Tha obair mhòr ma choinneimh àrd-oifigear ùr Coimisean na Croitearachd

Mar a chanadh Sir Humphrey Appley anns am prògram sgoinneil “Yes, Minister”: “Uill, ‘s e co-dhùnadh calma a th’ ann.”

Chan e moladh ro thaiceil a bha air cùlaibh na h-abairt slipich aige agus thàinig na dearbh fhaclan sin thugam nuair a chunnaic mi g’ eil Coimisean na Croitearachd air àrd-oifigear ùr fhàstadh.

Gu cinnteach, cha bhi mòran chothrom aig Gary Caimbeul, fear-cunntais a tha a' fuireach ann an Inbhir Nis agus a chaidh a thogail air croit ann an Taigh an Uillt, a chasan a bhlàthachadh fon deasc agus an uimhir de chùisean cudromach air a bheulaibh.

Aon rud a bhios na thaic dha, co-dhiù ann an sùilean chuid, ‘s e g’ eil e caran eadar-dhealaichte bho na chaidh roimhe. B’ e oifigearan bho Riaghaltas na h-Alba a bha anns an dithis a bha anns an dreuchd ron a seo agus bha bhuill. Rinn Buidheann-sgrùdaidh na h-Alba càineadh cruaidh orra, ag ràdh nach robh e soilleir cò air a bha an dleasdanas aig a’ cheann thall: air an riaghaltas no air bòrd-stiùiridh na buidhne.

Rud eile ris am feum e dèiligeadh, ‘s e agus cho cianail slaodach ‘s a tha e dhaibh a thighinn gu co-dhùnaidhean air tagraidhean; fiù ‘s feadhainn a shaoileadh tu a bhiodh furasta gu leòr.

Ach, ged a tha gu leòr mu choinneimh a’ choimisein airson nan cùisean aca a rèiteachadh, chan eil càil ann an taca ris na h-atharraichean a tha an ìmpis a thighinn. Tha crathadh bunaiteach a’ tighinn air poileasaidh, an t-atharrachadh as motha ann an ginealach.

Sa chiad àite, tha Bile an Àiteachais: a dhearbhas dè an seòrsa taic-airgid a gheibh croitearan is tuathanaich sna bliadhnaichean ri thighinn agus, gu cudromach, dè a' phàirt a bhios aig modhan-obrach a tha bàidheil dhan àrainneachd; rud a bu chòir a bhith na bhuannachd dha leithid croitearachd. No am faic sinn an aon chleachdadh a’ leantainn, leis na “balaich mhòra” a’ faighinn a’ chuibhreinn as motha dhen mharaig? Bidh toraidhean nan còmhraidhean sin riatanach ann a bhith a’ dearbhadh na tha fa-near dha croitearachd.

Agus an cois sin, tha Bile Ath-leasachaidh na Croitearachd; rud a tha air a bhith san amharc airson ùine fhada ach a-rèir choltais, a tha an ìmpis gluasad a-nis.

Aon rud aig a bheil fios aig coin a’ bhaile a tha na thrioblaid, ‘s e a' phrìs àrd a tha croitean a’ faighinn air a’ mhargaidh (nas àirde na £200,000 ann an cuid a shuidheachaidhean) fada nas àirde nas urrainn dha teaghlach àbhaisteach a phàigheadh agus a tha barrachd mu dheidhinn an luach airson taigheadais.

Chan fhaod duine croit fhaighinn gun chead a’ choimisein, ach fiù ‘s nuair a tha e soilleir nach eil a' dol ga chur gu feum mar is còir, chan eil iad air na cumhachdan aca a chur an sàs, no chan eil iad a’ faighinn a' chothroim an cur an sàs.

Aig àm nuair a tha an sluagh a’ crìonadh san fharsaingeachd, aig àm nuair a tha croitearachd air stàrsach mì-chinnteach, tha cruaidh fheum air coimisein anns a bheil beagan spionnaidh agus as urrainn làmh chruaidh a chur an sàs. Gu cinnteach, tha obair mhòr ma choinneimh Gary chòir.

To paraphrase the words of Sir Humphrey Appleby in the wonderful and still pertinent 1980s satire “Yes Minister”, it’s “a very courageous decision”.

Certainly the new chief executive of the Crofting Commission will have little scope for a honeymoon period, given the challenges the organisation faces, with an overflowing inbox of matters marked “urgent” and “important”.

One thing that will be in the favour of the appointment of Gary Campbell, an Inverness based chartered accountant who was raised on the family croft in Taynuilt, is that he represents something of a departure.

His two immediate predecessors have been internal Scottish Government civil servants, Sir Humphreys with a kilt, if you like. It was no coincidence that a highly critical Audit Scotland report referred to the “blurred lines” of responsibility between ministers, who actually employ commission staff, and the board of directors that should be there to provide direction.

The other organisational issue which needs to be addressed as a matter of some priority is the glacial pace of the regulatory process, with applications taking months to come to a conclusion, even relatively straightforward ones.

But while the challenges faced by the commission in getting its own house in order are formidable, it’s as nothing compared to what’s coming down the line.

There are major changes afoot on the policy front, heralding what should be the biggest shake-up to the industry in a generation, and which will have profound implications for the commission and its work.

Firstly, there is the Agriculture Bill which will determine how the government will financially support Scotland’s crofters and farmers and, crucially, whether environmentally-friendly methods of production, of the kind practised by small-scale agricultural as a necessity, will be properly rewarded, or will the “big boys” just continue to get the disproportionate share of the cake.

The outcome of these talks will be crucial in ensuring that crofting can continue, let alone go from strength to strength.

Alongside that will be the long-promised Crofting Reform Bill which will deal with legislation specific to the sector.

One major contributory factor in the decline of crofting is the exorbitant market price for crofts - in excess of £200,000 in some cases, and that’s without a property - well beyond the means of young crofting families and which more reflects what it might be worth if broken up for house sites.

A change in crofting tenancy can only be approved by the commission, but even in the case of obvious housing speculation and little intention of real crofting activity, they have either been powerless to act because of the limitations of the legislation, or have been unwilling to do so.

That needs to change. In the face of wider depopulation of the periphery, and a growing elderly age profile for crofting, the commission needs to start showing its teeth - or to be given the power to do so. Some very big challenges await.