A new report has warned that changes to Scottish agricultural rules could bring big adjustments for Orkney farmers and crofters by 2026.
The study, published by the Scottish Rural College (SRUC), was commissioned by Orkney’s Community Led Local Development (CLLD) team with support from the Scottish Rural Network.
It explores the impact of the removal of long-standing exemptions to Ecological Focus Area (EFA) rules, part of the Government’s move toward a greener, four-tier farm support system.
These changes mean a large increase in the number of Orkney farms that will need to meet new environmental requirements for subsidy support.
EFAs are areas of land farmed in ways that help the climate and environment, including options like fallow fields, hedges, catch crops and agroforestry.
“‘Arable’ land includes grass up to five years old, so it draws in many Orkney businesses to the new rules,” said Professor Steven Thomson of SRUC, one of the report’s co-authors.
Until now, most Orkney farms were exempt from many of these ‘greening’ rules, particularly those focused on arable land.
That exemption will end in 2026.
Thomson said the change will require many livestock-focused farms to “consider which of the various EFA options will best fit their system”.
The Scottish Government has also hinted that similar requirements may soon apply to permanent grassland, a move that would bring almost all Orkney farming under EFA conditions.
The new report, which builds on a 2024 review of the Agriculture Bill’s island impacts, will shape local guidance to help farmers navigate the new system.
A local roadshow is being planned for later this year by SRUC and the local NFUS, with support from CLLD, to walk farmers through their choices ahead of the 2026 claim year.
Jim Fairlie MSP, Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity, visited Orkney recently to hear from farmers directly about their concerns.
NFUS and other stakeholders have welcomed the report’s insights, saying it provides essential clarity on what’s coming.
Farmers and crofters are now being urged to familiarise themselves with the rules this winter, ahead of the transition.
The full report is available on SRUC’s Rural Exchange website.
