It is getting increasingly difficult to protect our ground nesting birds as all efforts are concentrated on trees and protecting these birds of prey.”

Sheep sales at the local market have dropped by vast numbers

Farmer Ian Little from Dalry, alleged that tree planting bodies have been selectively carrying out land assessments to speed up the process.

“To plant large areas of trees you need a vegetation survey,” he explained. “These are usually done with a metre square frame which is placed on the ground where the trees will be planted and the plants in the square are counted. This is repeated several times across the area,” he continued. “The problem arises because these surveys are taken away from the field edges where you can find micro climates and rarer plants, rather than your bog standard plants in the bog standard areas in the middle. This means most areas are passed as suitable because it is very unlikely that the rare plants will be found in their squares using their system.”

He went on to say that substantial areas in the southwest of Scotland have been planted with spruce trees, replacing thousands of sheep and cattle.

“Sheep sales at the local market have dropped by vast numbers, cross ewe lamb numbers have dropped from 28,000 in 1990 down to 8400 in 2021. Draft Blackface ewes dropped from 6500 down to 2000 to 2500 head per year, with similar falls in rough hoggets.

“Roughly two thirds of the breeding sheep have been lost over the last 20 to 25 years in the area. Local families are losing their homes and subsequently schools and shops are shutting their doors.”

Turning to the employment opportunities provided by tree planting in the area, he explained that it is doing little to support rural communities.

“Timber contractors come into the area temporally, sometimes staying in caravans, not using local facilities. A number of new access points are made to extract timber. Loaded lorries leaving these areas are causing the tarmac to be ripped up, leaving potholes to be repaired by the council. Do these absentee owners pay rates to the local council?”

 

Farmers have argued that employment opportunities in tree planting and timber production dont contribute to supporting local rural amenities

Farmers have argued that employment opportunities in tree planting and timber production don't contribute to supporting local rural amenities

 

Future challenges to food security

Jamie Murdoch of Fauld O Wheat Farm, Balmaclellan, runs a sheep farm over 280 acres where his family has been farming for 50 years. Painting a similar picture of a once rich farming landscape now being turned over to trees, he warned of future challenges to food security.

“If farms continue to be lost at the current rate, there is going to be major issues for domestic food production, as once land is planted you can never reclaim it,” he warned.

“Planting trees doesn’t create year-round employment, we’re losing critical mass and you just need to look around this area to see that all local primary schools are closing, local pubs are struggling, and population figures are dwindling.

“We need a change of government policy to one which sees value in our extensive farming systems,” he stressed. “If we keep planting at this rate then the future of food production in Scotland will be intensive as you can't reclaim the ground for food production once turned to trees and we will have to meet demand for food somehow.”

 

A hillside cleared of trees for timber that will never be returned to food production (Photo: Robin Jardine)

A hillside cleared of trees for timber that will never be returned to food production (Photo: Robin Jardine)

 

'We get the right tree in the right place'

A spokesperson from Scottish Forestry told The Scottish Farmer they were aware of concerns around the expansion of forests and woodlands in Scotland and had recently met with the NFUS to discuss these issues in full and to find a way in which woodland creation ‘can be integrated into farming and hopefully viewed as an opportunity and not a threat’.

“The Scottish Government has set ambitious targets to increase woodland creation across Scotland in order to tackle climate change and address nature loss. They are clear that that this must be done in a way that is fair and leaves no one behind.

“The Government’s vision for a net zero Scotland is one in which rural communities thrive and more, not less, people can live and work sustainably on our land,” it said, adding that the Scottish Government is expecting an urgent piece of advice from the Scottish Land Commission which will address the purchase of land for carbon offsetting.

“While private investment will be important to our journey to net zero, it must be responsible and our rural communities must not be disadvantaged,” the spokesperson continued.

“Each woodland creation project is thoroughly assessed by Scottish Forestry to ensure we get the right tree in the right place and to ensure environmental considerations are taken into account. When taking forward woodland creation proposals, Scottish Forestry make it clear it is the landowner’s responsibility to ensure they are compliant with all wildlife legislation."

Tenants and local communities should be closely engaged

The Scottish Land Commission confirmed that they have work underway reviewing carbon offsetting.

“The Scottish Land Commission and Tenant Farming Commissioner are aware of the unease that exists about the scale and nature of land use change and the uncertainties created by rapidly developing carbon markets,” said its Chief Executive, Hamish Trench. “We have work underway on the implications in the rural land market and are working with Scottish Government to advise on responsible approaches to carbon investment that take account of the wider public interest. Where significant land use changes are being considered, whether on newly acquired or existing holdings, tenants and local communities should be closely engaged in advance.”

'Wild west’' approach to land acquisition

NFU Scotland confirmed that it remains fully supportive of the integration of woodlands into farm businesses, but was ‘fundamentally opposed to the wholesale and irreversible land use change of largescale forestry expansion on productive agricultural land’.

“Our presidential team has raised directly with Scottish Government our concern that planting incentives and unregulated carbon markets have created a dream ticket for some land agents, consultants, speculators and investors all seeking to buy land for trees,” said NFUS’ Dumfries and Galloway chair, Colin Ferguson.

“The trouble we now face is that government’s work with targets, and while the Scottish government’s target to double its food and drink value to £30 billion by 2030 might offer huge opportunities, there is a flaw in the plan. Ambitious food production targets cannot be delivered alongside another government target to plant 18,000 hectares of forestry annually and allocate 30% of Scotland’s land to nature by 2030,” he argued.

“That flawed policy has opened the door to treble subsidised land-use, with vast areas of prime agricultural land being turned over to make way for forestry monoculture, ironically void of biodiversity and reducing Scotland’s ability to grow food. The green lairds are cashing in, with tax cuts, planting grants and carbon credits. These speculators, engrossed in a 'wild west’' approach to land acquisition have no real interest or care for what happens to that land or the people and rural communities that depend on it.

“Our land is finite and, while some land-use change is inevitable, Scottish Government has failed to properly assess the real impact of their competing targets on Scotland’s rural economy.”

Net zero cannot be at the expense of food and farming

The Scottish Conservatives’ shadow rural affairs secretary Rachael Hamilton MSP told The Scottish Farmer that the race to net zero cannot be at the expense of a vibrant food and farming sector.

“While there is a recognition of the need to plant more trees, there are real fears that is being done at too fast a pace and without properly consulting those who will be directly affected,” she said.

“Our farmers and the wider agricultural sector are already facing enough challenges without thinking their land could be pulled from under them at any moment as a result of the drive towards tree planting.

“These concerns should be addressed urgently and the right balance struck to improving our environment without threatening the livelihood of many tenant farmers across the South of Scotland and elsewhere.”

Beware a 'massive over-simplification'

Addressing concerns over the decline of ground nesting birds, Head of Species and Land Management for RSPB Scotland, Duncan Orr-Ewing, warned that blaming avian predation risks over-simplifying the problem.

“Dumfries and Galloway has seen massive changes in land use in recent decades so to lay the blame for declines in ground nesting wading birds to raptor and other avian predation is a massive over-simplification of what is a complex problem,” he said. “Over decades, commercial forestry has caused significant loss of open ground habitats with over 25% of Dumfries and Galloway now afforested.

Read more: Defra's tree planting drive welcomed by National Sheep Association

“It has been estimated that afforestation has led to the loss of 5000 pairs of curlew in the region since 1950,” he continued, but added that silage and other intensive grassland management systems provide few benefits for wildlife.

“Raptors have seen reduced human persecution and are recovering their populations in some areas, which is welcome. We will continue to press the case with Scottish Government for more sustainable and diverse land uses that help address both the climate and nature emergencies.”