Scottish Crofting Federation CEO Patrick Krause and chair Donald MacKinnon had a busy few days on their Royal Highland Show stand, fielding concerns and questions from attendees on what the future holds for crofting communities.

Mr McKinnon said: “We had a lot of crofters coming to the show with a good number down from the islands, I think everyone is delighted to be out and about after Covid.

"But crofters are coming onto the stand with lots of questions. One of the most popular is the need for clarity on agricultural support in the future. We still don’t know the detail of the plans.

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"Others are coming with questions on carbon credits, what do they mean? We are seeing a lot of crofters worried about the impact of peatland restoration on land currently used for livestock. We need peatland restoration to happen but it can’t be at the expense of active crofting. The scramble for carbon credits is also likely to push up the price of crofting estates, making future community buyouts more difficult.”

Mr Krause said: “The stand has been busy with plenty of younger people inquiring about crofting and how to get involved. We have had a lot of interest asking how the next generation can be involved in food growing in some way, and why shouldn’t they be able to? It is good for the planet, good for the economy and good for their health.”