Common Grazings Census

The Crofting Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 imposed new requirements on grazings committees to report every 5 years on the condition of their common grazings, the condition of every croft of tenant and owner-occupier crofters sharing in the grazings and on any other matter affecting the common grazings or crofting in any township associated with the grazings.

We have created a template form for the Grazings Census to help grazings committees comply with their Duty to Report and have consulted with crofters and crofting stakeholders to make the form as easy and simple to complete as possible.

The final part of the form allows grazings committees to highlight specific concerns they may have about misuse, neglect or non-residency of crofts in the township. The Commission will normally only investigate matters further where they consider that crofting duties are not complied with. However, section 26B of the Crofters (Scotland) Act 1993 allows the Commission to investigate potential breaches of duty of its own accord.

It is in the interest of crofting as a whole that these issues are addressed to ensure that croft land continues to be worked for the benefit of generations of crofters to come.

A copy of the Grazings Census form can be found below along with Frequently Asked Questions. Hard copies of the form are available on request.

Please complete the form and either email to Grazings@crofting.gov.scot or return a copy by post. Any questions regarding the Grazings Census should also be emailed to Grazings@crofting.gov.scot or write to us at the address at the bottom of the page.