Organisers have hailed Scotland’s first 'National Agritourism Month' a success following a range of profile-raising events across the country.

Scottish Agritourism, the sector body for Scotland’s farmers and crofters offering tourism or direct farm retail aimed to raise awareness of what agritourism is among politicians, policy makers, farmers not yet in the sector as well as consumers.

Seventeen MSPs and MPs visited farms to hold discussions with Scottish Agritourism members about their business, opportunities and current challenges impacting growth and profitability. More than 70 businesses held discussions with elected officials and over 200 businesses attended regional events from the Scottish Borders to Orkney.

The sector has ambitious targets in place to grow agritourism in Scotland by 2030, including adding £80m of value to the sector to reach £250m, increasing visitor numbers on farms to 2m from 1.5m and almost doubling the number of farms and crofts in agritourism to one thousand.

Sector lead, Caroline Millar, said discussions held across Scotland had flagged some of the same challenges, including an acknowledgement that 2023 was shaping up to be an extremely challenging one for all businesses, given increased costs and a general lowering of demand, particularly for accommodation with most farmstay operators reporting visitors are staying for less time and booking more last minute.

She said: “There is a strong willingness to invest and develop new enterprises but a lengthy planning process, inconsistencies between local authorities in whether different types of agritourism enterprise is granted planning permission and inconsistencies between planners as individuals within the same local authority.

“Craigies Farm, near Edinburgh, had been trying to gain planning permission for a brown sign to promote their business for 16 years and only after a change of personnel, permission was granted. Meanwhile, Drift, in East Lothian, waited two years to gain approval for a dog walking park.

“Agritourism means that multiple generations can work and live on the same farm but planning issues mean that families like the Houries, at the Orkney Farm Dairy, are all living in one home with planning being refused for accommodation on farm for adults in the next generation to be based on site near the business.

“Other discussions included solution required for meat processing and logistics which is impacting direct farm retailers and smaller producers hardest. Organic producers now have to go to Newcastle as there is no Scottish processing for organic meat.”

Transport issues were also raised, with many island agritourism businesses hit by the lack of reliable ferry service which has seen visitors stuck on the islands, new visitors not able to reach the islands and day trippers for farm tours cancelled.

Ms Millar said the number of businesses in Scotland operating in agritourism and the numbers of people engaging with Scottish Agritourism month demonstrated how much interest there is in the sector from both farmers and crofters as new entrants but also from consumers.

Other events saw Scotland take part online for World Agritourism Day watched by thousands across the globe and more than one hundred businesses took part in a social media challenge cross-selling and promoting others in the sector over each day of the month, reaching hundreds of thousands of consumers.