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Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 26 November 2024
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Displaying 1736 contributions

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Rural Affairs and Islands Committee

Rural Affairs and Islands Remit

Meeting date: 31 May 2023

Mairi Gougeon

We will be engaging with all those key sectors as we move forward. We have recently had a number of debates in the Scottish Parliament to consider some of the issues that have been raised, and it is really important we take all of that into consideration. However, that is also important in relation to the networks that I have talked about and the refresh of those networks that we have undertaken. That will be vital going forward, so that we can really encourage that working together and multilateral engagement as we look to work through some of the issues.

Rural Affairs and Islands Committee

Rural Affairs and Islands Remit

Meeting date: 31 May 2023

Mairi Gougeon

As I outlined previously, we have secured about £486 million of fishing opportunities, but, within that, there are changes in the different stocks from previous years. One of the main challenges is the cut of around 30 per cent to the monkfish total allowable catch. I am really keen that we work together with industry and see how we can better develop the evidence base around that.

Although we have seen that cut in monkfish catch, there have been increases in other stocks, which are looking quite strong. We have seen some quite big increases in North Sea cod, North Sea haddock and whiting. Detailed information on the percentage changes is set out in a letter that I sent to the committee in January, but we have seen some positive moves in relation to some stocks. However, again, there are particular areas of challenge on some species that are valuable to Scotland.

10:30  

Rural Affairs and Islands Committee

Rural Affairs and Islands Remit

Meeting date: 31 May 2023

Mairi Gougeon

Yes. The process for legislative consent had been triggered, but the UK Government said it would be carrying on regardless of whether it received that confirmation, so that has been frustrating throughout the process.

The key concern in all of this is that the bill contains powers that would mean that the UK Government and its ministers could amend or revoke devolved legislation. There is no consent mechanism in the legislation. Even though there are 587 instruments in the schedule, the whole of retained EU legislation, where it relates to devolved areas, is open to the UK Government. We are talking about thousands of pieces of legislation that the UK Government would have the power to change until 2026.

Rural Affairs and Islands Committee

Rural Affairs and Islands Remit

Meeting date: 31 May 2023

Mairi Gougeon

That is the commitment that we have set out, because we realise the importance of the issues.

Rural Affairs and Islands Committee

Subordinate Legislation

Meeting date: 31 May 2023

Mairi Gougeon

There is a project board, which has been overseeing the full cost recovery. My officials will probably be able to tell you who is on that board, but I know that there are stakeholders from each of the Administrations on it.

Farmers and crofters have known that the policy is coming and, because of the engagement that has been undertaken by APHA, we do not expect a significant impact. We have been overcharging in some areas and undercharging in others, which is why the phasing in of increased charges is important. We will introduce a 50 per cent uplift this year and will increase that to 100 per cent full cost recovery next year. Phasing that in, rather than doing it in one fell swoop, is a way of recognising concerns about charges.

I am sure that I will be corrected if I am wrong, but I think that the only exception is in relation to work at border control posts, where there will be 100 per cent cost recovery this year.

Rural Affairs and Islands Committee

Subordinate Legislation

Meeting date: 31 May 2023

Mairi Gougeon

As far as I am aware, no concerns in relation to that have been expressed.

Rural Affairs and Islands Committee

Rural Affairs and Islands Remit

Meeting date: 31 May 2023

Mairi Gougeon

As I said in my initial response, we will introduce the agriculture bill this year. Earlier this year, we published our route map for reform, in which we are looking to introduce conditions in 2025 and then to phase the transition to the new framework over the years from 2025 onwards. We therefore need to introduce legislation to extend the provisions in the 2020 act. I cannot give a definitive timescale for that at the moment, but we need that transitionary piece of legislation to allow us to continue with the various schemes that we have at the moment so that we can ultimately implement the route map that we have set out. I will, of course, keep the committee informed as we look to introduce that.

Rural Affairs and Islands Committee

Rural Affairs and Islands Remit

Meeting date: 31 May 2023

Mairi Gougeon

Our route map sets out information about when we are looking to publish information on conditionality, which we hope to be in a position to do very soon. It also sets out some of the areas in which we could apply conditionality in the basic payment scheme, whether that be on greening, the good agricultural and environmental conditions requirements, cross-compliance or potentially elements of a whole-farm plan. That was all listed in the information that we published. We also mentioned potential conditions for voluntary coupled support. We will announce the detail around what we published in the route map shortly.

I will go back to your question relating to NFU Scotland’s calls and the budget splits. The discussions are on-going. I know that that is the NFUS’s position, but other bodies have different views on that. We have committed to a policy of co-development in relation to how we develop our agriculture policy, so we will continue to have those discussions with the agriculture reform implementation oversight board, the NFUS and other stakeholders before setting out a position.

Rural Affairs and Islands Committee

Rural Affairs and Islands Remit

Meeting date: 31 May 2023

Mairi Gougeon

Horticulture is a vital sector to Scotland in respect of the fruit and vegetables that we produce. We know that a number of issues affect the sector at the moment, but we want and encourage people to become involved in horticulture.

We also have various schemes. There are various projects, including a few in my constituency, that look at community-supported agriculture, and we have supported various schemes through those that are really important, because all of that is about strengthening and shortening our local supply chains. That, of course, also meets the objectives that we want to set out in the good food nation plans that we will produce.

Rural Affairs and Islands Committee

Rural Affairs and Islands Remit

Meeting date: 31 May 2023

Mairi Gougeon

We would have the requirements for tier 2 in the new legislation. The measures to be included in that would be set out in secondary legislation. Ultimately, that allows for flexibility in the future so that we do not have to go back and amend primary legislation every time. That also means that we can adapt, add to or change those measures if there are innovations in agriculture, for example. That provides us with the flexibility and the adaptive framework that we will need for the future, so that we have more flexibility than we have through the current schemes.