Crofters retain sporting rights

Feb 28 2013

Crofters on a Scottish island will retain the lease for sporting rights there, the First Minister has announced.

Some residents on Raasay, a small island between Skye and the mainland, were angered by a decision to award the lease to an Ayrshire company.

But Alex Salmond announced that, in the wake of the row, the contract has now been "withdrawn by mutual consent".

The lease, previously held by the island's crofting community, will now be extended to allow them to retain it until November, a year after it was due to expire. This will allow locals to be consulted on longer-term options for the lease, which covers shooting and fishing rights on Raasay.

The First Minister told MSPs: "Environment minister Paul Wheelhouse has spoken with crofters on Raasay to inform them that he has been able to extend their lease for sporting rights on the island for another year.

"The new contract, which had been awarded to South Ayrshire Stalking, has been withdrawn by mutual consent and we welcome their positive attitude to resolving the issue."

Mr Wheelhouse said it is "regrettable that the original decision to award the sporting rights contract was made without ministerial involvement".

He said: "Raasay is a fragile island community and ministers recognise the sporting rights are very important to the islanders. I share the concerns expressed locally about the way in which the contract was awarded. That is why I have taken steps to resolve the situation and I hope the Raasay islanders will be content with this solution.

"Effectively this will extend the islanders' existing lease by a year and will allow us to work with crofters and the wider community to find a satisfactory long-term solution."

Local MP and former Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy said: "I welcome the fact that this ministerial midden has at last been acknowledged and that the sporting rights are now firmly back where they belong: in the hands of the local crofting community."