Scots rural workers hold demo against rewilding policies

Scottish farmers, crofters and gamekeepers are staging a peaceful demonstration to express their concerns and anger at the policies being driven by Scottish government against their rural way of life.

Green MSP Lorna Slater, the Scottish government’s biodiversity minister, and first minister Humza Yousof had been expected to announce Cairngorms 2030 – a project worth £37m funded by Heritage Lottery Fund.

Both had been expected to launch the project at the Albert Memorial Hall, in Ballater, Aberdeenshire on Monday morning (22 January), but they cancelled due to the stormy weather.

See also: Highlands farmers in tractor demo over rewilding of Cairngorms

The hall is home to one of the branch offices of the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA), which delivers the policy ambitions of Scottish government in the national park.

On Monday morning, a procession of tractors, Land Rovers and farmers, crofters and gamekeepers carrying placards made their way from the car park at Ballater station to the Albert Memorial Hall to continue their peaceful demo outside the CNPA branch office.

Green agenda

Deirdre Falconer, regional co-ordinator from the Grampian Moorland Group, told Farmers Weekly that farmers, crofters and gamekeepers would be coming out in force to express their frustration about the project, which she said “does nothing for locals, their heritage and way of life”.

“The project includes plans to spend £9m on visitor infrastructure, £19m on peatland restoration, trees and river restoration, and a couple of million on wellbeing. But there is no money for housing or anything to address the real issues that are in the park,” she said.

“The policies that are coming out of Scottish government are literally eroding the way of life for people living in these rural areas. It is like an attack on the countryside.

“The Scottish government has an agenda to drive the estates towards a green agenda. They are trying to drive them away from shooting. Whether that’s shooting deer, grouse or pheasants, they are trying to make it so difficult for them through all the bills passing through parliament.”

Ms Falconer said a number of bills coming into law, including the Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill, the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy and the Deer Bill, will all have a major impact and “have a stranglehold” on how traditional land management is conducted in Scotland.

“The Scottish government is trying to coerce the land managers to take subsidies for peatland restoration and rewilding rather than do traditional land management,” said Ms Falconer.

“The weather is bad today, but the farmers and gamekeepers are out keeping the country going, the pen pushers are stuck in their warm offices making decisions impacting on these people’s lives.

“But the message we want to send today is enough is enough. There policies are damaging rural life.”

Rural jobs threatened

Ms Falconer said farmers are the custodians of the countryside who take part in agri-environment schemes for the benefit of wildlife, but this attack on their way of life is “unjust”.

Ruaridh Ormiston, a tenant crofter in the Cairngorms National Park, said: “People are fed up of the SNP/Green ‘Just Transition’ to net zero and the way it is affecting rural jobs.

“It erodes farm incomes and livelihoods and people are worried and it is affecting their wellness and mental health. It is all well and good people making these decisions, but there is no safety net for us.”

Farmers Weekly has contacted the Scottish government to request a response.