Na h-Eileanan an Iar SNP MSP Alasdair Allan has today written to Tory Rural Affairs spokesperson, Peter Chapman MSP, to ask why he has dismissed the crofters on the Scottish Government’s new Land Commission as “people who have a couple of sheep and a back garden.”

North East Tory MSP Peter Chapman’s register of interests shows he received almost £200,000 in agricultural subsidies last year.

Alasdair Allan commented:

“The haughty remarks which Mr Chapman has made about the crofters on the Land Commission show a total lack of understanding of what crofting is or why it is important to the fabric of life in many parts of the Highlands and Islands.

“Once again the Tories in Parliament seem determined to play up to their traditional reputation in many crofting communities. In this case, Mr Chapman would do well to apologise for remarks which most crofters will see as totally dismissive of the work which crofters do.

“Both farming and crofting are important to Scotland’s rural economy, but it is completely unhelpful when people with large agricultural interests are seen to be as contemptuous of crofting as Mr Chapmans remarks would seem to indicate he is.”