Bridging the data gap in Scottish tenant farming

As the new Tenant Farming Commissioner, I’ve spent my first few weeks getting to grips with the state of Scotland’s tenant farming sector, meeting with farmers, landowners, and industry bodies. One thing has quickly become clear - we don’t have enough up-to-date, reliable data about the sector.

How many tenant farmers are currently operating in Scotland? What proportion of agricultural land is under tenancy? What trends are emerging in rents, tenancy types, or long-term investment? These should be straightforward questions to answer, yet I’ve found that the data is often outdated, fragmented, or simply unavailable.

This isn’t just an academic concern, without clear and accessible data, policymakers, farmers, and landowners are making decisions based on assumptions rather than facts. That’s a problem.

Understanding who is farming, how they are farming, and the challenges they face is crucial. Without robust data, policymakers struggle to assess whether tenancy laws are working, and tenant farmers may hesitate to invest in long-term improvements without a clear picture of financial viability. Rent reviews and tenancy negotiations also become more difficult when there’s no transparent benchmark for rental values. There’s a real risk that tenant farmers could be left behind in major policy discussions, particularly around natural capital and nature restoration, where clear evidence of their role in shaping Scotland’s land use is needed to ensure they are included in future opportunities.

This data gap means we’re operating in the dark, creating blind spots that undermine decision-making. If we don’t know how many tenancies are being created or relinquished, how can we assess whether policy interventions are effective? If we lack insight into the financial sustainability of tenant farms, how can we ensure they receive the right support? These gaps don’t just affect policymakers, they impact the sector’s ability to plan for the future. For example, with an ageing tenant farming population, succession planning is a growing concern, yet we don’t have the numbers to assess the scale of the challenge.

The good news is that the information exists - it just isn’t being gathered in a structured, accessible way. Moving forward, we need to build a culture of data collection and reporting that provides a reliable, long-term picture of the sector. A more structured approach to gathering tenancy data would allow us to track key indicators such as rent trends, investment levels, and regional variations in tenancy types. The creation of an independent annual report analysing the state of tenant farming could provide crucial insight, while a central digital platform for anonymous data sharing would allow tenant farmers to contribute to a wider understanding of the sector. These steps would help create a more informed, transparent environment, ensuring that tenant farmers and landowners alike can make decisions based on real evidence rather than anecdotal accounts.

Collaboration will be essential in making this happen. Government, industry bodies, and tenant farming groups, including NFUS, STFA, SLE, CAAV, SAAVA, and land agents, must work together to ensure consistency in data gathering and sharing. But most importantly, tenant farmers and landowners must have a say in shaping how this data is collected. The right questions need to be asked in the first place, and any initiative must be designed with those on the ground in mind.

This is an opportunity to make real progress. A well-supported, sustainable tenant farming sector depends on good decision-making, and good decision-making depends on good data. My role as Tenant Farming Commissioner is to help ensure that tenant farming is strengthened through fair policies and practical solutions. To do that, we need to fill the data gap and work together to build a clearer picture of the sector’s future. I look forward to working with you all to make that happen.