Committee visits Scotland's remote farming communities

7 February 2019

The Scottish Affairs Committee will visit the Isle of Lewis on Monday 18th February to meet local crofters and learn about the issues facing remote island communities.

Purpose of the inquiry

The Scottish Affairs Committee is holding an inquiry into the future of Scottish agricultural policy after Brexit. The inquiry will examine the key priorities for Scottish farming and explore how agricultural policy after Brexit will impact Scottish farmers, particularly those in remote and less favoured areas.

The Isle of Lewis is at the North west corner of the Outer Hebrides. The Hebrides are often known as the "long islands" as they stretch for 100 miles.

Visit to local crofts

The Committee's visit will involve a tour of the island's local crofts with an exploration of the distinctive characteristics of crofting on the North and South of the island. The Isle of Lewis has a strong crofting tradition since the 1800s. The practice of crofting is unique to Scotland and crofters face many challenges arising from the remote locations they work in and land reform issues.

Public meeting

Following this the Committee will hold a public meeting in the Stornoway Town Hall to hear directly from Isle of Lewis' residents about their views on the issues that island communities face today. The Committee is interested to hear suggestions for how it might feed these concerns into its ongoing and future inquiries. The meeting will begin at 6pm and everyone is welcome to attend.

Local residents can sign up to the town hall event here.

Media are welcome to interview members of the Committee in the afternoon.

Further Information

Image: iStockphoto