Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 13 January 2026
13 Jan 2026 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Crofting and Scottish Land Court Bill: Stage 1
There has been a lot of consensus in the debate, with members talking about what needs to happen with the bill and what changes need to be made. However, there is agreement on the direction of travel.
There was discussion about common grazings and how to reattach grazing shares that had inadvertently become detached. That is quite difficult, because it will take a backward look at how we track the ownership of those common grazing shares and how we retrospectively legislate to have them reattached to the crofts that they originally belonged to.
Some witnesses who gave evidence to the committee talked about not always having the grazing share attached to a croft, because they felt that some people might be using their inby land but not their grazing share because they were no longer rearing animals. However, a solution to that is already in place, in that people can sublet their grazing share if they are not rearing animals but one of their crofting neighbours is and could use that land. That would be a solution to that part of the argument.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-20388, in the name of Jim Fairlie, on the Crofting and Scottish Land Court Bill at stage 1. I invite memb...
The Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity (Jim Fairlie)
SNP
I am pleased to open this debate on the Crofting and Scottish Land Court Bill. I thank the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee for its detailed scrutiny of t...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
Finlay Carson will open on behalf of the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee. 16:06
Finlay Carson (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con)
Con
I am pleased to speak on behalf of the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee to present our stage 1 report. At the outset, I acknowledge the positive feedback ...
Tim Eagle (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
I could not make it down to Edinburgh last week because of the snow in the north. I was trapped at home with my three children, who could not get to school. ...
Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab)
Lab
I, too, thank those who gave evidence, the bill team and the members of committee staff and SPICe who helped us in our consideration of the bill. Scottish ...
Ariane Burgess (Highlands and Islands) (Green)
Green
I thank the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee clerks, SPICe, the bill team and everyone else involved in the development and scrutiny of the bill. Croftin...
Beatrice Wishart (Shetland Islands) (LD)
LD
I am pleased to speak on behalf of the Scottish Liberal Democrats on the Crofting and Scottish Land Court Bill. I, too, thank the bill team, the committee’s ...
Alasdair Allan (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (SNP)
SNP
Crofting is a subject that is never far from my inbox—nor is the issue of crofting reform. It is clear that substantial change to 150 years’ worth of croftin...
Edward Mountain (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
I am pleased to speak to the stage 1 report on the bill. I congratulate the committee and its clerks on progressing the bill and congratulate the minister on...
Evelyn Tweed (Stirling) (SNP)
SNP
I put on the record my thanks to those who engaged with the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee on the bill. We heard from a huge number of stakeholders, fro...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
We move to closing speeches. 16:40
Ariane Burgess
Green
I will highlight several interesting contributions to the debate. Rhoda Grant talked about the need to support the traditional aspects of crofting. I add tha...
Rhoda Grant
Lab
There has been a lot of consensus in the debate, with members talking about what needs to happen with the bill and what changes need to be made. However, the...
Finlay Carson
Con
It is important to emphasise that one of the committee’s concerns was that, if the inby croft was separated from the grazing share, there could be the possib...
Rhoda Grant
Lab
Yes, indeed, and the bill needs to do something about that. It needs to clarify that the carbon credits belong to the tenant, and that a grazing share belong...
Jamie Halcro Johnston (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
I declare an interest as a partner in a farming partnership, a member of Scottish Land & Estates and a crofting landlord. We have heard a great deal tod...
Jim Fairlie
SNP
I thank members across the chamber for the consensual way in which we have debated the bill today. That goes back to the point that I made in my opening stat...
Finlay Carson
Con
Will the minister give way?
Jim Fairlie
SNP
Before I take the intervention, I should point out that such reform would also need to be cleared by any future Governments, Cabinets and Cabinet sub-committ...
Finlay Carson
Con
I am surprised to hear the minister talk about not “rushing” into crofting reform when there has been talk, debate and consultation over future crofting poli...
Jim Fairlie
SNP
We almost got through a consensual debate without any dispute at all. We should not rush things but I take Mr Carson’s point that we need to move on to the n...
Rhoda Grant
Lab
I think that it is quite clear where those carbon credits sit. The crofter can dig peat and cut or plant trees on their croft, so the landowner could not cla...
Jim Fairlie
SNP
There we see the complexity of crofting law and who owns what. That is why we need to take our time and fully consider the proposals so that we get it right....