Come and meet Ian Davidson, Allan Young and the Scottish Land Matching Team at the Highland Show.
Find us at the NFUS Marquee on Avenue O – opposite the RHASS Pavillion
Ian & Allan will be available Thursday 18th June, 2pm – 4pm in the NFUS Marquee on Avenue O. Other SLMS representatives will be present both Thursday and Friday throughout the day.
We look forward to seeing you there!
There is general agreement in principle that finding opportunities for new entrants and developing business is going to be vital in maintaining a vibrant farming and crofting sector and by extension a thriving rural economy for the future.
We hear almost daily from people looking for opportunities, and while we have had some success in finding matches, the limiting factor that we face is the number of opportunities coming forward. Our current ratio of seekers to providers sits around 6:1 – this has improved over the years as the SLMS has developed and grown. Our evidence shows that some of the barriers are a matter of perception, and we continue to provide support and advice on options to help bring clarity to discussions on the future of any business. It costs nothing to talk.
Share farming arrangements, as seen in New Zealand, have often been viewed as the best way for new entrants to get that vital start on the ladder. In this country under the current support system, share farming models are problematic. Share farming involves two separate businesses operating on the same land. Under our current land-based support system, with payment derived from historic activity and entitlements held by the farmer, introducing a separate business into the mix on the same land becomes very complex. Hence the contract farming approach is so much easier to administer.
We see very few tenancy options coming forward. There are a lot of discussions and some disappointing narrative between differing views around the Agricultural Holding elements within the Land Reform Bill currently making its way through the system. My take on this is that our current system ensures protection of rights for both parties – it is by no means perfect, but it is what it is, having developed over a long period and fitted to the circumstances applying at a particular period in time.
Key to ongoing success in tenancies is good communication between the parties – something Bob McIntosh, in his role as Tenant Farming Commissioner did so much to improve. It is really encouraging to see the steps Rob Black is now taking in that role to get to the fundamental question of “what does a thriving tenanted sector really mean?”. The answer to that is going to be key in moving the narrative forward and my fear for the new legislation is that it does nothing to encourage forward thinking on tenancies. Making legislation aimed at trying to retrofit rights is always going to be contentious.
I was intrigued to read articles recently from both Dairy NZ and Beef and Lamb NZ encouraging and advising on tenancies. The clear difference from the system here is that it is very much a ‘freedom to contract’ model. Obviously, there are certain things that are advised (note they are not legislated) to protect both parties, but I liked the quote that “A great lease requires good planning to ensure the expectations of both parties are clear, achievable and meet their needs”.
I will be going to New Zealand to visit family in January, and I hope to look into this further to see what impact it is having on the provision of tenancies.
Ian Davidson
We recently conducted a feedback survey of the clients on our farming database, consulting everyone we’ve worked with over the past five years, and it has been really enlightening. It has been great to hear things people have found helpful about the service as well as things we can be doing more effectively.
Of those who responded, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive with the majority of respondents indicating that we were able to help them, and that they would recommend us to others.
We also wanted to try and address a couple of things our clients have found less than ideal.
Some people waiting for a match felt we could be more proactive with communication after the initial registration. We know this can be frustrating; however, we have been taking steps to improve our systems and processes, including follow-up communication, over the past year and we are doing better at this than ever before.
We are currently a small team of three part-time staff – two advisors and one admin. As such, we focus a lot of time on dealing with new enquiries from both providers and seekers. Following up with potential providers, thereby creating new opportunities to match people with, is a vital part of our work.
This does not mean that those who have registered with us previously are forgotten – we constantly review the database to look for potential matches. Please rest assured that you will hear from us if an opportunity becomes available which matches your search criteria.
We would like to appeal to all the seekers on our database (past, current & future!) to be proactive. If you have been on our system for a while and haven’t heard from us, please contact our admin at slms@nfus.org.uk to check the search details we have for you are correct and up to date. Let us know if your circumstances, or location have changed. If you can now explore different regions or have gained experience with different enterprises, this is all crucial in finding you a match, so please reach out and let us know.
Another issue which cropped up was that some seekers who have been on our database for some time have not yet been successfully matched. We really do understand their frustration. Again, this can be helped by us having accurate and up to date information, but these things do take time.
The different factors that influence a positive match are very broad and we are limited by the number of opportunities coming forward. This is improving since we started five years ago but we still are operating on a ratio of 3.5 seekers to every 1 provider – it would be great to find everyone who gets in touch with us the farming or crofting opportunity of their dreams, but this is perhaps unrealistic.
Of those providers who contact us, not all decide to proceed after registering, some will find their own match within their local area, or they approach us with their own match in mind and are seeking help in setting up an agreement. We are constantly working hard to promote the service and reach new potential providers. By far the best promotion we could hope for is word-of-mouth, so please spread the word about us. The more opportunities we have available, the more matches we can make.
Other limitations can lie with the seeker. Perhaps they are constrained by location, finances, experience or circumstance. Perhaps they have a very specific arrangement in mind. In all cases, matches have been more possible and have a greater chance of success if both parties are flexible in their approach.
Whether you are a seeker or provider, the more rigid your criteria and expectations, the more difficult it is to find a match.
Unfortunately, where Crofting is concerned, the provider situation is still extremely limited and remains as described in our June update . We are continuing discussions with Crofting stakeholders to look at how more opportunities can be made available. Having gathered the evidence of high demand for crofting opportunities it is important that all of those with an interest in promoting crofting work together to find a way to try and create more opportunities.
If you have registered with us at any point over the past five years and would like to complete our feedback survey, we would love to hear your thoughts. You can access it here: https://forms.office.com/e/MRch1d2tH2
Please note that all responses are anonymous so if you would like us to get back to you directly on any of your comments, please include your full name.
As I write this the sun is shining, although the recent weather would suggest that we are in the final throws of an all too short summer, and autumn is on its way.
SLMS had a fantastic show season. Our advisors have been out connecting with a wide variety of people from across the country; politicians, officials, new entrants, farmers and crofters. Websites, email and phone calls are great, and they allow us to reach so many people, but there really is no substitute for face-to-face interactions. We love nothing more than hearing from the people on the ground and chatting all things land matching. Many productive conversations were had, and the service received some very positive feedback too, which is always nice!
Ian Davidson and Allan Young having fun in the sun at the Skye Show with the team from the Crofting Commission.
It has been a busy time for SLMS since the last blog post, with another six clients successfully matched. Matches are tricky things, like busses, they can be illusive for a spell, and the next thing you have six happy people ready to embark on new ventures together. Those days are what keep us going.
We have also had a steady stream of providers come to us offering land-based opportunities, which is fantastic. We look forward to matching them with just the right seekers too, when the time is right. If you are considering offering an opportunity on your farm or croft, please register via our sign-up page to have an informal chat with our advisors to see how we can help.
We have officially reached a significant milestone as we have passed the one thousand enquiry mark since the SLMS was launched in September 2019.
For background, despite Covid-19’s interference, Ian Davidson OBE in the role of Independent Advisor, single-handedly launched and grew the service until Allan Young came aboard in 2021. Both advisors are in part-time roles providing independent facilitation and advice to all enquiries received by the Service. In providing facilitation and advice they assist both providers and seekers to reach the best possible agreements for their particular circumstances. The development of the Service since inception has seen it become established as an important support for farming and crofting, and to have reached 1000 enquiries is a significant milestone for our small team.
All the hard work mentioned above is more than worthwhile when we see land providers and seekers successfully matched, as we have in two cases recently. Matches often take time to get right. The hopes, desires, and personalities of all parties need to be compatible, and require some flexibility and good will. However, when the stars align and the result is a brand-new venture, it is worth every bit of effort in getting there.
There are new opportunities added to the database all the time, though not all are publicly advertised. Adverts are posted by request, so if you are a provider or a seeker and would like us to do this, please just ask.
We have some very exciting opportunities on the horizon in the coming months that we look forward to sharing with you when the time is right – so watch this space!
Ian was at the Royal Highland Show on the 20th & 21st of June where was able to speak with a number of new and existing providers and seekers of opportunities. Ian will be at the Border Union Show on 26 July and Ian and Allan will also be attending the upcoming Black Isle (1st August) and Portree (3rd August) shows, so make sure to stop by for a chat if you’re there.
There has been an incredible response. We have had a large number of enquiries from crofting seekers the length and breadth of the UK – and beyond! These range from current crofters and those with crofting heritage, to people new to crofting who are looking to get started. Mainland locations are proving the most popular amongst seekers, while more remote and island locations are also sought after.
One striking feature of the information we are gathering is the wide range of activities being proposed by prospective crofters. Many wish to focus on horticulture and permaculture as opposed to, or alongside, livestock rearing. A significant proportion of seekers are also concerned with forestry and conservation, with a good number hoping to include some tourism/agri-tourism elements.
We have had interest from individuals looking to create wellness retreats, respite care and forest schools; animal rescue and rehabilitation centres; employ traditional land management practices; promote heritage crafts; and rear every conceivable creature from horses to bees. It is heartening to see so many people wishing to connect with the land and nature with such spirit and creativity,
The flip side to the positive response from crofting seekers, has been the distinct scarcity of crofting providers registering with us. Demand outstripping supply is a common theme when it comes to access to land, however this has been particularly evident in our experience with crofting so far. We will continue to gather evidence of the demand through our registration process and will work closely with the Crofting Commission and the Scottish Government to explore ways that can encourage an increase in the availability of opportunities. We understand that this is not straightforward, but the evidence of demand will only continue to increase.
We are delighted to have facilitated one successful crofting match, so far, and very much look forward to more in the future.
If you are a tenant or an owner-occupier and are considering sub-letting or leasing your croft, or if you are the landlord of a vacant croft and would like more information about how we can help, please get in touch. In the meantime, we would continue to urge all interested parties to register via our ‘Sign Up’ page.
We will post all SLMS news and updates here on the blog and to our Facebook page, so do give us a follow to stay in the loop.
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