Crofting Matters

Hello and welcome to Crofting Matters, hosted by Osla Jamwal Fraser where we discuss topics that matter in crofting.

This is the final episode in this series and we’re going to round off our Shetland focussed episodes in style – discussing the islands’ most famed and celebrated agricultural and cultural product – Wool! We’re going to delve into all things woolly with Louise Grains of Jamieson’s of Shetland, the only fleece to garment mill in the isles and Donna Smith of Donna Smith Designs a crofter, yarn producer, tutor, and knitwear designer.

Shetland is famous the world over for wool and knitwear and now also for its iconic week-long festival Shetland Wool Week, which has just celebrated its 17th year. We’re joined today by two of the powerhouses behind the modern wool and knitwear industry in Shetland!

If you would like to find out more about anything we discussed today, you’ll find links in the show notes.

If you enjoyed this episode of Crofting Matters, please do subscribe to make sure you catch the first episode of the new series next May when we’ll be hearing more inspiring stories from all over the Crofting Counties. While we’re away, why not have a look through our back catalogue or tune into some of the other Farm Advisory Service podcasts.

For now, many thanks to our producer Kerry Hammond, our editor Keiron Sim, and thanks above all to you for tuning in.

This podcast was produced in association with the Scottish Government.

Resources:

Shetland Wool, Yarn and Knitting Accessories – Jamieson's Of Shetland

Donna Smith Designs – Knitting Patterns & Yarn in the Shetland Isles

Shetland Wool Week

For more information, visit www.FAS.scot

Twitter: @FASScot

Facebook: @FASScot

National Advice Hub

Phone: 0300 323 0161

Email: advice@fas.scot

Hello and welcome to Crofting Matters, hosted by Osla Jamwal Fraser where we discuss topics that matter in crofting.

Today we’re speaking with Chartered Surveyor and Senior Agricultural Consultant with SAC Consulting, Fergus Russell.

Wherever you may be in the Crofting Counties there are lots of new and different types of land-based development going on from renewables to data centres and everything in between. If you or your community are affected, it can be difficult to know where to turn for advice and support. Fergus specialises in exactly this area so today we are going to be taking a look at what you need to know if your area is involved in large-scale development projects.

If you would like to find out more about anything we discussed today, you’ll find links in the show notes.

If you enjoyed this episode of Crofting Matters, please do subscribe to make sure you hear the next episode when we’ll be discussing all things wool! We’ll be hearing about the last fleece to garment mill in Shetland and learning more about the quiet revolution happening in how Shetland perceives and promotes the importance of its own knitwear heritage.

Many thanks to our producer Kerry Hammond, our Editor Keiron Sim, and thanks to you for tuning in.

This podcast was produced in association with the Scottish Government

Resources:

Scottish Land Commission: Making more of Scotland's land - Scottish Land Commission

Your local NFUS branch may be able to answer questions on access to support

RICS - Rights over land for electricity infrastructure - Code of practice

The Electricity Act 1989 which provides the legislation around new and existing developments: Electricity Act 1989

For more information, visit www.FAS.scot

Twitter: @FASScot

Facebook: @FASScot

National Advice Hub

Phone: 0300 323 0161

Email: advice@fas.scot

Hello and welcome to Crofting Matters, hosted by Osla Jamwal Fraser where we discuss topics that matter in crofting.

For this series, we are bringing you Crofting Matters from Shetland. Today we are looking at traditional crofting practices, Shetland Kale, and how a local development group is working to protect and develop rural life in Northmavine in the North Mainland of Shetland. We’re delighted to welcome Kathleen Anderson, who has been in crofting since her childhood in the 1950s. She now works to preserve traditional crofting practices producing Shetland Kale, Shetland Sheep and Shetland Cattle, usually referred to as kye here. We’re also joined by her daughter in law, Charlotte Anderson, who works as the local project manager for NCDC, which is the Northmavine Community Development Company.

If you enjoyed this episode of Crofting Matters please do subscribe to hear the next episode when we’ll be joined by Andrew Thin from the Crofting Commission to take a look at the changes that will be coming soon with the new Crofting Act passing into law.

Many thanks to our producer Kerry Hammond, our Editor Keiron Sim, and thanks to you for tuning in.

This podcast was produced in association with the Scottish Government.

Resources:

Kathleen Anderson - Growing up on the Croft - Northmavine Community Development Company

Northmavine Community Development Company

Polycrub – Storm-Strength Polytunnels Built in Shetland

Shetland Kale Seeds l Seeds of Scotland

For more information, visit www.FAS.scot

Twitter: @FASScot

Facebook: @FASScot

National Advice Hub

Phone: 0300 323 0161

Email: advice@fas.scot

Hello and welcome to Crofting Matters, hosted by Osla Jamwal Fraser where we discuss topics that matter in crofting.

Over the next few episodes, we will be bringing you Crofting Matters from Shetland. Today we are joined by David Brown, Crofter, Shetlander, and Area Manager for Cooke Aquaculture Scotland. In this episode we look at the intersection between our crofting communities and the blue economy. Across the Crofting Counties - agriculture, and the seafood sector have always been closely intertwined – It is still true today that the lion’s share of the £5.6 billion generated annually by Scotland’s Marine Economy comes to us through the crofting counties in one way or another. There are few places in the country where that interdependence between crofting and fisheries is as clear perhaps as Shetland.

If you enjoyed this episode of Crofting Matters please do subscribe to hear the next episode when we’ll be joined by a crofter who is working to preserve traditional crofting producing Shetland Kale, Shetland Sheep and Shetland Kye as well as a local development company who are now the licensed seed merchants for Shetland Kale, Scotland’s oldest local vegetable variety.

If you would like to find out more about anything we discussed today, you’ll find links in the show notes. This episode was produced by Kerry Hammond, and Edited by Keiron Sim, in association with the Scottish Government.

Resources:

Cooke Aquaculture Scotland | Cooke Aquaculture Scotland is one of the leading producers of Scottish salmon, and the largest producer of organic Scottish salmon.

Shetland Islands Regional Marine Plan - gov.scot

For more information, visit www.FAS.scot

Twitter: @FASScot

Facebook: @FASScot

National Advice Hub

Phone: 0300 323 0161

Email: advice@fas.scot

Hello and welcome to Crofting Matters, hosted by Osla Jamwal Fraser where we discuss topics that matter in crofting.

Over the next few episodes, we will be bringing you Crofting Matters from Shetland. Today we are joined by two fascinating guests! Eve Eunson who was born and raised on her family’s Croft in Fair Isle and who is now a designer and maker of Fair Isle Straw-backed chairs. We’re also joined by Ewen Balfour who is a crofter, quantity surveyor and also a master craftsman in Shetland basket making. We’re going to hear from them about work that they are part of to preserve Shetland’s endangered straw crafts and one of our ancient landraces – Shetland black oats – referred to locally as ‘aets’.

If you enjoyed this episode of Crofting Matters please do subscribe to hear the next episode when we’ll be joined by crofters who work in aquaculture in Shetland to discuss the connections between crofting, fisheries and aquaculture in our Island communities. If you would like to find out more about anything we discussed today, you’ll find links in the show notes. This episode was produced by Kerry Hammond, and Edited by Keiron Sim, in association with the Scottish Government.

Resources:

Eve Eunson Heritage Crafts

Ewen Balfour - The Kishie Maker’s Year | Woven Communities

SASA (Science & Advice for Scottish Agriculture) | Small Oat/Shetland Oat & Common Oat

The Red List - Heritage Crafts |

Shop — Lois Walpole - Kishie's and Cuddies Book

Contact the Shetland Straw Society : shetlandstrawsociety@gmail.com

For more information, visit www.FAS.scot

Twitter: @FASScot

Facebook: @FASScot

National Advice Hub

Phone: 0300 323 0161

Email: advice@fas.scot

Hello and welcome to Crofting Matters, hosted by Siobhan Macdonald, and this is the Farm Advisory Service series where we discuss topics that matter in crofting.

For this episode, we’re heading north to the wild and windswept Shetland isles to explore the unique world of island crofting and the remarkable resilience of Shetland’s crofters. Join Siobhan Macdonald and Osla Jamwal Fraser as they dive into the opportunities and challenges of farming on the archipelago — from the advantages of geographic isolation for maintaining high-health livestock schemes, to the realities of costly transport links and long ferry crossings.

With Osla at the helm of the series for 2026, we will uncover some of Shetland’s most fascinating agricultural stories and industries, including its iconic Shetland sheep, world-famous wool, native ponies, and even the surprising rise of spaceports among the islands’ rugged landscapes. This is a journey into innovation, tradition, and life at the edge of the North Sea.

Thanks for joining us for this episode of Crofting Matters. If you’d like to find out more about you can find the link in the show notes. This episode was presented by Siobhan Macdonald produced by Kerry Hammond and edited by Kieron Sim, in association with the Scottish Government.

FAS Resources:

Scottish Land Matching Service

Shetland Livestock Marketing Group

Crofting Commission

For more information, visit www.FAS.scot

Twitter: @FASScot

Facebook: @FASScot

National Advice Hub

Phone: 0300 323 0161

Email: advice@fas.scot

In this special two-part edition of Crofting Matters, “Crofting Through the Seasons”, we take you back to Autumn & Winter last year, where Kieron Sim visited both the Isle of Skye and the Shetland Isles, to speak with four local crofters about their enterprises, the challenges and benefits of Island Living, and how Seasonality uniquely impacts their businesses throughout Autumn and Winter.

On the Isle of Skye, Kieron visits Crofter Phil Knott to talk about his Orchards, and how agroforestry has brought not only biodiversity benefits but also economic benefits to his croft, Kieron also speaks to Aiofe Gould & Jake Sayles about their Croft in Skye, where they finish their own Pork, Hebridean Mutton, use their wool for felt accessories, and utilise seasonal fruit and berries.

Kieron then visits the Shetland Isles in Winter, first speaking with Brendon Smith a Crofter from the Southern part of Shetland who breeds, trains and sells sheepdogs, runs a system of Shetland Sheep, produces Mussels and also ensures every sheep that comes to Shetland is run through the community dip. Finally Kieron heads to the Northernmost Isle of Unst in Shetland, to speak with Richard Spence who has Crofted in Unst for his whole life and tells us how the new Saxavord Space Port has changed how he Crofts.

Thanks for listening to this special two-part edition, Crofting through The Seasons, Autumn & Winter. You can find part 1 of Crofting Through The Seasons, Spring & Summer right now. wherever you normally listen.

This episode was hosted by Kerry Hammond and was produced and edited by Kieron Sim as part of Scotland’s Farm Advisory Service, in association with the Scottish Government.

FAS Resources

Crofting Matters - Crofting Through the Seasons: Spring/Summer | FAS

https://www.fas.scot/podcast/crofting-matters-crofting-through-the-seasons-spring-summer/

Other Resources

SaxaVord - The Place for Space

https://saxavord.com/

For more information, visit http://www.fas.scot/

Facebook: @FASScot

National Advice Hub

Phone: 0300 323 0161

Email: advice@fas.scot

In this special two-part edition of Crofting Matters, “Crofting Through the Seasons”, we take you back to Spring/Summer last year, where Ross Mackenzie visited the Staffin Sheepdog Trials, a hugely popular event in Trotternish, on the Isle of Skye. Sheepdog trials are deeply rooted in crofting culture, normally held during the summer months, these trials are a significant part of the identity of crofting over the last century. Also in this episode, Ross joins a group of 30 Crofters who travelled to Wicklow, (south of Dublin) in Ireland last Spring, on the second trip of a Scottish Farm Advisory Service Learning Journey, funded by the Scottish Government, which supported 55 Scottish Crofters (over two trips) to learn about Irish systems, and how Irish farmers make a living from small units.

Thanks for listening to this special two-part edition, Crofting Through the Seasons, Spring & Summer. You can find part 2 of Crofting Through The Seasons, Autumn & Winter right now. wherever you normally listen.

This episode was hosted and produced by Kerry Hammond and was edited by Kieron Sim as part of Scotland’s Farm Advisory Service, in association with the Scottish Government.

For more information, visit http://www.fas.scot/

Facebook: @FASScot

National Advice Hub

Phone: 0300 323 0161

Email: advice@fas.scot

Insurance for Crofters and Common Grazings. Welcome back to Crofting Matters! In this episode, Siobhan is joined by Jonathan Hogg, a rural insurance expert from NFU Mutual’s Dingwall branch. Johnny has an agricultural background, works in a crofting area and understands the issues that crofters and grazing committees face with access, theft and weather-related incidents. We remove the ambiguity surrounding the need for Public and Employer’s liability cover, and what to do if the bull can outrun humans.

We discuss:

• Whether a small crofting business needs insurance, and what kind?
• The need for Public Liability insurance.
• Livestock – minimising the risk.
• Wording on signs.
• When to cover machinery and livestock for theft and loss.
• Employer’s liability when you may not think of yourself as an employer!
• Common Grazings and Sheep Stock clubs – cover required.

FAS Resources

https://www.fas.scot/news/common-grazings-and-sheep-stock-clubs-liability/

Welcome back to Crofting Matters. On today’s episode, Siobhan is joined by Graham Fraser (SAC Lerwick) to discuss an often asked question – how to start up a croft, smallholding or farming business.

The Farm Advisory Service has an Advice Line – free to call or email for advice. Every year the team receives lots of questions about starting up a farming business. It can be tricky to get a croft, but tenancies and purchases do come up so if you are looking for an opportunity, then this will help you understand the process when it happens.

Graham and Siobhan talk about setting up an agricultural business with particular emphasis on crofting and chat through some of the questions they have received through the advice line.

Timestamps:

01.07 Starting up in crofting – things to consider

03.09 Owner occupier, tenancy and assignation explained

05.14 Land that goes with a croft

08.39 Common grazing shares

10.05 The 3 duties of a crofter

12.39 Common grazing responsibilities

13.45 Subsidies and grants that a new crofter could be eligible for

18.13 Preparing for Sustainable Farming (PSF)

19.33 Applying for BPS (Basic payment Scheme) & LFASS (Less Favoured Area Support Scheme)

20.31 Getting a BRN (Business Refence Number)

27.36 Numbers of livestock on a common grazing

29.23 Keeping livestock for the first time

30.56 Getting your own flock/herd number

33.01 Getting registered and set up – the order of events

FAS Resources

FAS - New Entrants -Getting Started

FAS Introduction to crofting - Gaelic

FAS -Introduction to crofting - English

Other Resources

Highlands and Islands Enterprise(business support)

Scottish Enterprise(business support)

CroftingRegister

Welcome| Crofting Commission

RuralPayments and Services

Animaland Plant Health Agency - GOV.UK

Preparingfor Sustainable Farming

For more information, visit http://www.fas.scot/

Facebook: @FASScot

National Advice Hub

Phone: 0300 323 0161

Email: advice@fas.scot

Please note: We recorded this episode while out at an event, therefore the audio quality varies throughout.

Interviewees:

Prof Sally Shorthall

Karis Beattie

Haley Shepherd

The Grass Ceiling is an EU-funded project that helps rural women become leaders in innovation—especially in farming and sustainable rural development. It runs from 2023 to 2025 and supports women across Europe through ‘Living Labs’ where they test ideas, get training, and connect with others.

The aim is to help women to drive real change in rural communities—whether it's through eco-tourism, smart farming, or green energy projects.

In short: it’s about lifting the “grass ceiling” so women in rural areas can grow, lead, and shape the future.

The Scotland Living Lab is based in the Highlands and Islands, working with eight rural women innovators connected to crofting communities. It’s a partnership led by NICRE (National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise) and the Centre for Rural Economy (Newcastle University), in collaboration with the Scottish Crofting Federation.

The Lab officially launched with a workshop in Ullapool in June 2023, bringing together women from across the Highlands & Islands. Women share practical rural innovations, such as livestock rearing, croft diversification, wildflower seed sales, water sports ventures, and creative uses for wool.

Related Resources

Women in Agriculture (FAS.scot)

https://www.fas.scot/rural-business/women-in-agriculture/

Glass Ceiling - The Living Lab

https://www.grassceiling.eu/living-labs/scotland/

Diversification on a Shoestring

https://www.fas.scot/article/diversification-on-a-shoestring/

Croftworks podcast

Croftwork Podcasts - Scottish Crofting Federation

Business support from https://www.hie.co.uk/ and https://www.scottish-enterprise.com/

Thinking of diversification projects on the croft? Hear from two entrepreneurs who have set up shops, campsites and tours in Uist, and are managing to bring in tourists and have a healthy footfall. They discuss the issues with funding on croftland, ferries, finishing animals, abattoirs, Instagram posts, Scottish Agritourism, and Enterprise agency support.

Anne MacLellan runs Balranald Campsite, the Dunes Cabin, a catering business, a new self-service vending machine with fresh veg and fish, and a self-catering cottage and a pod. Lyndsay Robertson and DJ run Long Island Retreats, with a shop of local and islands produce and offer immersive tours of the croft and machair to UK and international travellers.

Related FAS Resources

https://www.fas.scot/article/diversification-on-a-shoestring/

FAS TV Series 5 Episode 9 - Supporting Crofting with Diversification - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrYYHOqkQbI

Other Related Resources

Business support from:

https://www.hie.co.uk/

https://www.scottish-enterprise.com/

The Future Farming Investment Scheme (FFIS) grant scheme is a new scheme in 2025, allowing crofters and farmers to invest to improve business efficiency, nature and climate friendly farming. The FFIS offers flexible capital grants to support investments with tiered levels of funding available. There are other changes affecting crofters, such as a simplified Crofting Agricultural Grants Scheme, which offers grants towards infrastructure; and changes to Greening rules which will affect crofters with more than 15ha of arable land. The Preparing for Sustainable Farming scheme is available this year, for the last time, and can help with the Carbon audit and Soil elements of the Whole Farm Plan. For 2026, the Whole Farm Plan requirements are for 2 elements out of the five choices: Carbon Audit, Animal Health Plan, Biodiversity audit, Soil Analysis and Integrated Pest Management.

This episode covers many schemes! For background, have a listen to the previous podcasts on Subsidy and Support Changes for Crofting, and Subsidy Future and Current Schemes, to find out more about the structure of support for the agricultural sector.

Related FAS Resources

Preparing For The Future | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service

Crofting Agricultural Grant Scheme (CAGS) | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service

A game changer for sheep on hill grazings?

It’s very tricky to castrate and tail lambs within 7 days unless lambs are born inbye. Could two new techniques, that allow castration and tailing up to 3 months of age, not only reduce pain levels in lambs, but allow better and easier management on commons and hills?

The all-important intake of colostrum and bonding of ewe and lamb can be disrupted by tailing and castrating. Changing timings, so that one or other is carried out when the lamb is older, perhaps alongside other treatments such as vaccination or worming, reduces mismothering, and could be more efficient.

The Animal Welfare Committee (AWC) report on tail docking and castration of lambs (2022) recommends that effective anaesthesia and analgesia should be used routinely for castration and tail docking of lambs, when the methods used are likely to cause significant pain. In recent years new equipment that can reduce the pain associated with tailing and castrating have been developed. Numnuts and Clipfitter are now more widely available and have been shown to have welfare benefits when used for tailing and castrating. In Scotland, the Government has allowed these techniques to be used beyond 7 days of age.

Here we discuss the two products: techniques, benefits and drawbacks, costs and practicalities for use with lambs and calves.

Subscribe to hear more about the project when we report on crofter’s experiences of using the products.

Related Resources:

Watch our webinar recording where we look at how three farmers are using different methods and approaches to tail docking and castration

Webinar - Sustainable Sheep Systems - Tail Docking and Castration

Technical Note (TN679): Castration and Tail Docking of Lambs

Using clipfitter in practice:

Using Clips for Castration and Tails

FAS TV - Tail Docking and Castration in Lambs

Many aspire to having and working a croft, however crofts are difficult to obtain, at least in the more productive and scenic areas. At the same time, retiring crofters sometimes find it hard to give up their business, their source of income and home. The Scottish Land Matching Service is designed to help aspiring new producers, whether crofters or farmers, with advice, guidance, and a database of opportunities. Ian Davidson joins us today to discuss the SLMS role in helping crofts to remain in productive use.

Related Resources

Scottish Land Matching Service

Support is changing, and although not all details are clear, crofters claiming subsidy need to have specific items and plans in place by next spring. Listen in to hear the essential information you need for next year’s Basic Payment Scheme claim.

We simplify one aspect of the new system, which is called the Whole Farm Plan. The WFP is actually made up of 5 different parts, of which 2 need to be in place next year, by the 15th May 2025. We discuss the most sensible and easiest routes for crofters to prepare.

The changes have come about as our subsidy system evolves outwith the EU. The new support system is in four Tiers, with the familiar Basic Payment Scheme in Tier 1. The Whole Farm Plan will affect Tier 1 Basic Payment Scheme. We will cover the other Tiers in future podcasts as more details are released and we understand the impact on crofting, so please subscribe to keep up to date.

Related FAS Resources

Preparing For The Future | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

Crofts & Small Farms resources for farmers from Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

Crofting Businesses: Carbon Audits and Preparing For Sustainable Farming | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

Preparing Small Farms and Crofts for 2025 and Beyond - Events

Disease risk in livestock, and biosecurity is something we perhaps don’t consider as much in crofting areas as farmers might in more intensive systems. Crofting tends to be more extensive, with lower densities of stock, but we often share bulls, and graze on common ground. In this episode I’m joined by Kythe MacKenzie, who is a vet with SRUC, and Kate Lamont, who is a researcher, to discuss the practicalities of managing disease risk.

Linked FAS Resources

Crofting Discussion Groups | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

Succession Planning – Crofting | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

Crofting Legislation | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

This episode hears from 2 crofters with two different routes into crofting. In this episode we discuss how they gained their croft, what they found were barriers, and hints and tips for aspiring or new crofters. I’m delighted to be joined by Derek Dick, who is a relatively new crofter in Berneray, and Angus Ferguson, who is an experienced crofter in North Uist.

Linked FAS resources:

Crofting Discussion Groups | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

Succession Planning – Crofting | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

Crofting Legislation | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

In this episode we look at what we can learn from the Irish system, where farms are similar to our crofts. A group of crofters are just home from a study tour to Ireland, and we hear from Derek Jamieson who crofts in Unst, Shetland, what he took from this exchange of knowledge. We also hear from Keith Fahy, advisor with Teagasc, explaining the Irish subsidy system and improvements being made to their national flock and herd.

Ireland Study Tour with Crofters

Crofting in Unst

Typical Irish farms

Croft tenancies

Mart provision in Ireland and Scotland

Subsidies in Ireland

Agri-environment Schemes

The Irish Green Cert

Discussion Groups for Crofters

Linked FAS resources:

https://www.fas.scot/rural-business/crofts-small-farms/crofting-discussion-groups/

Gary Campbell is our guest this week. Gary is the new Chief Executive of the Crofting Commission, having just started his role in January this year. With a background working in both the public and private sectors he talks us through his previous roles, his own family crofting story, what he is planning to achieve in his new CE role and his vision for the Crofting Commission.

Related FAS Resources:

Crofting & Smallholders Guide to Organisations

Succession Planning – Crofting | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

Crofting Legislation | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)