Scotland’s hemp industry is hampered by excessive regulation, according to industry experts.
Researchers from the University of Aberdeen have highlighted how the crop could lead to an economically successful and climate-friendly industry in Scotland.
However, it is currently affected by strict legislation from the Ministry of the Interior and a lack of infrastructure.
The plant is part of the cannabis family, which includes species that are cultivated for use as a psychoactive drug.
Cannabis is classified as a Class B drug in the UK, but farmers can grow varieties low in THC, the psychoactive substance present in the plant, if they manage to apply for permission from the Home Office.
READ MORE: Could Hemp Help Scotland’s Farming Sector Reach Net Zero?
But as Dr Wisdom Dogbe of the University of Aberdeen told The National, farmers are currently subject to a lengthy and expensive process when trying to obtain a licence.
“It is very difficult to get approval from the Ministry of the Interior,” he said. “Farmers told us that it takes so long to apply for a license that by the time it’s approved the growing season is already over.
“So even when farmers get a license, they have to pay for the government to monitor their farm every three years.
“It is very difficult for them because choosing a new crop is a risk in itself. When you add political challenges on top of that, it deters farmers from getting into production.”
Dogbe (below) added that the best thing the UK government could do to encourage this growing industry is to “ensure regulations are not too strict or expensive for farmers and make it easier for them to get a license “.
Kyle Esplin is the co-founder of Holistic Highland Hemp, a company that grows hemp and sells it in the form of CBD oil, a non-psychoactive chemical found in the plant that has numerous medicinal benefits. It echoed Dogbe’s calls for a relaxation of regulations.
He said: “Farmers pay £550 for a three-year licence. But some have found that when they go to renew it, they are refused.
“Whoever granted the license may have looked at the map and thought ‘great’, but then the person deciding whether to renew it has said, say, it’s too close to a B road in terms of visibility.
“So this is approval denied entirely at their discretion, even though the farmer has a field and can farm there.
“Then the government will say that to cultivate it the farmer will have to plant 10 meters of wheat around the hemp to try to disguise it. But the pesticides used on wheat cannot be used on hemp, so everything becomes unviable.
“The whole industry has just been disadvantaged and marginalized.”
READ MORE: Cannabis and Scotland: The surprising crop that was once a key component of the nation’s agriculture
Esplin said this is surprising given the ecological benefits of the crop in terms of carbon sequestration and biodiversity. In fact, according to Dogbe’s research, most farmers gravitate to the crop because it can improve soil health in a fallow year.
He said: “Hemp improves biodiversity, leaves a lot of nutrients behind and also pulls toxins out of the soil. So from the farmers we spoke to, it seemed like the main reason they wanted to grow hemp was for the environmental benefits.”
The UK is a net importer of hemp seed and hemp fiber despite huge opportunities for domestic production.
Still, some companies have forged ahead using the crop despite the regulatory challenges.
Scottish Borders-based company IndiNature has just opened the UK’s first dedicated natural fiber insulation factory using industrial hemp as an end product.
IndiTherm is a carbon negative insulation material containing hemp sourced from UK farms.
Speaking at the opening of the factory, Scottish Government Minister Patrick Harvie welcomed the technology as a sustainable solution to the country’s energy problems.
He said: “Developing climate-friendly solutions to heat and insulate our homes should be seen not just as a challenge to meet our climate obligations, but as a substantial opportunity for the sector and the economy Generally.
“I enjoyed visiting IndiNature to learn more about their innovative and sustainable insulation products and wish the team every success as they continue to develop, grow and support the acceleration of our green heat industry “.
But Dogbe said change must happen if the industry is to thrive in Scotland: “Importing these products instead of producing them makes no sense. There is huge potential, the land is available, the soil is good and the climate is suitable for producing the crop here.
Esplin echoed the call for change, saying the UK’s regulatory environment was letting farmers down, especially compared to more lenient approaches to farming in Europe.
“The biggest doubt of farmers is not having the domestic market developed for their products despite the general popularity of the plant,” he said.
“It is also because they have been at a disadvantage with the licensing system compared to their European counterparts.
“In Europe, the farmer is able to sell the flower for CBD extraction and the leaves, which are harvested for hemp tea.
“But in the UK they are only allowed to use the seed and stem; they are not allowed to use the leaf and flower. That’s a huge chunk of their potential revenue that’s being lost.”
