Today, more than ever before, policy statements are issued by most trade associations
and organisations. The estate either conforms to or is working towards implementation
of standards and guidelines issued by, the Scottish Estates Business Group, Scottish Rural Property and Business Association, Scottish
Quality Farm Assured Cereals, UK Forestry Standard etc.The Estate recognises the employment resource as one of its major assets and gives high priority to Health & Safety issues and the provision of a Group Personal Pension Scheme to provide for employees after their service years.
The Estate now has a corporate management structure managing all business interests. Management employees are jointly employed by the principals, and service their requirements as if they were personal clients. Each member of the management team is highly skilled. Co-ordination, co-operation and information dispersal are achieved laterally within the management structure by regular meetings involving senior staff from all disciplines.
The following sets out our policy objectives for management and corporate social responsibility:
Human resource
- To safeguard as far as possible the employment of estate staff
- To encourage employees to develop skills to give maximum job satisfaction
- To promote awareness of Health and Safety at all levels and ensure completion of all Risk Assessments and Method Statements where appropriate
- To make decisions which are not discriminatory on grounds of gender, race, disability or religion
- To manage to a high level of financial efficiency
- To maximise net yield without compromising standards and obligations to staff and public generally
- To yield a fair return to the proprietor while maintaining the underlying assets
- To support tenants in appropriate developments to fixed equipment on holdings
- To promote greater awareness of the needs of tenants
- To support the development needs of local communities by making land available to sustain dynamic growth both residential and commercial
- To give special due care to the maintenance and preservation of all listed properties
- To support local contractors
- To promote an appreciation of the merits of tenant farming and the success of this partnership approach to business
- To seek a sustainable balanced approach to rural land use and resist pressure from interest groups with narrow objectives seeking to persuade the Government to further interfere in the fragile rural economy
- To encourage the sustainable development of rural industries with due regard to flora and fauna
- To continue with programmes which deepen and widen existing biodiversity integrating conservation with commercial objectives
- To participate with Scottish Natural Heritage and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and others in research surveys including Capercaillie and Twinflower
- To encourage conservation by removing redundant deer fencing in order to reduce bird strikes
- To promote the restoration of birch woodlands within let farms and to research in co-operation with Highland Birchwoods the impact of different grazing regimes
- To control deer numbers by culling to at least the numbers recommended by the Deer Commission for Scotland in agreed management plans
- To implement the Deer Management Plan for the highly acclaimed Kinveachy Site of Special Scientific Interest, Special area of Conservation and Special Protection Area
- To restructure woodlands in more sensitive areas to create plantations of mixed age
- To maintain and improve the valuable heather moorland habitat, particularly for red grouse and also for all upland bird assemblages
- To promote improvements to tributaries of the Spey in order to encourage habitat conducive to good spawning in association with the Spey River Board, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency
- To establish close liaison with local communities, local councils, and national government on all relevant policy areas of mutual interest
- To communicate estate management objectives to local communities
- To encourage an appreciation of the countryside and respect for the environment and rural businesses
- To encourage multi-benefits from woodland areas which do not impair the financial return of the investment in the growing crop
- To promote woodland access for recreation around local communities
- To continue to develop recognised safe access routes over estate lands such as those already secured by the Aviemore Orbital Footpath, The Speyside Way that extends for 12 kilometres, and the National Cycle Network extending for some 16 kilometres
- To encourage "all-abilities" access initiatives as that established at Nethybridge
- To inform and educate about the rural economy including the support of the Farm Links Scheme promoted by the Royal Northern Countryside Initiative