News

Land Managers are Crucial to Delivering Cairngorms Vision

Press Release

Land managers are crucial to deliver positive outcomes for people, nature and place, Scottish Land & Estates has said after submitting its views on the Cairngorms National Park Authority’s proposed five-year National Park Partnership Plan. The Plan covers all areas of life and work within the National Park, from conservation to land...

Two new appointments to SLE HQ team

Press Release

Scottish Land & Estates has welcomed two new members of staff to augment its headquarters team. Sarah Madden has joined SLE as a Policy Adviser (Rural Communities) and Hannah Lloyd joins as the organisation’s Business Development Manager. Sarah previously worked for parliamentarians in both the Scottish and Westminster parliaments, most...

Covid-19 update: guidance for tourism and hospitality sector

General News

Following the First Minister’s update on the Covid-19 pandemic in Scotland on Tuesday 14 December, the Scottish Government has released updated guidance on protective measures that should be implemented in the tourism and hospitality sectors to help manage the increasing number of positive cases. The Scottish Government maintains that the...

Storm Arwen and responsible access

General News

As we approach the festive period it is likely that an increasing number of people will want to access the outdoors. Members of the public could potentially place themselves in harm’s way while clear-up operations from Storm Arwen remain in progress. The Scottish Outdoor Access Code (SOAC) makes it clear that land managers can temporarily...

New SLC research to examine effect of natural capital and carbon value on land market

Press Release

Research to understand the implications of natural capital and carbon value on the land market will be welcome if it helps to aid evidence-based policymaking, SLE has said. The Scottish Land Commission announced the initiative this week, with its stated aim to create an 'over-arching summary of current market activity, with a particular...

Effective control of fox populations vital to Scotland’s farming

Press Release

Protecting livestock, wildlife and game from predation must be a key concern when considering any changes to legislation around fox control. Scottish Land & Estates made the comments as part of its response to the Scottish Government’s consultation on the use of dogs to control foxes and other wild mammals in Scotland. The rural business...

First Minister’s Covid-19 update

General News

On the 14 December 2021, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced new measures that would be implemented to manage the increasing rate of Covid-19 infections throughout Scotland, thought to be resulting from the spread of the new Omicron variant. The First Minister stated that the Sottish Government intended to amend regulations to put a...

Biodiversity and economic boost from the grouse season, despite few birds

Press Release

The grouse season ends today, 10th December , and while the number of shoot days has been limited, the season continues to provide an extraordinary boost for biodiversity and the rural economy in Scotland, with numerous birds of prey nesting successfully and spending by estates rising to £15m. Tim Baynes, moorland director of Scottish...

SLE Statement on Scottish Budget

Press Release

Commenting on the Budget announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy, Kate Forbes, this afternoon, SLE Chief Executive, Sarah-Jane Laing said: “There are many positive announcements in today’s budget. £831million for affordable housing and significant investment towards energy efficiency, natural environment restoration...

SLE Calls for Smooth Transition to Post-CAP Framework

General News

SLE has today submitted its response to the Scottish Government’s Agricultural Transition consultation. We are calling for a smooth transition to a new programme of support for rural Scotland, following the UK’s departure from the Common Agricultural Policy. Any economic framework developed by the Scottish Government must enable land...