Hansard

I will highlight several interesting contributions to the debate. Rhoda Grant talked about the need to support the traditional aspects of crofting. I add that we need to recognise things such as the machair and how crofters ensure that that treasured and important type of land is maintained.

Many colleagues raised concerns about the separation of grazing shares. Beatrice Wishart noted that the situation is nuanced, with circumstances in Shetland being different from those in other crofting counties.

Alasdair Allan talked about the importance of addressing the marketisation of crofting, on which I agree with him. Edward Mountain spoke of the need to reinvigorate the mapping of crofting, on which I also agree. It would be useful to understand how Scotland’s land is used. Given that crofting is extensive in parts of my region, it would be good to have a greater picture.

Evelyn Tweed raised an interesting point about the need to make sure that there are options for analogue as well as digital communication between crofters and the commission. It is important to recognise that not everybody has moved into the digital space.

As I said, the Scottish Greens support what the bill does. It ties up loose ends that are creating problems on the ground for crofters. However, I will wrap up by thinking about the future. Fixing the problems that crofters face now is all well and good; however, as with any other sector, we need to look beyond the present and into the future. We need to consider the multitude of challenges that are coming down the line—as I have heard about from crofters, including from one just last night—and to ensure that crofters feel supported to adapt to those.

For example, the 2045 net zero target is getting closer, and we also have the good food nation commitments to consider. In both instances, the Scottish Government’s job is to prepare the ground for crofters, positively encourage change and support those who already want to make that change.

As the Crofting Commission chair, Andrew Thin, told the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee,

“The proposed changes are helpful, but they are only steps on a journey ... A large chunk of land in our country is being used suboptimally and is suboptimally productive, which is not sensible.”—[Official Report, Rural Affairs and Islands Committee, 24 September 2025; c 25.]

He called on us to rethink existing systems of land use and management. At that point, I think, he was talking not specifically about crofting but about Scotland’s rural land in general. He called on us to consider, where appropriate, initiatives such as carbon sequestration, peatland restoration and woodland planting.

Elements of the bill will help crofters to begin the process of adaptation. For example, the part of the bill that deals with environmental uses, albeit that it is not perfect in its current form, moves us in the right direction. We need to ensure that everyone who wants to use a croft for environmental purposes has the confidence to do so and enough confidence in the regulation of that form of land use.

Part 2 of the bill offers the chance to adapt the justice system so that it can handle environmental cases in a better and fairer way. I think that all members would agree that fairness should be at the heart of any just transition towards a more environmentally friendly Scotland.

Key to ensuring fairness is having a legal system that is fully prepared to deal with environmental cases. As the climate and biodiversity crisis develops, it does not take too much to see that we will need the capacity and expertise to handle such cases. Building that system should start today, especially given our Aarhus convention commitments.

Scotland’s crofting system is unique. It is a culturally significant, low-impact land management model that maintains rural and island populations and their respective economies. The Scottish Greens believe that the bill will ensure that crofting will be slightly simpler, but once the legislation has passed, the next Government must move quickly to protect the future of crofting for generations to come.