The twin debates on the Land Reform Bill and Agricultural Holdings Legislation continue to run in parallel, with statements released on both issues.
The first came from a Land Use Summit convened in Perth by Murdo Fraser MSP, the Scottish Conservatives’ land reform spokesman.
A cross-section of groups attended the meeting, including the John Muir Trust, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the Mountaineering Council of Scotland and NFU Scotland.
The group debated the main issues surrounding the proposed Bill, including what it would mean for the land register, land taxation, and ministerial powers of intervention on land ownership.
Mr Fraser said: “The subject of land reform is right at the top of the political agenda, and we’re keen to develop ideas and be as well informed as possible.
“So far, we’ve not heard very much from the SNP on the real issues facing our rural communities in the run-up to the new legislation being introduced.
“This was a chance to hear from a wide selection of groups and individuals on what the Scottish Government are proposing and what they’re not looking into.
“The potential livelihoods of many people from all areas of Scotland could be affected by these changes.
“We were keen to hear from the people who really matter, so we can shape the political agenda on this important issue.”
At the end of the meeting there was, according to Mr Fraser, a broad consensus that there is a genuine public interest in land use.
The group also agreed that, in general, how land is used is more important than who owns it.
There was also reference made that there needs to be local democracy on the issue, and that if a Land Reform Commission is to be set up it needs to include use of urban land as well as rural land, he added.
Meanwhile landowners’ body Scottish Land & Estates issued a statement urging all farming industry bodies to work together constructively in the aftermath of the Scottish Government-led review of agricultural tenancy legislation.
In the statement David Johnstone, SL&E chairman, has asked NFUS and the Scottish Tenant Farmers Association (STFA) to join his own organisation in discussions with Andrew Thin, a key member of the review group, on how best the sector can operate while legislation is being considered by the Scottish Parliament.
Only last week STFA demanded the immediate appointment of a tenant farming commissioner, but according to SL&E they are pushing at an open door.
An SL&E spokesman said on Monday that the organisation had in fact made this suggestion ahead of the STFA request.
Lord Johnstone said: “We think it would reflect well on the industry if we can get around a table and deal with immediate concerns.
“Despite recent criticism of landowners, the fact is that for some time now we have been urging all organisations to develop their thinking on the successor to the industry rent review panel and the potential to introduce a temporary ombudsman before legislation comes into force.
“We would like to underline our commitment to addressing this.
“There are, however, recommendations in the review group report that would have a serious impact on property rights and, more importantly, the tenant farming sector.
“We will be making our case on these to Government and parliamentarians at the appropriate time.
“The Scottish Tenant Farmers Association has said that it is concerned that landlords may take evasive action prior to any legislation.
“The STFA needs to spell out what it means by that, and we believe the sector would be better served at this stage by a less adversarial and more evidence-based approach.
“The STFA continues to suggest that there are tenants being treated unfairly by landlords. The Scottish Government’s own survey into landlord-tenant relationships showed the overwhelming majority, around 80%, were satisfactory.
“If it is the case that there are examples where tenants are being treated unfairly we want to root out the problem, but the STFA needs to produce evidence.
STFA spokesman Angus McCall said on Monday night that its major concern was that there would be a rerun of the manoeuvring which took place just ahead of the adoption of the Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Act 2003.
Limited partnership tenancies had been brought to an end prematurely, causing much hardship and a legacy of legal disputes which continue to this day.