Rural workers protest against government policies in Scotland

Rural workers in Scotland, including farmers, crofters, and gamekeepers, staged a peaceful protest on Monday, January 22 to demonstrate their frustration against the influx of recent legislation that target the rural way of life. 

The demonstrators pushed back on Scottish Government proposals that put a stranglehold on how traditional land management is conducted in Scotland, including licensing plans for grouse shooting and muirburn, certain species reintroductions, and other rewilding initiatives such as tree planting projects. 

The demonstration was held outside of the branch office of the Cairngorms National Park Authority, as a planned visit by First Minister Humza Yousaf and Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater to announce a future vision for the park was cancelled. Despite poor weather, a procession of tractors and Land Rovers carrying placards made their way to the hall to make their voices heard.

The demonstrators' signs read “rural workers make the park”, “don’t greenwash away rural workers’ jobs”, “this is not the park we were promised” and “stop slaughtering our iconic deer”.

Deirdre Falconer, regional co-ordinator from the Grampian Moorland Group, told Farmers Weekly that projects planned on Cairngorms park disregard rural heritage.

She said:

“The project includes plans to spend £9m on visitor infrastructure, £19m on peatland restoration, trees and river restoration, and a couple of million on wellbeing. But there is no money for housing or anything to address the real issues that are in the park. The policies that are coming out of Scottish government are literally eroding the way of life for people living in these rural areas. It is like an attack on the countryside."

She added that estates were being driven towards “a green agenda”, with the Scottish Government trying to “drive them away from shooting”.

Jake Swindells, Director for the Scottish Countryside Alliance isn’t surprised by this protest and expects them to get bigger.

He said:

“This is likely only the thin end of the wedge and our rural communities have clearly had enough. The Scottish Government has been slowly but surely eroding our way of life, and with the overly restrictive and frankly unnecessary introduction of the Hunting with Dogs Act last year, they have made it more difficult for landowners to carry out effective predator control, putting livestock and species of concern at risk. With the Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill currently going through the Scottish Parliament, we are worried that similar poorly thought-out legislation will be introduced.”

“Rural professionals are keen to work in partnership with the government to ensure that the natural heritage of Scotland is maintained, and the country’s impressive biodiversity is protected for generations to come. They feel that their voice is not being heard. Wildlife and food production aside, communities across Scotland are now struggling with issues such as broadband connectivity, rising fuel costs, and access to education and health services, leading to this perfect storm of protests. Farmers, crofters, gamekeepers, ghillies, and other rural professions are at risk, and it will be the legacy of the SNP / Green coalition and their ill-advised rural policies when the scales irreversibly tip.”