Welcome to SRUC’s Rural Brexit Hub!

In this podcast SAC Principal Consultant Chloe McCulloch talks to Davy McCracken, Head of SRUC’s Hill & Mountain Research Centre, about the challenges and opportunities facing Scottish agricultural policy-development post-Brexit. You can listen to the full podcast Here: Supporting agriculture in Scotland post-Brexit

In this episode of ‘Changing Climate, Changing Food’, Professor Davy McCracken discusses the history and future of policy surrounding agricultural support and NFUS climate change policy manager Ruth Taylor speaks about climate change and the impacts of Brexit, COVID and the green recovery on agriculture. You can listen to the full podcast Here: ‘Paying for…

Seamus Murphy is joined by Researcher Alasdair Sykes to talk about the science behind mitigation, and how ‘efficiency gains’ and ‘negative emissions’ are two forms that can be used to lower farm carbon footprints. Professor Davy McCracken of SRUCs hill and mountain research centre speaks about the practicalities of mitigation on farms in Scotland and…

Professor Davy McCracken provides an update on the EU-funded project ‘EuroSheep’ and explains how activities have managed to continue in a virtual environment. The two main project goals are to: Assess how best to improve individual and flock performance through improved management of animal health. Consider how an enhanced focus on the nutritional needs of…

Scottish agriculture is under significant external pressure, both from the policy and trade landscape after the UK withdraws from the EU and the current COVID-19 outbreak. This puts strain on the resilience of the agricultural industry to withstand these shocks. The purpose of this  report, commissioned by the Scottish Government produced by SRUC economists and…

Colleagues at SRUC and the James Hutton Institute have been working together on three short briefings on the results of a survey of 2,494 farmers, crofters and smallholders, ran during the summer of 2018. The briefings focus on: adoption of risk management behaviours, intentions to deliver more “public goods for public money” and regional dimensions…

A new independent report was published in January 2020 focusing on the social and equality impacts of Brexit, in order to better understand how the UK’s exit from the EU will impact the lives of social and equalities groups in Scotland who may face discrimination or exclusion as a result of their personal characteristics. People…

The UK parliament is set to approve the EU Withdrawal agreement and exit the EU by, or on 31st January 2020. During the 11 month withdrawal period the UK and EU are expected to negotiate a comprehensive trade deal.  Failure to agree a new deal will result in a No-deal in just over one year’s…

A new briefing has been published by SRUC’s Steven Thomson and Rob Mc Morran, which provides an update on their 2018 report “Farm Workers in Scottish Agriculture: Studies in the International Seasonal Migrant Labour Market”.  The new briefing revisits some participants of the research to see how changes since then have affected their business. More…

The importance of ensuring “High Nature Value” farmlands across the globe has been highlighted in a new paper published by a consortium of European Scientists – including SRUC’s Professor Davy McCracken. The research looked at a range of future scenarios for HNV farmlands, and the related management of options and expected socioecological outcomes for each….