Question reference: S6W-25947
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 1 March 2024
-
Current status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 11 March 2024
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of degraded peatland requiring restoration is on land that is within crofting tenure, and what the approximate acreage is of such land.
Answer
There is around 484,000 hectares of Common Grazing land in Scotland that is registered in claims and applications with Rural Payments and Services. Of this, there are an estimated 286,000 hectares of peatland (50cm depth), or around 60% of the total land area. Around two-thirds of this peatland is in a degraded state. The Scottish Government’s Crofting Bill Team and stakeholder group are considering a number of proposals that will make it easier for crofters to use their common grazings for other purposes than agriculture, such as peatland restoration.