Scottish farmer facing eviction wins last-minute reprieve

Andrew Stoddart and his family, who were told they must leave farm he has tended for 22 years, secure eviction postponement after talks with landlord

A tenant farmer facing immediate eviction with minimal compensation has won an 11th-hour reprieve in a case that has galvanised the land rights movement in Scotland.

Andrew Stoddart announced on Thursday - the day before his family's scheduled eviction from Coulston Mains, East Lothian, which he has farmed for 22 years - that the departure date had been postponed until January and a settlement agreed after last-minute mediation with his landlord.