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Farmers and conservationists clash on Spey Catchment Initiative survey on Laggan floodplain





THE LAGGAN FLOODPLAIN: Farmers in the vicinity are utterly dismayed with proposals which they believe will undo their work on floodbanks carried out at great expense in recent decades and threaten local biodiversity including wader populations. But the charity which ordered a study into its future insists it wants to work all the way with local farmers and owners to find the best way to protect its future. Picture: Spey Catchment Initiative
THE LAGGAN FLOODPLAIN: Farmers in the vicinity are utterly dismayed with proposals which they believe will undo their work on floodbanks carried out at great expense in recent decades and threaten local biodiversity including wader populations. But the charity which ordered a study into its future insists it wants to work all the way with local farmers and owners to find the best way to protect its future. Picture: Spey Catchment Initiative

Farmers and residents of Laggan are uniting against against “controversial floodplain proposals” in Badenoch - but those behind the moves insist there will be no controversy as ‘we can only work through and with farmers and landowners’.

Following a public meeting in Laggan Village Hall, which was reported in last week’s Strathy, the new Cairngorm Crofters and Farmers Community released a statement unanimously rejecting proposals from the SCI - Spey Catchment Initiative - which “claimed to prioritise local needs while recommending interventions that threaten farmland, livelihoods, and biodiversity”.

The Community has asserted its ability to develop “a more practical, informed proposal” which would deliver climate mitigation and biodiversity benefits without compromising food production or the socio-economic fabric of local farming.

At the meeting, attended by 47 residents and land managers, the community reviewed SCI’s hydrological study funded by some £37,000 of Cairngorms National Park Authority money.

The study proposed scenarios to reconnect the River Spey with its floodplain but faced widespread condemnation for recommending measures that would lead to significant farmland loss by breaching 200-year-old floodbanks, leaving productive land vulnerable to flooding.

Attendees expressed deep distrust, citing a lack of consultation, inaccuracies, and omissions in the study, including its failure to account for the role of snowmelt in the local hydrology.

Ewan Grant, a Laggan farmer, commented: “We are utterly dismayed with SCI’s proposals, which would destroy our livelihoods and threaten local biodiversity, including vital wader populations.

“The report’s glaring omission of high-altitude precipitation and snowmelt renders its findings invalid. Those at the meeting unanimously rejected the proposals and criticised the so-called consultation.

“However, we are keen to put forward practical solutions. Generations of land managers here in Laggan know the ‘lie of the land’ better than anyone. Our voices and experience must be heard before any further action is taken.”

Neighbouring farmer Andrew MacDonald, joined by his father John, who travelled from his Skye croft, expressed similar concerns.

“Early discussions in 2023 with local farmers and crofters gave us hope that our knowledge of the river would be valued, but SCI gave no indication of its floodplain reinstatement plans.

“Initially, we thought their work might support floodbank repairs, but the report dismissed this option entirely. Local farmers have spent over £100,000 on floodbank repairs over the last 45 years, often with little to no public funding.

“In stark contrast, SCI’s report, funded by the CNPA to the tune of £37k of public money, proposed options to destroy these very same floodbanks – without consulting us.”

Key concerns raised at the meeting included the ‘overlooking’ of food security, with attendees emphasising the importance of protecting farmland in an area where agricultural land is already scarce.

Mistrust in SCI and the CNPA was aired, the Community perceiving a bias towards external objectives, such as rewilding, at the expense of local needs.

Another farmer declared: “This report isn’t dialogue; it’s destruction. Our landscape’s beauty depends on us, but these proposals sacrifice our farms for downstream interests.”

A young resident added “You claim this is for the next generation, but I am the next generation. Why destroy what my family has worked so hard to build?”

The community has demanded the immediate withdrawal of the proposals and called for genuine consultation to develop sustainable solutions that benefit both people and the environment. They warned that without trust and collaboration, no progress can be made.

The CCFC voiced its support for Laggan’s farmers and crofters, calling for bottom-up approaches to flood mitigation and nature-based solutions.

A CCFC spokesperson stated: “Workable solutions are possible, but they must be rooted in genuine dialogue with those who maintain the crofts and farms that sustain this area. SCI and CNPA must return home and rethink their approach.”

For SCI, chief executive Roger Knight told the Stathy: “The study we commissioned included a series of options for discussion with the farmers and broader community. At no time did we put forward proposals for river restoration.

“The SCI is an independent charity, with no statutory authority, that can only work through and with farmers and landowners who see benefits in shared projects.

“We have listened to the Laggan farmers and community and have written to confirm that we will not be pursuing any activity in the area unless it is put forward by a member of the community.

“We are committed to working in closer collaboration with local farmers and the wider community on practical, nature-based solutions to flood mitigation for the future.”


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