SAC Rural Policy Centre

A greater voice to rural communities?

Published: 26 Mar 2012

Scotland is a step closer to having its own rural parliament to empower rural communities and give them a greater opportunity to influence decision-making.

Scottish Agriculture – The Future After CAP Reform

Published: 29 Feb 2012

There was more optimism than pessimism about the future of Scottish Agriculture after CAP reform following a one day conference in Pollock Hall’s, Edinburgh, organised by SAC and James Hutton Institute.

Praise for SAC’s Powerful Performance at Oxford Conference

Published: 17 Jan 2012

A report prepared by the SAC Rural Policy Centre for the recent Oxford Farming Conference has been praised by Government Ministers and Industry Leaders. Commissioned by the Conference Board, “Power in Agriculture” examined where the economic, political and natural resource power currently lies in world agriculture, how it might change and what it means to British Farmers.

Response from the Hills – SAC Report Shows Beef and Sheep Producers Positive, but No Return to Old Days

Published: 14 Dec 2011

A new SAC report suggests Scotland’s hill farming sector is responding to recent economic and policy signals, that the retreat from the hills has stabilised with some evidence of localised increases in sheep and cattle numbers.

Can ‘Growth Zones’ Help Boost Rural Areas?

Published: 30 Nov 2011

English ‘Rural Growth Networks’ and Scottish ‘Enterprise Areas’ may be useful short term measures for stimulating the economy but there are also risks in taking such a ‘lines on the map’ approach to encouraging growth.

Rural Policy Centre involved in Cross Party Group

Published: 25 Oct 2011

While Scotland demonstrates flexibility in its current approach to rural policy, rural Scotland could reap benefits if more responsibility for rural development was devolved to local levels.