A 25-year-old contract sheep shearer and farm labourer from Callander is the latest new entrant to benefit from a government scheme providing public sector land for aspiring farmers.
Callum Lindsayhas tsaken on a five-year tenancy on 100 acres of permanent grassland left over from a forestry planting scheme in the West Torrie area.
He said he had never wanted to do anything but farm, but high land prices and a shortage of farms for rent had made it almost impossible to become established.
“This is a golden opportunity,” he said.
“It’s a decent size and I’ll now get the chance to establish livestock of my own.
“Hopefully I’ll be able to move on somewhere else at the end of the tenancy.”
Callum is one of 24 young entrants to share in a windfall of 6,400 hectares of land released this week by public bodies such as Forestry and Land Scotland, Crown Estate Scotland, Scottish Water, Highland and Islands Enterprise, East Lothian and Highland Councils.
It is understood the forestry estate has already identified another 2,800 hectares of land for potential lease to aspiring farmers and other public organisations are following their lead.
However, the original starter farmers who were granted 10-year tenancies need to find other units in three years’ time, and Henry Graham, who chairs the Farming Opportunities for New Entrants (FONE) scheme said they were having little success in finding new tenancies.
“It has become a priority for us to work on the possibility of providing a land matching service which would put people wishing to retire but hold on to their farms with younger farmers who need land,” he said.
“We are still identifying what works best in other countries”
Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing, who handed over the farm to Mr Lindsay, confirmed it was necessary to further develop the FONE initiative.
He said: “The frameworks are there and we are working closely with landowners.”
nnicolson@thecourier.co.uk
