Meeting of the Parliament 13 January 2026
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 next process, because today has shown the complexity of crofting law.
Anybody who is listening to the debate and is not absolutely embedded in crofting will not have a clue what most of us are talking about. When we go through the process of dealing with the current complex crofting law, therefore, we need to ensure that we have done the work and have engaged with stakeholders, and that we understand what it is that crofting is going to deliver for the people of Scotland and, more importantly, for the crofters. That is a vital piece of work that we will need to undertake in the next session of Parliament.
The bill provides crofters and landowners with a legislative framework to help them to address environmental issues. That has been mentioned by a number of members, and I will touch on it just now. We have to avoid a situation in which crofters are unable to access future funding schemes that incentivise certain environmental uses, and that is one of the issues that the bill picks up.
Members have talked about carbon credits. We do not yet fully understand who owns those carbon credits, and I think that it would be premature to state in crofting legislation whether those carbon rights sit with the landlord or with the crofter. In the meantime, I absolutely encourage crofters to go into joint ventures with their landowners and other crofters in order to bring mutual benefit.