Crofting Matters - A View From Shetland

Crofting Matters - A View From Shetland

From Scotland's Farm Advisory Service Podcast by Scotland's Farm Advisory Service Podcast

May 27, 2026 · 41 min · Season 2 · Episode 203

About this episode

This episode explores the unique world of island crofting in Shetland, highlighting the resilience of its crofters and the challenges they face.

Hello and welcome to Crofting Matters, hosted by Siobhan Macdonald, and this is the Farm Advisory Service series where we discuss topics that matter in crofting. For this episode, we’re heading north to the wild and windswept Shetland isles to explore the unique world of island crofting and the remarkable resilience of Shetland’s crofters. Join Siobhan Macdonald and Osla Jamwal Fraser as they dive into the opportunities and challenges of farming on the archipelago — from the advantages of geographic isolation for maintaining high-health livestock schemes, to the realities of costly transport links and long ferry crossings. With Osla at the helm of the series for 2026, we will uncover some of Shetland’s most fascinating agricultural stories and industries, including its iconic Shetland sheep, world-famous wool, native ponies, and even the surprising rise of spaceports among the islands’ rugged landscapes. This is a journey into innovation, tradition, and life at the edge of the North Sea. Thanks for joining us for this episode of Crofting Matters. If you’d like to find out more about you can find the link in the show notes. This episode was presented by Siobhan Macdonald produced…

People in this episode

Host: Siobhan Macdonald

Guest: Osla Jamwal Fraser

Topics covered

  • cropping
  • Shetland agriculture
  • livestock
  • innovation
  • tradition
  • farming challenges

Keywords

  • crofting
  • Shetland sheep
  • high-health livestock
  • farming challenges
  • spaceports
  • wool

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Scottish Government

Places: Shetland, North Sea

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