and promotes the interests of crofting in Scotland
to secure the future of crofting.
Building a stronger crofting future through succession planning
15/07/2025
Nearly 12,000 crofters across Scotland are receiving information packs to their homes, filled with advice and support, to help them secure crofting for future generations. Succession planning - passing a croft on to family members or others - is one of the biggest challenges facing crofting as a way of life, due to an ageing population.
This latest initiative from the Crofting Commission is supported by the Scottish Government’s Islands Team, and research gathered will help inform future policy decisions. It follows a successful pilot project in 2023 focusing on crofters in North West Sutherland, Barra and Uist.
Gary Campbell, Chief Executive of the Crofting Commission, explained: "Crofting is a way of life that has traditionally been passed down from generation to generation for centuries. Crofters are passionate about their crofts, and we want them to make provision for the future and to start thinking about succession planning early on to ensure their crofts are properly looked after.
“The best way to do this is to think now about how they can ensure a smooth succession either by drawing up an appropriate will, which deals properly with the croft, or by transferring the croft to someone they choose in their lifetime. It’s a perfect way to share centuries of skills and knowledge with the next generation.”
As part of efforts to ensure compliance with crofting duties, the Commission will also be contacting some relatives of crofters who have died to help update croft records.
“We’ll be reaching out over the next few months to help families meet their statutory responsibilities,” added Gary Campbell. “There’s a simple form on our website which can be used to report a death, or our information line colleagues are very happy to do that for anyone over the phone. We know that this is a sensitive matter for families but reporting a death to us is a legal requirement and can help avoid crofts having to go through a lengthy process of re-letting.”
Crofting plays a vital role in the Highlands and Islands and crofts are in demand. Planning the succession of an active croft helps more than just the crofter, with many wider benefits for the economy, environment, culture and communities.
Further information and guidance about succession is on the Crofting Commission website, as well as links to other agencies and initiatives who can help.
