From Durness in the north, down the western seaboard and across to the Cairngorms, some 40% of Scotland has been identified as High Nature Value farmland. This is where low-intensity farming and crofting methods – primarily livestock production – have created a rich diversity of wildlife habitats. This puts Scotland in an enviable position and this type of farming and crofting should be viewed as a national asset and supported in the face of our global biodiversity and climate crises.

However, historically with the focus on support for intensification and production at all costs in agriculture, this has not been fully recognised. Financial support for HNV farmers and crofters has not been prioritised and the future of these livelihoods, and these habitats hangs in the balance. We have a once in a lifetime opportunity in 2023 to change this with the new Agriculture Bill in Scotland. As Davy McCracken states