22 January 2009
North Labour MSPs are giving a cautious welcome to signs that the Government are beginning to move towards retaining a bull hire scheme for crofters.
This follows a Labour amendment in parliament today, calling for a continuation of a Bull Hire Scheme which the Government supported at the last minute to stave off an embarrassing defeat.
The move follows a cross party letter from Labour, Liberal Democrats and Conservatives seeking discussions with the Government on securing a way forward for the Bull Hire Scheme.
Ministers in Parliament today signalled they were prepared to have such discussions.
Following an announcement by the SNP government that they were to scrap the scheme, which provides healthy bulls to groups of crofters and small farmers, Peter Peacock, Rhoda Grant and David Stewart launched a vigorous campaign to save it.
They received responses from hundreds of crofters from the Western Isles, Skye and Lochalsh, the Argyll Islands, Lochaber, Ross-shire, Shetland and Badenoch and Strathspey.
Rhoda Grant, herself the daughter of a Wester Ross crofter, and acting Labour’s spokesperson on rural affairs, commented:
“Yesterday, in Brussels, I had meetings with Commission Officials who made clear that the Bull Hire Scheme could continue well into the future under the current arrangements.
“Against that background I give a cautious welcome to what appears to be some movement from the Government on this important issue but we will need much more detail before we can make a judgement on any replacement scheme and I hope that leads to a reversal of their position to date.
“There is widespread dismay at the effects scrapping it would cause and the onus is on the government to find a way in which it can work.
“Its loss would have a detrimental effect on crofters’ and farmers’ ability to keep cattle in our most fragile areas and where it had continued there would have been an impact on the health and quality of stock.
“This scheme has many benefits and as well as offering continued support to those keeping livestock I am hopeful that this will secure the jobs of those highly skilled staff who are involved in providing the bull hire scheme.
“We will continue to press the Scottish Government to ensure they provide a scheme which will support those working our land.”
