National Parks

Labour MSP Colin Smyth has written exclusively for Farmers Guardian on Scottish Government's decision not to proceed with Galloway and Ayrshire as the location for Scotland's third National Park

Fairfax Luxmoore, Plymouth, writes to draw readers' attention to the 'gross mismanagement' of Old Winchester Hill [South Downs National Park, Hampshire]

The Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) grant scheme has been extended until March 2026

Simon Haley, founder of SRH Agribusiness, said for farms in England, REPF had been the sole funding avenue for on-farm diversification projects since 2019

In today's Farming in Five, chief reporter Rachael Brown reports on the body found in the search for missing woman and farmers daughter, Jenny Hall. She gives a look ahead to tomorrow's NFU conference in London ( February 25), calls to treat farmers holding Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) agreements fairly, and Arla boss confirms backlash towards methane suppresser Bovaer has failed to impact its sales so far

Weather woes and the fallout from the Budget dominated the past 12 months as farmers prepare to welcome 2025

Cuts to the agriculture budget could lead to a ‘nature and climate catastrophe’

In a letter to Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands Mairi Gougeon, NFUS president Martin Kennedy highlighted that NatureScot's established position in favour of a Galloway National Park calls into question its ability to conduct a public consultation in an ‘impartial manner'

"Every crofter has different strengths and areas of expertise, and it is expected that all participants will have knowledge to share, leading to skills development across the whole community"

"I foresee years of friction if this goes ahead"