"Crofters voices need to be heard"

Yvonne White, a crofter from Kingsburgh on the Isle of Skye, has been appointed to lead the Scottish Crofting Federation (SCF). White crofts with her husband at Romesdal, on the Isle of Skye. They keep a fold of pedigree Highland cattle and Cheviot sheep. On being appointed White emphasised the importance of keeping a strong crofting organisation through an uncertain period:

“This is a very difficult time for rural Scotland and for crofting. Crofters need dedicated representation to look out for their interests. As the future unfolds the one thing that is certain is that governmental budgets will not increase and competition for resources will therefore be even stronger. The significant thing about the SCF is that it only represents crofting households; we have no competing alliances. At the meeting last week we also agreed our objectives for this year, which include increasing our lobbying voice on agricultural issues that affect our members and ensuring that crofters’ views are heard in the legislative reform process.”

SCF chairs serve for two years and White was preceded by Russell Smith.