Proposed national park in Galloway prompts farmer backlash

A proposal to designate Galloway as Scotland’s next national park has been met with anger in the farming community.

The application for designation from the Galloway National Park Association and the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere highlighted Galloway’s “diverse landscapes, stunning coastline, outstanding biodiversity and rich cultural heritage.”

But NFU Scotland vowed to fight the plans, claiming 93% of its members are opposed to them.

See more: Search for new Scottish national park sparks farmer concern

The union’s concerns centre on the impact the designation would have on the planning process and wider regulation.

Access-related issues such as livestock worrying and littering; a lack of transport and housing infrastructure and the prioritisation of tourism over the rural economy are also key worries.

NFUS vice-president Alasdair Macnab said: “Scottish Government must bring forward independent evidence of the value that existing national parks bring to farmers and the local community.

“In addition, a robust case to demonstrate why the national park outcomes cannot be achieved by other existing funding programmes such as VisitScotland and regional enterprise bodies, such as South of Scotland Enterprise (SoSE), must be provided.”

When announcing the proposed new designation, rural affairs secretary Mairi Gougeon said she had been attracted to the application because it was “community-led” and had “the backing of many local businesses.”

But Colin Ferguson, a farmer from Wigtown and NFUS Milk Committee vice-chair, told Farmers Weekly the plans had been driven by a “handful of retired folk” with “very little community involvement”, and he was pessimistic about the upcoming NatureScot consultation.

“They’ve committed to a new park in 2026 and they’ve only picked one place as a preferred candidate,” he said.

“I find it hard to believe a consultation is going to change their mind.”

Mr Ferguson also said he felt the designation would fail to encourage economic investment in the area, focusing instead on conservation and rewilding.

“We’ve never had a national park anywhere in the UK with such a high agricultural output,” he said.

“Are they going to support farmers that want to invest in concrete and stainless steel to make themselves more efficient to meet policy outcomes, or are we going to be getting pulled in two different directions?”