About Us

Introduction and Background:

The Scottish Agricultural Arbiters Association (SAAVA) was founded in 1925 to serve the interests of Agricultural Arbiters (then predominantly lay men of skill) and provide them with advice and opportunity for discussion of practical and legal problems, and to promote uniformity of practice in arbitration procedure and associated valuation work.

SAAVA still comprises practical valuers, arbiters, auctioneers, surveyors, solicitors, accountants and others having professional or personal interests in rural valuation work.

In 2010 SAAVA joined the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (CAAV), CAAV

The CAAV is the national specialist professional body representing, briefing and qualifying those acting and advising on agricultural and rural property and business matters across the whole United Kingdom. CAAV was founded in 1910 by local valuers’ associations to provide a national organisation with professional authority to represent valuers and ensure professional standards.

What is SAAVA?

The Scottish Agricultural Arbiters & Valuers Association

Since its inception SAAVA has grown in several ways, including:

– its membership, having grown from 150 to 250, developing a significant element of younger members of whom many qualify with the CAAV,

– its engagements, range of work and activity, as the scope of rural professional work spreads and also matching a devolved government with growing power. SAAVA, with the assistance of CAAV, represents agricultural valuers, engaging with Scottish Government on a wide variety of matters affecting the countryside, including agricultural policy, farm tenancies, taxation, compulsory purchase, planning and agri-environment schemes.

– its affiliation to the CAAV leads to involvement with UK-wide issues,

– SAAVA has developed as the CAAV Scottish examinations centre, operational since 2012, so being part of providing an independent professional qualification

– SAAVA is a recognised nominating body under the Arbitration (Scotland) Act 2010, and has a panel of arbiters and independent experts for appointment.

SAAVA’s structure has adapted to ensure that its structure evolves to address the complexity of issues affecting the rural sector.

The present constitution can be found here

How we do Business

Below sets out an aide memoire outlining the current structure and how we do business.

The Executive

For flexibility SAAVA has a small executive group to handle matters between Council meetings. This generally comprises the President, Vice President, and Secretary overseen by the immediate past President.

The Executive are currently represented by

Ian Thornton Kemsley President
Andrew Linehan Vice President
Mark Fogden Immediate Past President
Martin Hall Senior Vice President CAAV
Jeremy Moody Secretary and Advisor to CAAV
Mags Clark Secretary SAAVA

Role Profiles:

The President:

The President of SAAVA is effectively responsible for the running of the organisation with the roles including:
– chairing the meetings of SAAVA Council
– chairing SAAVA’s AGM
– presiding at SAAVA’s Field Day
– participating in the CAAV/SAAVA Royal Highland Show visit
– representing SAAVA when required
– reporting to the CAAV Council on Scottish matters on behalf of SAAVA Council as the Scottish Committee of the CAAV.

The President’s tenure is for two years, having first spent two years as Vice President. The length of tenure enables the President to draw on the experience of his predecessor in the first year and, during the second, pass this knowledge on to the Vice President.

Whilst the President would ideally be a member of CAAV, the role is open to all SAAVA members.

Vice President:

The Vice President generally will:

– take responsibility for “internal” matters – seen as membership, the AGM and the Field Day – which in themselves offer a way into the overall work of SAAVA
– act as the key point of contact for the SAAVA Secretary.

The Vice President will be responsible to the President (and so to Council) for the administration of the organisation with particular responsibilities being the organising of:

– the AGM
– the Field Day.

The Vice President will draw on members (from within or outwith Council) to help run events, as required, on occasion as a sub-committee or working party.

The next Vice President is usually identified by the Presidential team in Council within the first 18-month period of the Presidential term of office (i.e. 6 months before the AGM). Whilst the VP would ideally be a member of CAAV, this is role open to any member of SAAVA.

The Secretary:

The Secretary’s role is the day-to-day administration of the organisation, including:
– the administration of SAAVA
– the local administration of CAAV membership in Scotland, liaising with the CAAV Secretariat
– the collection of subscriptions
– maintaining accounts, handling receipts
– supporting SAAVA’s Council, Executive and other meetings
– administering events such as the AGM/CAAV Briefing and the Field Day
– circulating members with papers as directed
– the point of reference for correspondence for SAAVA
– holding and managing records
– ensuring the website is up to date

The SAAVA Secretary will circulate the Agendas of Committees to all members of SAAVA Council prior to specific meetings.