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A licence can only be granted provided that it meets three tests, including that there must be no satisfactory alternative. We will give due consideration to any European Protected Species licence applications that are submitted on the merits of each individual case and taking account of all relevant factors. It would be inappropriate to pre-determine any part of this process.

Only essential retail is able to remain open in an area which is categorised as Level 4. Non-essential retail is open in Level 3 areas and below. An updated list of Essential retailers came into force on the 26 December in regulations that responded to the emergence of a new strain of the virus.

Baby equipment stores are not currently included in the list of essential retail however can operate online and as a permitted collection service.

We consider these restrictions essential in response to the emergence of a new strain of the virus that we have seen spread much faster in parts of the UK, and to minimise longer-term impacts on both public health and our economy.

The Scottish Government has said direct payments made to individual recipients will be capped in the transition period.

Since then we have had to deal with the combined impacts of COVID-19 and Brexit. Faced with these challenges, we decided to prioritise maintaining CAP payments to support the rural economy and the legislation required to ensure the CAP/SRDP could continue in 2021.

Capping is still under active consideration but requires careful work to ensure it does not detrimentally impact the rural economy, there is advance notice of any changes, and that any funding raised is used for clear outcomes that support Scottish Government priorities. The timeframe for this means any decisions will be for the next Parliamentary session.

We are also committed to co-develop new ways of working with our farming and crofting communities through farmer-led groups supported by scientific and economic expertise from SRUC and our main research providers, and will consider the outcomes from these groups in reaching our decisions.

The budget for the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) in 2021-22 is a reflection of forecast spend for ongoing existing five year contracts, as well as the contract extensions for agreements that ended in 2020. A further round of AECS was opened in January 2021 to support delivery of a wide range of environmental measures, with a focus on protected areas, organics, management supporting farmland waders, corn buntings and corncrakes, slurry stores and improving public access.

In addition the Agriculture Transformation Fund has provided £16.8m to around 3,500 individual applications for capital machinery that should assist in reducing GHG emissions in the sector and £1.5m for forestry and farm woodland planting, which will help farmers diversify into forestry and fund more small-scale farm woods.

We also announced funding of £20 million in the 2020-21 budget for peatland restoration with a commitment to invest more than £0.25 billion over 10 years to support restoration of 20,000 ha of Scottish peatland annually towards a total of 250,000 hectares by 2030.

All of this funding supplements funding designed to pursue environmental objectives, such as ensuring that in 2019-20, Scotland’s proportion of new woodland creation in the UK was 81%

Scheme and budget decisions must be taken at programme level and reflect the available budget. We have prioritised agri-environment support, but that is made difficult as a result of the decision by the UK Government to cut funding by £170m and their decision to only have a one-year spending review that means there is no legally committed funding agreement beyond 2021-22. The lack of funding guarantees and continued uncertainty means SG must be very careful when entering into multi-annual agreements such as AECS.

The budget for Agri-Environmental Measures in 2021-22 is a reflection of forecast spend for ongoing existing five year Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) contracts, as well as the contract extensions for agreements that ended in 2020. Due to the lack of funding certainty from the UK Government following an EU exit, the Scottish Government has extended contracts that ended in 2020 for a further year ensured the total area of land managed under AECS in 2021 has continued at around 1 million hectares.

The 2021 round will ensure further funding is provided between 2022-23 and
‎ 2026-27 for continued support for protected areas, organics, management supporting farmland waders, corn buntings and corncrakes, slurry stores, and improving public access. This will help farmers and crofters to undertake important environmental management and support our work on climate change. It will also promote public wellbeing through providing infrastructure for recreational activities such as walking, cycling and sightseeing.

The actual area of land continuing under management will be led by the eligibility and quality of applications, the options applied for and the scoring threshold selected for the different elements that provide the greatest benefit for the budget available. We have set a closing date for the end of June, later than normal to allow land managers sufficient time to consider the options and prepare high quality applications. The options identified in the restricted round will cover less land area, but will provide targeted support for continuity of management and protection for Scotland’s most vulnerable habitats and species, along with continuing to support organic farming with its universally accepted benefits for biodiversity and climate change.

We have prioritised agri-environment support in the face of significant cuts to the budget resulting from the UK Government reneging on public commitments that farmers and crofters would not be worse off as a result of leaving the EU. As it stands, Scotland’s farmers and rural communities stand to lose £170 million over the 2021-22 to 2024-25 period as a result of Brexit.

We continue to support farmers, crofters and land managers to play their part in cutting emissions, addressing climate change as well as delivering wider biodiversity and environmental benefits. Currently, a range of CAP schemes including Greening, Agri-Environment Climate Scheme, Beef Efficiency Scheme and Forestry Grant Scheme are providing funding in this area.

Scotland’s farmers and crofters contribute great value to our country, producing high quality food, looking after our countryside, and forming the backbone of our rural communities. It is right they are rewarded for doing so.

The Scottish Government made clear our intention to ensure that the level of support for those farming in our upland and most challenging areas of Scotland should be maintained.

That is why we passed legislation to enable us to reverse the cuts, required by EU law, to the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) in 2019 and 2020, and to allow us to set payment rates from 2021 onwards at the previous and higher 2018 level. The legislation also allows us to extend the LFASS scheme to 2024.

However, scheme and budget decisions must be taken at programme level and reflect the available budget, including the challenges of dealing with legacy schemes, some of which extend beyond the end of the next Parliamentary session. The decision by the UK Government to cut funding by £170m and their decision to only have a one-year spending review that means there is no funding agreement beyond 2021-22. The lack of funding guarantees and continued uncertainty means we must very carefully manage the overall programme and this specifically applies to schemes that result in multi-annual commitments such as the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS).

We continue to support farmers, crofters and land managers to play their part in cutting emissions, addressing climate change as well as delivering wider bio-diversity and environmental benefits. Currently, a third of CAP schemes including Greening, Agri-Environment Climate Scheme, Beef Efficiency Scheme and Forestry Grant Scheme are providing funding in this area. We are seeking to improve and simplify these measures in the short-term, while piloting new approaches through NatureScot between 2021 and 2024.

As part of our 20-21 Budget, the Scottish Government allocated £55m to support our Area Based Schemes; £41m for domestic energy efficiency Loans schemes; £26m for our Warmer Homes Scotland service; and £12.8m for fuel poverty, renewables and energy efficiency advice and support services.

To date, additional allocations of £20.5m have been made to support these schemes during the course of the year, as follows: Area Based Schemes (£10m); Warmer Homes Scotland (£6m); and domestic loans schemes (£4.5m). Delivery of these programmes has been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 public health emergency.

It is our aim that the harvesting of any seaweed species should be sustainable and that our marine environment is protected. Kelp beds play a key role in supporting marine biodiversity, providing vital habitats, natural hazard protection and climate regulation. That is why we legislated in the Scottish Crown Estate Act 2019 to introduce controls on the removal of certain species of wild kelp. This legislation was informed by a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of wild seaweed harvesting in 2016 Wild seaweed harvesting: strategic environmental assessment - environmental report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . Further, the Scottish Marine Assessment 2020, published in December 2020, includes an outline of the current seaweed harvesting and cultivation position in Scotland Wild seaweed harvesting: strategic environmental assessment - environmental report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

During the parliamentary scrutiny of the Scottish Crown Estate Act 2019, I announced a review to gather evidence to help ensure existing seaweed harvesting activity and future proposals are sustainable and Scotland’s marine environment is protected. A Seaweed Review Steering Group has been established to advise on all aspects of the review. Membership includes organisations from various sectors representing conservation, science, enterprise, biotechnology, fisheries and the seaweed industry association. Part of the scope of the review will be to outline the research and evidence-base requirements to identify and assess potential environmental impacts of seaweed harvesting on recovery and regrowth of harvested stocks, including consideration of the wider ecosystem benefits provided by seaweed.