POLICY CHAIRS members who have taken up the challenge of leading the new SRPBA Priority Policy areas
Left to right: Patrick Milne Home, Jamie Williamson, Daye Tucker, Ian Ivory and Andrew Bradford
of the area on which they are creating and directing policy, to ensure that what they are asking is deliverable on the ground.
LAND USE AND ENVIRONMENT Chair Ian Ivory is a chartered accountant by profession. He left city investment house Stewart Ivory in 1999 to retire to farming. Ian was also Chairman of the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) from 2003-2007. Vice-chair Patrick Milne Home is a rural chartered surveyor. He joined Scottish Natural Heritage in 1992 and has been active on SRPBA, and its earlier incarnation of the SLF, for a considerable number of years.
WHY DID YOU AGREE TO BECOME CHAIR/VICE CHAIR OF LAND USE AND ENVIRONMENT? II:Having learned so much in my time in the city, with SAC and, more recently, farming, I hope that my experiences can be usefully applied to SRPBA policy development and ultimately to deliver a more sustainable rural environment for Scotland. PMH:I am keen to ensure that “land use” is not divorced from the “environment” and am pleased to be part of this group to ensure these mutual and dependent interests are fully articulated.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE MAIN ISSUES FOR LAND USE AND ENVIRONMENT? II: To develop a model for Scotland’s resources within the context of Europe to
ENTERPRISE AND TOURISM Chair Jamie Williamson runs Alvie & Dalraddy Estates. He trained as a forester and has worked in Canada, Norway, the Bahamas and Chile, plus forestry contracting, management and deer farm fencing and development of computer software for the forest industry. He is a past chairman of Cairngorm Mountain Trust, Chairman of the Monadhliath Deer Management Group and was for several years Highland Chairman of the Scottish Landowners’ Federation and North Scotland Chairman of the Timber Growers Association (now ConFor).
Jamie Williamson
WHY DID YOU AGREE TO BECOME CHAIR OF ENTERPRISE AND TOURISM? JW: I believe that the private sector needs to take the lead in improving our rural economy. Government has become the problem, not the solution. There are opportunities in renewable energy, tourism, horticulture and quarry products, as well as value adding and utilising rural produce that should be able to transform our rural economy and make it less dependent on government support.
Ian Ivory and Patrick Milne Home
WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE MAIN ISSUES FOR ENTERPRISE AND TOURISM? JW: Over-regulation by government,
deliver affordable food in a desirable environment, while recognising the particular problems that come with a land area that is 85 per cent LFA. The issues centre on how perceived climate change, European support and the market place can assist or frustrate development. PMH:To get an outcome to Agricultural Tenancy Reform with which owners of land and tenants are comfortable and which will ensure the provision of long-term opportunities for the let sector. Influence CAP Reform so that it provides appropriate support to both food producing farms and farms that are less financially secure, but provide a very high level of environmental worth.
LANDBUSINESS ISSUE 36 JUNE-JULY 2010
including planning issues and perceived conflict between different interests. Perhaps also our recent past history of a dependency culture. We have come to expect and depend on government support and leadership.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHANGE TO YOUR BUSINESS OPERATION IN RECENT TIMES? JW: We have pruned, closed down or offloaded unprofitable activities while at the same time expanded our tourism enterprise by installing 70 chalets and refurbishing caravan and camping facilities at Dalraddy Holiday Park. We are also investing in renewable energy. We are now the main supplier of woodchips for bio-fuel in Badenoch & Strathspey.
IF I WERE FIRST MINISTER FOR THE DAY… JW: I would endeavour to downsize government in an attempt to reduce bureaucracy, administration, regulation, our dependency culture and tax. Alex Salmond declared that he would have a bonfire of the quangos – I fear his match went out.
There are opportunities in renewable energy, tourism, horticulture and quarry products
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHANGE TO YOUR BUSINESS OPERATION IN RECENT TIMES? II: Expanding the scale of the farming operations while simplifying the enterprises into beef and grain. These are the products that we see as the most globally competitive for the area of Scotland we farm in. PMH: As a small farming unit I used to subsidise it heavily by working to employ people to maintain it. Now retired, I have to find ways to undertake that work without employing anyone; it is achieved by doing it all myself which, on the whole is highly enjoyable, but is hard to classify as retirement! LB
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