Chamber and committees

I first give apologies for Alan Elder, who is unable to make this morning’s meeting due to a family incident.

I thank the committee for taking the time to consider the draft regulations. It is proposed that the regulations be made using the modified powers conferred by the Agriculture (Retained EU Law and Data) (Scotland) Act 2020, which enable us to improve the operation of the assimilated European Union law underpinning our common agricultural policy schemes, and powers under the direct payments EU regulation 1307/2013, which permit amendments to the requirements for ecological focus areas.

They will improve the provisions for ecological focus areas by requiring more businesses to undertake EFA activities as a condition of their greening payment, increasing the area of land managed for EFA and widening the options and choices available for those undertaking those activities.

We have committed to providing a replacement legacy Scottish rural development programme scheme, as is set out in the vision for agriculture and the agricultural reform route map and in the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act 2024. Greening support is required to be modified in order to align with the route map phased transition from legacy common agricultural policy schemes into the proposed new support framework. Without the changes made by the regulations, greening payments would be unable to support the commitment to tier 2 support that is set out in the route map.

The regulations will also improve the operation of the provisions for the Scottish suckler beef support scheme by introducing a derogation from the calving interval requirements for smaller businesses, in response to concerns raised by smaller producers and the Scottish Crofting Federation. They will also extend the end of the application submission period, to allow submissions to be made up to 14 January following the end of the relevant calendar year, which will make it easier for applications to be submitted in time.

The regulations mark a significant point in our progress towards our aim of becoming a world leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture, and they deliver on our previous commitments. We got here by co-developing in detail with partners, and I fully endorse that approach. The Government, this Parliament and rural partners all support the vision for agriculture. Getting there means working together and agreeing together to longer-term planning and development.

Failure to bring the regulations into force would undermine progress and the efforts and work of many of our farmers and crofters who are already committed to making those improvements.

I am happy to take any questions.

You have to look at that in the context of the whole programme. We are developing policies that we are delivering, stage by stage, in order to bring the community with us. That is what we are doing today. We are delivering policies as we go forward, and in that context we know what we are doing up to 2027. Farmers know that things will develop as we go forward up to 2030.

I said that it is not in my thinking.

The IT system is not in my consideration at the moment. The biggest consideration in my thinking now is how we get policies that the industry will buy into, come with us on and deliver.

We are using the legacy IT system that is in place.

Our ambition is to create the system that allows tier 1, tier 2, tier 3 and tier 4, which will take us to a point where Scotland becomes a world leader in regenerative agriculture.

We are already starting to develop the tier 2 scheme, and this is part of that scheme.

The point that Paul Neison has just made relates to exactly that. Extensive engagement has taken place right across the country. Our rural payments and inspections division colleagues have worked at all the shows across the country, asking people to engage with the process, so that they understand what is coming. The Government has been very clear. I have said many times in the committee and other public forums that people need to get themselves into the mindset that those changes are coming and to start being aware of what those changes are.

The rural payments and inspections division and other Scottish Government teams have been available. Extensive consultation has taken place and people have had extensive ability to find out the information. We are making the process as simple as possible but, ultimately, the farmers must engage. They have to decide that they will get that information, because it is part of what they will have to do.

John, do you have any indication as to why that would be the case?

That is duly noted. As far as I can tell, the announcement that we would bring in the derogation gave the community comfort that we had taken on board their concerns, but I take on board the point that you have made.

No. What we are debating today is the requirement to bring more people into greening on the 5 per cent of land that is currently subject to EFA and then deliver the increase to 7 per cent in 2027.