Bute Estate has just (Monday 19th October) announced a series of new farm lettings, with arrangements demonstrating social responsibility in supporting new entrants to farming.
The Estate is currently letting 5 farms on the Isle of Bute. Three of these – Little Kilmory, Achavoulaig and Kildavannan – were previously let to former Lib Dem MSP, George Lyon. Mr Lyon relinquished his tenancies with the agreement of the Estate when he was given the Liberal Democrat seat at the European Parliament following the elections in June 2009.
The two remaining farms are being let following other retirements.
Of the five farms offered for let, two have been let to new entrants on 15-year Limited Duration Tenancies (LDT), one has been let on a five-year Short Limited Duration Tenancy (SLDT) and two others are under offer. The details are:
- Little Kilmory: This is a traditional stock rearing farm of 378 acres. It is being let on a 15-year LDT to 22 year-old Ian Dickson, whose father, John, farms at nearby Scalpsie. Ian says: ‘I am grateful that Mount Stuart Trust have given me the opportunity to establish my own business and I look forward to working with the Trust. Hopefully I will be able to gain access to the new entrant scheme for young farmers’.
- Lubas: This is a small stock rearing farm of 143 acres. Lubas is formerly a Limited Partnership tenancy which came to a natural end and is to be let to 22 year-old Shaun Lyon, on a 15-year LDT. His father, James, is a tenant on the estate at Little Kilchatten Farm. Shaun says: ‘It is great that Mount Stuart Trust has given me this opportunity to start my own business at the early age of 22 and I hope to be able to make use of the Government’s scheme for new entrants into farming’.
- Quochag: This is a traditional stock farm of 128 acres. Quohag was formerly an SLDT which came to an end following the retirement of the previous incumbent and is to be let to Duncan McAllister, the largest dairy farmer on Bute. He said: ‘By granting me the lease of Quochag, Mount Stuart Trust has enabled me to make my business more self-sufficient and to make better use of slurry and farmland manure produced on the main holding of Kerrytonlia’.
- Achavoulaig (567 acres) and Kildavannan (289 acres) are both under offer and final decisions will be made by the estate soon.
The Bute Estate is glad to be supporting new entrants to farming in agreeing lengthy tenancies with two keen young farmers, themselves from Bute farming families, giving them their first independent step in the industry.
John Bute, Chair of the Mount Stuart Trust, which owns Bute Estate, also noted that letting Quochag to the largest dairy farmer on Bute supports the island’s dairy industry. He says: ‘All in all, this is good news for these farmers, the Bute Estate and First Milk’s Rothesay Creamery’.
Chris Addison-Scott, who leads CKD Galbraith’s farming department and who worked on the lettings with Bute Estate Factor, Nick Mellish, said: ‘It is very heartening for farming on Bute to see arrangements being agreed where two young farmers take a major step forward in their careers.
‘There has also been a lot of concern expressed about the future of dairy farming on Bute and dairy farmers have been crying out for more land. We have been able to help on this occasion. Overall, these lettings have delivered good results for both the estate and the farmers’.
On the matter of support for new entrants to farming, there was controversy around Mr Lyon’s departure from the industry.
While relinquishing the tenancies of the three farms, Mr Lyon, legally if controversially, retained for himself the high value European Union subsidy Single Farm Payments which are granted in respect of farms but paid to the farmer.
The scheme is currently under review for the reason that, as in Mr Lyon’s case, a farmer leaving the industry is entitled to take the farm subsidies with him. This has been shown to remove much needed support for new entrants to farming, which a variety of governments are trying to recruit.
It is good to see that Bute Estates can act more responsibly than their departing tenant.
One might say that George was “milking” the system. Clearly it is time the system was reviewed.Like the review being carried out presently at Westminster perhaps it could be done so retrospectively?
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sadly there is no long term future for dairying in peripheral areas like bute or kintyre .
while government may delay the demise of the industryin the area , its death is inevitable and unavoidable .
under a free market system production is moving to areas of the country (and the world) where costs are lowest .
the high cost remote areas of argyll & bute stand no chance of survival served as they are by milk factories which are running far below their capacities . a milk plant cannot be considered efficient if it is not working at or near its full capacity
first milk the major milk buyer in the area are paying one of the poorest prices to farmers in the uk , so farmers are having to contend with some of the highest input costs in the uk and some of the lowest prices . this is why herd after herd is leaving the area , being sold to regions where costs are lower .for example on gigha , the biggest and best herd has recently been sold off at carlisle leaving the remaining operators with higher costs .
in kintyre the biggest dairy producing farm has been derelict for a year .
spiteful measures like the ring fencing of milk quota have completely failed to keep production in the so called island areas .farmers have been denied the value of their quota assets and thus the ability to diversify .
dairy cow numbers have declined sharply ,the number of dairy herds has collapsed and cow yields have risen only slightly .
better if government had acknowledged these facts and used the huge amount of money now being lavished at the few remaining dairy farms to assist them to plan and diversify for a better future . consider how islay has risen from the collapse of its dairy industry .
the largesse of government while welcomed by all beneficieries will not produce a sustainable dairy industry in the region and it is to be hoped that talk of an outgoers scheme in brussels becomes a concrete proposal which is adopted to enable a dignified transition from the dairy farming of past generations to a brighter and more sustainable future for all
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