The Crown Estate has told The Scottish Farmer it is making ‘steady progress’ in offering its secure tenants on the Applegirth and Auchindoun estate, the chance to buy their farms.

The move is part of the Crown Estate’s plan to increase diversity in land ownership whilst also raising capital through farm sales. A total of 22 farms were written to in 2022 inviting tenants to express an interest in purchasing.

A Crown Estate spokesperson said: “Steady progress is being made with the pilot initiative to offer our farmers secure tenancies on two of our estates – Applegirth in Dumfries and Galloway, and the area around Auchindoun in Moray – the chance to purchase their farms.

"Negotiations are continuing with tenants and their advisors, as we look to increase the diversity of land ownership in a planned and managed way, and we look forward to assisting our tenant farmers with all support necessary as they decide on their course of action."

The Crown Estate owns around 37,000 hectares of land in Scotland with one of its largest assets, the Glenlivet Estate, not part of the pilot scheme.

When the scheme was first launched the Scottish Tenant Farmers' Association said: "Crown tenants will become the envy of the tenanted sector."