Barony College, Dumfries, which was at first hesitant about the merger, has announced it will join with the Scottish Agricultural College and Scotland's two other land-based colleges. SAC, Elmwood and Oatrdige College announced plans to merge last month, while Barony said it was “considering its future options.”

However, the college’s board of management today decided to pursue the full merger with the rest of Scotland’s land-based colleges. In a joint statement Elmwood, Oatridge and SAC said they shared a vision for the delivery of comprehensive skills, education and business support for Scotland's land-based industries, built on world class and sector-leading research. The four colleges will now pursue a national strategy for land-based education in Scotland.

Barony College principal Russell Marchant commented, “These are challenging times for tertiary education in Scotland but we are convinced the merger will offer positive benefits and exciting developments for the industries and students we aim to serve. The new body will be both a national and international leader in its field.  We are looking forward to playing our part in ensuring this new national body is a success.”