HISTORICAL assurances about the future of rural education in the West of Scotland have 'proved worthless', it was alleged this week, as Scotland's Rural College announced that the first phase of its 'university transformation plan' would see it leave its current centres in both Ayr and Dumfries.

As part of its plan to become Scotland’s new rural university by 2022, SRUC is aiming to have faculties at three new locations across the country, following a phased withdrawal, over four years, from the existing campuses at Riverside in Ayr and the Crichton in Dumfries, with a potential £35m investment into a new Barony campus in Dumfries and Galloway – the site for the new South and West Faculty.

MSP for Ayr, former NFU Scotland vice president John Scott, expressed his worries about how these changes will affect students: "These moves break the promises that were made over how rural education would be set up. The Hannah family set up Auchincruive as a site for rural education over 100 years ago, and when it was sold maybe a decade ago, assurances were given that the site would remain for this purpose, but as the SRUC moves away from Ayr, these assurances have proved worthless.

"I'm very disappointed at the closures," he continued. "The campus in Ayr has been home to between 200 and 300 students. The move to the Barony will deny a lot of rural students access to a campus. Students from Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, and Wigtownshire will find travelling to this new campus daily impossible, unless they are willing to stay, which isn't feasible for many of them."

The move will have ramifications for staff working at the Riverside and Crichton sites, although they have been told there will be a place for them in the new set up. Research farm manager at the Crichton, Hugh McClymont, said: "Naturally I'm disappointed, for myself, and for my team, many of whom have spent thirty years plus working for the College.

"Choosing the Barony over the Crichton – which contradicts their original suggestions – seems a strange decision. There has been substantial dairy research at the Crichton for the last 40 years, so what's the next stage for that? Nobody has told us," said Mr McClymont.

"We've been told that the SRUC want to build a 'super campus' focussing on education, research and consultancy, which makes sense, but my worry is that they've chosen a site that is 10 miles north of Dumfries, that doesn't have great transport links, that will be difficult to access for young students."

Discussing moving the dairy facility to the Barony, Hugh continued: "We've been told things will be moved to a state of the art facility, but as things stand the Barony isn't big enough to facilitate the number of cows we carry. This is very much a change in our direction, and it doesn't settle lightly."

NFU Scotland Ayrshire regional chairman Colin Mair said: “A major investment in Barony College and a fresh focus on pasture farming and grassland management are important developments for dairy and livestock farming, not just in the South and West, but across Scotland.

“On a sad note, it will bring to a close the long-running association that SRUC has in delivering teaching and research at Auchincruive and Ayr that started with the West of Scotland College of Agriculture in 1927. Likewise, many farmers will also have benefitted from the excellent work undertaken at Crichton that must continue when the dairy herd moves to Barony," said Mr Mair.

“The important delivery of consultancy and veterinary surveillance in the region is, for the time being, located at Auchincruive, but both are subject to consultation on what the future holds. Members in the region will need strong reassurance from SRUC that they are not being abandoned. We believe there is a role for establishing consultancy hubs in the region and for the veterinary surveillance centre to continue."

Professor Wayne Powell, chief executive and principal of SRUC, said the Barony investment was the first major step in its 'transformational growth' to Scotland’s new rural university: "The decisions that we have made, and will implement over the next few years, are all the result of significant research and analysis.

“The three faculties will enable us to bring skills and sectors together, and to strategically deliver an integrated, sustainable model for growth. The transformation programme will be delivered in close consultation with our people, partners and other stakeholders. Importantly, as we are implementing these plans over several years, our current students will be unaffected. I am looking forward to working with communities across Scotland to deliver a new rural university of which everyone can be proud.”