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The Food Standards Agency (FSA) informs me that it has been a long standing practice for tuberculosis reactor cattle to be slaughtered for human consumption.

This arrangement has been repeatedly assessed as low risk by a number of expert committees and further the FSA is not aware of any recorded case of human infection being acquired from the consumption of meat. Detailed inspection and control measures are set out in the relevant EU legislation.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-16264 on 6 August 2013. All answers to written Parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Scotland's National Parks are two of our greatest national assets. The Scottish Government has been providing substantial capital to improve the visitor experience in these special places and has no plans to privatise them. The Scottish Government fully supports the national parks continuing to explore opportunities for further investment in visitor infrastructure in support of the tourism industry and working closely with private, public and voluntary sector organisations to deliver a range of benefits for conservation, communities and visitors.

Funding allocations to national Parks were set out in the Scottish Spending Review 2011 and Draft Budget 2012-13 document, which presented Scotland’s spending plans for 2012-13 to 2014-15. This is available on the Scottish Government website at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/358356/0121130.pdf.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-16045 on 22 July 2013. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

In terms of meetings since 26 March 2013, the Minister for Environment and Climate Change met with officials on 26 March, 23 May, 4, 12 and 27 June 2013 and held a teleconference on 15 April 2013 to discuss the development and publication of Low Carbon Scotland: Meeting our Emissions Reduction Targets 2013-2027 - The Second Report on Proposals and Policies (RPP2).

On 12 June 2013 the Minister for Environment and Climate Change met with the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth to discuss RPP2.

On 18 June 2013, the First Minister, Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth, Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, Minister for Parliamentary Business, Minister for Youth Employment and the Minister for External Affairs and International Development, discussed RPP2 and agreed to allocate further low carbon investment in the 2014/15 budget.

In addition, the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment and the Minister for Environment and Climate Change met with senior officials on a fortnightly basis at which progress on a range of portfolio issues including the RPP was reviewed. This complemented the work between officials in the RPP2 project team and counterparts within key portfolios on portfolio aspects of RPP2, and stakeholder consultation.

Furthermore, the Minister for Environment and Climate Change discussed RPP2 related issues regarding wood fuel for biomass, tree planting rates and use of timber in construction with the Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism on 23 May 2013.

The Minister for Environment and Climate Change also discussed RPP2 on several occasions with fellow ministers at weekly Ministerial meetings and has had informal discussions with colleagues on a number of occasions.

RPP2 was regularly discussed at fortnightly meetings between the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Parliamentary Liaison Officer and Special Adviser.

There are currently 109 wildlife crime officers operating across Police Scotland and they play a critical role in the fight against wildlife crime in Scotland. Operationally based within the Specialist Crime Division of Police Scotland, there are five full-time wildlife crime liaison officer’s (WCLO) and nine part-time WCLO posts.

In addition there is also a full-time wildlife crime coordinator (policy) and 95 part-time wildlife crime officers. The deployment of these officers within Police Scotland is an operational matter for the Chief Constable.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-15766 on 18 July 2013. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

The Scottish Government does not believe that further legislation to protect white-tailed eagles, or any other bird of prey, and their nests is necessary and therefore, at this time, has no plans to introduce any further legislation in this respect. However on 1 July 2013 the Scottish Government announced a number of new measures aimed at tackling wildlife crime as set out in the answer to question S4W-15812 on 15 July 2013 and it would be inappropriate to prejudice or constrain the work of the proposed review of how wildlife crime is treated in the criminal justice system.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, birds of prey, including white-tailed eagles, are protected. The provisions of the Act make it an offence if a person recklessly or intentionally kills, injures or takes a bird of prey.

It is also an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act to: take, damage, destroy or otherwise interfere with a bird of prey nest, including white-tailed eagle, whether in use or being built; obstruct or prevent a bird of prey, including white-tailed eagle, from using its nest; take or destroy the egg of a bird of prey, including white-tailed eagle; intentionally or recklessly disturb a bird of prey, including white-tailed eagle while it is in a nest or is building a nest, or is on, in or near a nest containing eggs or young; and intentionally or recklessly disturb the dependent young of a bird of prey, including white-tailed eagle.

White-tailed eagles are also listed on Schedules A1 and 1A of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (Variation of Schedules A1 and 1A (Scotland) Order 2013) came into force on 18th March 2013 and added golden eagle to Schedule A1 and 1A of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and hen harrier and red kite to Schedule 1A only. Schedule A1 of the 1981 Act lists bird species whose nests are protected at all times from disturbance, including outwith the breeding season and Schedule 1A of the 1981 Act lists those bird species which are protected from harassment.