The SCF Gathering 2013

The theme for this year’s gathering is to be common grazings. This is a huge resource that crofters have and getting some good speakers and discussion could help to focus minds on how to get better support to the grazings and sow seeds of ideas on how to use grazings in traditional and in more innovative ways. There are lots of topics, for example:

Grazing - support to individuals, support to collectives, (CAP, SRDP) use of stock clubs;
Environment - management of grazings for carbon sequestration, increasing biodiversity water purification;
Energy: cutting peats, micro-generation schemes, wind-crofts / wind-farms, home and community schemes;
Homes - housing on croft-land, affordable housing, planning;
Regulation - common grazings regulations, regulated grazings, use and abuse of apportionments, ‘deemed crofts’;
Collaboration - communal working, use of grazings for community benefit, common land use elsewhere.

And there will be more. Subject to funding, we intend to hold it in September and a suggested venue is Stornoway, though this is to be confirmed.

Past Annual Gatherings

SCF Annual Gathering - March 2012

Last year's Annual Gathering was held in Strathpeffer on March 9th - 11th 2012.

The Gathering was run as part of the Let's Liberate Diversity Forum 2012 which celebrated Crofters' seeds and breeds.

For more information about the LLD Scotland Forum please see this website.

The Annual Gathering - October 2011

SCF Annual Gathering 2011
"1886 and all that"
Sabhal Mòr Ostaig,
Sleat, Isle of Skye

3rd and 4th of October
(lunchtime to lunchtime)

The theme of the Annual Gathering in 2011 was crofting land tenure: past, present and future.

It is appropriate that the gathering returned to Skye, after a break of almost 10 years, as 2011 was the 125th Anniversary of the Crofters Act 1886. It was Skye where crofters' discontent at their ill-treatment rose into a mass protest and became a national scandal and names like the battle of the Braes and the Glendale martyrs entered Scottish consciousness. In 1886 the Crofters Act was passed through Parliament and the crofting community for the first time had the rights and regulated land tenure which we still value today. After 125 years crofting is still a form of landholding which is recognised as being the "glue that holds the community together" in some of the most remote and fragile areas of Britain and many believe that this land tenure should be introduced to the rest of Scotland to re-populate the rural areas that have been cleared by industrial agriculture.

There were speakers on crofting history, crofting community and culture; the formation of crofting regulated tenure, other forms of land tenure (including the Glendale "Irish" example and agricultural tenancies), community ownership, use of common grazings and the current crofting law in regards to land tenure. Young Crofters will be meeting to discuss what they feel are the needs and aspirations of their generation and there will be plenty of time for open discussion on issues such as regulated versus non-regulated systems, owner-occupancy versus tenancy, what is needed to sustain crofting tenure and, yes, the big question, what is best for rural Scotland.But not all work: children from throughout the Crofting islands will be performing the poetry and song of their island ancestors and the Young Crofters will be organising a ceilidh after the celebrated SCF dinner. And, no doubt, the craic will be good.

Contact SCF HQ on 01599 530 005 to reserve a place.

Annual_Gathering.pdf (1.0 mbs)

Gathering Programme

Oban Argyll 13th and 14th of September 2010

Crofting is as an important part of our cultural heritage, and an important part of our future, supporting a unique way of life, a diverse and rich environment, and a rural population in some of the most fragile areas of the Highlands and Islands.

In “A Charter for Crofting”, published by the SCF in 2007, four key issues were identified as being central to the future of crofting.

These were –

• Environmentally sound and economically viable crofting land use

• A well-regulated, well-supported crofting system

• Access to economic opportunities and services

• A strong local food economy.

These issues highlight the many dimensions to a viable future for crofting and underline the need for a joined up approach to public policy in relation to crofting, where “One Size doesn’t fit all”

The Gathering will be addressed by a wide range of speakers including the Minister for Environment Roseanna Cunningham MSP George Lyon MEP, Brendan O’Malley IFA and members of the recently formed SCF youth group.

We also plan to hold a number of participatory workshops at the gathering to specifically look at how the SCF can establish a clear and forward looking agenda for the future of crofting. The results of these workshops will be used in conjunction with the recent membership survey to inform and focus the work of the SCF, develop our capacity to lead from the front and build on our position as a major influence on the policy agenda for the crofting counties.

To view information and pictures of the 2007 and 2008 Annual Gatherings

Please click here