Latest news with #LandReformBill
The National
11-07-2025
- Business
- The National
Campaigners to stage protest at BrewDog's Scottish Highlands forest
Campaigners have accused the Scottish Government of giving 'millions in public money' to businesses to help finance their carbon offsetting projects. The Landworkers' Alliance, a UK-wide grassroots union of farmers, foresters and land-based workers, have claimed that through these green initiatives, large companies have been able to gather a high concentration of land ownership in Scotland. The group, which has around 280 members in Scotland, is gathering at the drinks giant BrewDog's Lost Forest on the Kinrara Estate, near Aviemore, on Saturday to call on a fairer share of government support and to highlight the 'uphill battle' for access to land. READ MORE: BrewDog built a fence to keep deer out. Instead, it trapped them inside In a statement from the Landworkers' Alliance, the group claims that instead of supporting the 'backbone' of community food resilience in Scotland, the government is 'throwing millions' at big corporations to finance their carbon offsetting projects. 'In recent years, buying up vast swathes of the Scottish Highlands has become a trend for big multinational corporations. Why? To plant trees for carbon offsetting projects,' the statement read. 'These 'green land grabs' are not only greenwashing the dubious activities of big businesses, but they're also perpetuating the high concentration of land ownership in Scotland, and to make matters worse, the Scottish Government is paying them millions in public money to do it.' The group said that BrewDog's Lost Forest is a 'perfect example' of how government subsidies are favouring the interests of big business. (Image: Derek McArthur) In 2021, the craft beer firm bought 9300 acres in the Highlands and rebranded the former Kinrara Estate as the Lost Forest. The company promised to plant half a million trees at the site in a bid to make the company carbon neutral. However, within the first year of being planted, more than half of the trees died, with some species of trees suffering a 'very high mortality'. Figures released in a Freedom of Information request to The National earlier this year showed that BrewDog is to receive a total of £2.7 million worth of public money for the Lost Forest project. Scottish Forestry confirmed £1.1m had already been received by the firm, with a further £1.6m agreed for a second, separate stage of planting. Last year, BrewDog left the carbon credit market, a scheme which funds third parties to undertake projects like forestry management and tree planting, which are purchased by companies to offset their carbon footprint, as they claimed it 'became unsustainable'. The Landworkers' Alliance said it believes that instead of financing the 'controversial greenwashing efforts' of companies like BrewDog, the Scottish Government should be using public money to support small farms, crofts, and new entrant farmers who want to grow food to feed their communities. The statement ended by saying: 'As the Scottish Parliament considers a new Land Reform Bill, we have a crucial opportunity to call for land to be held and used in the public interest, with workers and communities at its heart. 'This event is part of a much broader series of events which aims to build a grassroots landworker-led movement for radical land reform in Scotland.' The Scottish Government and BrewDog have been approached for comment.
The National
11-07-2025
- Business
- The National
Protest at BrewDog's Highland Lost Forest over 'green land grab'
Campaigners have accused the Scottish Government of giving 'millions in public money' to businesses to help finance their carbon offsetting projects. The Landworkers' Alliance, a UK-wide grassroots union of farmers, foresters and land-based workers, have claimed that through these green initiatives, large companies have been able to gather a high concentration of land ownership in Scotland. The group, which has around 280 members in Scotland, is gathering at the drinks giant BrewDog's Lost Forest on the Kinrara Estate, near Aviemore, on Saturday to call on a fairer share of government support and to highlight the 'uphill battle' for access to land. READ MORE: BrewDog built a fence to keep deer out. Instead, it trapped them inside In a statement from the Landworkers' Alliance, the group claims that instead of supporting the 'backbone' of community food resilience in Scotland, the government is 'throwing millions' at big corporations to finance their carbon offsetting projects. 'In recent years, buying up vast swathes of the Scottish Highlands has become a trend for big multinational corporations. Why? To plant trees for carbon offsetting projects,' the statement read. 'These 'green land grabs' are not only greenwashing the dubious activities of big businesses, but they're also perpetuating the high concentration of land ownership in Scotland, and to make matters worse, the Scottish Government is paying them millions in public money to do it.' The group said that BrewDog's Lost Forest is a 'perfect example' of how government subsidies are favouring the interests of big business. (Image: Derek McArthur) In 2021, the craft beer firm bought 9300 acres in the Highlands and rebranded the former Kinrara Estate as the Lost Forest. The company promised to plant half a million trees at the site in a bid to make the company carbon neutral. However, within the first year of being planted, more than half of the trees died, with some species of trees suffering a 'very high mortality'. Figures released in a Freedom of Information request to The National earlier this year showed that BrewDog is to receive a total of £2.7 million worth of public money for the Lost Forest project. Scottish Forestry confirmed £1.1m had already been received by the firm, with a further £1.6m agreed for a second, separate stage of planting. Last year, BrewDog left the carbon credit market, a scheme which funds third parties to undertake projects like forestry management and tree planting, which are purchased by companies to offset their carbon footprint, as they claimed it 'became unsustainable'. The Landworkers' Alliance said it believes that instead of financing the 'controversial greenwashing efforts' of companies like BrewDog, the Scottish Government should be using public money to support small farms, crofts, and new entrant farmers who want to grow food to feed their communities. The statement ended by saying: 'As the Scottish Parliament considers a new Land Reform Bill, we have a crucial opportunity to call for land to be held and used in the public interest, with workers and communities at its heart. 'This event is part of a much broader series of events which aims to build a grassroots landworker-led movement for radical land reform in Scotland.' The Scottish Government and BrewDog have been approached for comment.
The National
22-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
SNP 'working with Tories to weaken Land Reform Bill', MSPs say
The Greens' Mark Ruskell and Labour's Mercedes Villalba both told the Sunday National that the SNP Government was using Tory votes to keep effective measures out of the new legislation. The Land Reform (Scotland) Bill will this week pass 'stage two' at Holyrood, where amendments to the initial wording are proposed by MSPs and voted on for inclusion or rejection by members of the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee. However, last week, MSPs on the committee – which has three SNP, two Tory, one Labour, and one Green member – voted against measures including putting a public interest test on the proposed buyer of Scottish land. Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon speaking to the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee in a meeting held on June 17 (Image: Holyrood TV) The amendment, proposed by Villalba and rejected by the SNP and Tories, would have forced ministers to take into account things like a potential landowners' tax residence when deciding if a sale would be in the public interest. MSPs and the Government did support dropping the threshold for estates covered by the legislation from 3000 to 1000 hectares – but the SNP and Tories voted together to reject an amendment to push that down further to 500 hectares. There are around 2.5 acres to a hectare, and 1.6 acres to a standard football pitch. Villalba had tabled a more radical proposal that would have prevented anyone in Scotland from owning more than 500 hectares of land unless it could be shown to have environmental or community benefits. This was also voted down by the SNP and Tories. READ MORE: Rachael Revesz: The Land Reform Bill is only tinkering round the edges Changing the threshold at which estates are covered by the bill from 3000 to 1000 hectares means that the number of estates which will be required to publish Land Management Plans, support wild places, and comply with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code has been doubled to a total of about 700, covering just over 60% of Scotland's land, the John Muir Trust said. Villalba said that 67% of Scotland's countryside is owned by 'just 0.025% of the population' and that the 1000-hectare threshold would do nothing to change this. Further questions surround whether land must be contiguous to be considered a single 1000-hectare estate. The SNP put forward a rule saying that plots of land are a single holding if their borders are within 250 metres. The Greens had been set to table an amendment to make this 10 miles, but it was not moved. Ruskell said this was due to a shared understanding that the 250m limit was too low – and that it would be addressed at a later stage. However, Ruskell further said that the bill in its current state was 'fundamentally not going to lead to a solution to the growing inequalities in land ownership that we have in Scotland'. Scottish Green MSP Mark Ruskell in the parliament chamber (Image: Holyrood TV)'This bill does not tackle that, full stop,' he went on. 'It gives communities a bit more power, it provides a bit more scrutiny as to what landowners are currently doing, but it's not clear that this is going to make any major difference in terms of getting a more diverse pattern of land ownership and really changing the answer to 'Who owns Scotland?'. 'Things will continue broadly as they have been for centuries, but with a wee bit more community involvement. It's a bill that's tweaking around the edges of existing systems rather than having a big bold vision.' He told the Sunday National that the Scottish Government could 'easily put forward a more radical vision into this bill and get support from Labour and the Greens, easily'. 'Every amendment would pass. Every single amendment would be unchallengeable. So it's their call because they have the votes for it and they have the consensus on the left – but they don't want to play to that. 'So they're getting support from the Tories to defeat anything that's taking a bill into a more radical place.' READ MORE: Lesley Riddoch: Scotland needs real action on land reform Villalba went a step further, saying the bill was not fit for purpose and would entrench inequality across Scotland. The Scottish Labour MSP went on: 'The SNP have demonstrated that their true allegiance is not with the Scottish people, but rather with wealthy private landowners who manage their property not in the public interest but to maximise their own profits. 'Scotland's land should belong to the people, and benefit both local communities and the natural environment. It's high time the SNP stopped deferring to lobbyists and empowered Scots to take back control of their land.' She added: 'By voting against the inclusion of a presumed limit on ownership over 500 hectares in the bill, the SNP risk allowing land to be sold or managed in ways that benefit private interests at the expense of the public good, entrenching the very problems their proposals seek to correct. 'What's more, by aligning with the Conservative Party to reject the inclusion of a robust public interest test, rather than stand up for Scots, they have rolled over for the wealthy – and not for the first time.' The SNP and Scottish Government were approached for comment.
The National
17-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
MSPs consider plans to stop landowners 'blocking' community buy-outs
The Scottish Greens tabled the amendments to the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill which would give communities greater powers to take back local land from 'absentee' landowners. Currently, communities are restricted from progressing with community buy-outs of neglected land if the landowner brings a small part of the area 'into use'. READ MORE: Plans submitted for 102-bedroom Premier Inn in Scottish city centre Scottish Greens MSP Mark Ruskell brought forward the amendments which would mean landlords would have to bring at least 50% of a landholding into use, otherwise it would be classed as abandoned or neglected and would be eligible for community buy-out. The Land Reform (Scotland) Bill was tabled by the SNP Government and passed its first hurdle in the Scottish Parliament at the stage 1 debate in March. Part of the legislation aims to increase opportunities for community buy-outs of land, and also when large estates are put on the market, ministers could break up this land – in a process known as lotting – into smaller areas, if certain conditions are met. However, ministers have already been told by Holyrood's Net Zero, Environment and Transport Committee that 'significant change' is needed to the bill if it is to deliver on the Scottish Government's 'ambitious policy objectives'. Ruskell's proposals are set to be debated and voted on at the same committee on Tuesday. Mark Ruskell Commenting, Ruskell said: 'For too long, people have been unfairly barred from bringing local land back into community ownership because of a tiny loophole in the law. 'It cannot be right that neglectful landowners are able to leave land ignored and derelict for many years, whilst communities are desperate to bring areas back into productive use. READ MORE: 'Evacuate Tehran': Donald Trump issues warning as he departs G7 leaders summit early 'The Land Reform Bill should be an opportunity to tackle this kind of inherent unfairness in Scotland's land ownership – and that's exactly why I've brought these proposals forward.' Ruskell added that he has been supporting locals in Largo, Fife, where he said that plans for the community buy-out of local land have been blocked by the landowner converting less than 10% of the holding into a horticulture business. He said that the rest of the site – which includes historic buildings and gardens – have been left 'abandoned and neglected'. Ruskell added: 'For folks in Largo, this ridiculous saga has gone on for too long – it's time to close the Largo loophole for good.'
Scotsman
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Scottish landowners face massive £40k fines for 'management plan' breaches in 'attack on rural life'
Sign up to our Scotsman Rural News - A weekly of the Hay's Way tour of Scotland emailed direct to you. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The paper, which aims to improve transparency in landownership, includes a requirement for landowners to produce Land Management Plans (LMP) with an emphasis on promoting engagement within communities. Under current plans, if landowners breach such arrangements, fines up to £5,000 could be issued. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad However, an amendment has been put forward by Glasgow SNP MSP Bob Doris to increase this sum eight times over after the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee said the current fine would not be sufficient. Land around Loch Laxford seen through the hills. Picture: PA Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon said the £40,000 figure will only apply to the maximum fine that could be levied under the new Bill, which is at stage two. Ms Gougeon said: 'Decisions on fines would be for the new Land and Communities Commissioner to consider in the event of a breach, and the maximum fine would not be levied automatically. I have always been clear that the intention is for the new commissioner to work with landowners and communities in the first instance, and the Bill makes provision for an appeals route as well. 'The Land Reform Bill sets out ambitious proposals that will change how land is managed in our rural and island communities for the better. Our Bill takes steps to better ensure that landholdings in scope are transferred and used in ways that support communities and take account of local need and I look forward to working with parliament as the legislation progresses.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Scottish Conservative Tim Eagle MSP said the new sum was 'wildly disproportionate'. He said only Scottish Tory MSPs on the committee voted against the 'punitive' plans. The MSP for the Highlands and Islands region, home to a large number of estates likely impacted by the measures, said: 'This amendment put forward by a Glasgow-based SNP MSP is wildly disproportionate. 'These fines if they are passed in the final version of the SNP's Land Reform Bill will now hit land managers with £40,000 for merely failing to produce a plan. 'That is eight times the level of the current level of fines and will set alarm bells ringing among our rural communities. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It was only the Scottish Conservatives on the committee who voted against these punitive measures. 'The fines are greater than people would get for a breach of the peace or for behaving in a drunk and disorderly manner. 'The SNP's version of the Land Reform Bill as it stands is an attack on the rural way of life and is backed by Holyrood's cosy left-wing consensus, some of whom want to go even further.
