Meeting of the Parliament 26 March 2025
I remind members of my entry in the register of members’ interests, which states that I am a small farmer. I also have a couple of short limited duration tenancies. I apologise in advance for speaking a little quickly; I have a lot to get through.
I wish that I could share the enthusiasm that the cabinet secretary showed at the start of her speech. It is a nice day outside, but I do not think that it is in here.
I will start with a wee quote:
“My analysis suggests that the impact of these provisions on the pattern of land ownership in Scotland will be vanishingly small at best and zero at worst. Importantly, no amount of amendments at Stage 2 or 3 will change the underlying mechanisms being relied upon in the Bill.”
I could tell members that that pretty cynical quote is from a known Government critic or perhaps a large lobby organisation, but no—it is from Andy Wightman, a former Green MSP and a leading figure on land reform. I do not agree with his view on land reform, but what a quote that is, and he is not alone—the Scottish Land Commission, Scottish Land & Estates, NFU Scotland, the Law Society of Scotland and others have all raised significant concerns about the bill.
The policy memorandum to the bill says:
“These proposals deliver the Bute House Agreement commitment to deliver legal mechanisms to tackle scale and concentration of land ownership.”
The moment that I read that, I realised what the bill actually is—nothing other than a measure for the Green Party’s consistent desire to take away rights from individuals—[Interruption.] You can groan all you like, but that is despite many of those landholdings delivering on climate change goals.