Common grazings once dominated the Scottish landscape and still account for around one tenth of actively managed farmland. They also account for a large proportion of the land designated under national and EU conservation legislation. However uptake of both Land Management Options (LMO) and Rural Priorities (RP) agri-environment measures on common grazings are abysmal - 4.8% and 5/6 % respectively - even in the context of low overall uptake (20% and 16.2%).
This report written by Gwyn Jones of the European Forum for Nature Conservation and Patoralism, funded by the Foundation for Common Land and the European Commission (DG Environment) looks into the reasons for this very low uptake. A number of factors are identified including: difficulties in applying for the schemes; challenges in getting agreement between graziers and others involved; recurrent high levels of bureaucracy in administering the scheme; provision of advice about the schemes often inadequate; actual costs of making an application are high; and a lack of attractive options for garziers to deliver including specific problems with the summer cattle grazing option. To redress this problem, the next round of the Rural Development Programme must take into account common grazings in all its sections.
To read the full report click here
