Interests
Good morning, everybody, and welcome to the first meeting in this session of the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee. I understand that I am the oldest member of the committee and therefore will be in the chair for the first part of the meeting. Mr Fergusson and I will need to get out our birth certificates.
I am happy to give way.
Indeed.
Under the standing orders, I will chair the meeting until a convener is chosen, but first all members must declare their interests. Members should have a brief note of their declarations of interests. It is advisable to begin with things that you think are necessary; voluntary interests should also be declared.
I do not believe that I have any statutory interests to declare. My voluntary interests include membership of the Scottish Crofting Federation, Slow Food International and the Soil Association.
I ask members to state their interests. Annabelle Ewing, who is about to be elected deputy convener, can start.
I never asked you to jump the gun, but who knows?
I do not see that my mandatory registrable interests are relevant to the committee’s remit, but my voluntary declarations are potentially of interest, so I will repeat them. I am a member of the Law Society of Scotland and I hold a practising certificate. I am not entirely sure that that is relevant, but I have put it out there. Between around September 2007 and May 2009, I worked on a consultancy project-support basis for Comrie Development Trust, which is a local development trust that is based in Comrie in Perthshire, where I live. That may become relevant at some point.
I have some interests to declare—in particular, heritable property interests. Do you want me to read them out or detail them?
Just detail them generally.
I own a house, cottage and farmland in south Ayrshire. The house’s value is between around £150,000 and £200,000, the cottage’s value is between £50,000 and £100,000, and the farmland’s value is between £200,000 and £250,000. The rental income from that property is declared under my remuneration entry as between £15,000 and £20,000 per annum. I also have an agreement with Scottish and Southern Energy Ltd over land that is owned by me that was developed as part of a wind farm, from which I receive a rental income of between £45,000 and £50,000 per annum.
Under the voluntary category, I declare membership of Scottish Land and Estates; it became that two days ago, I think—it was formerly the Scottish Rural Property and Business Association. I am also a member of the Scottish Blackface Sheep Breeders Association—that is not to be sniffed at—and the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, of which I am the president elect for 2011-12. I have not yet declared that, but I will do so.
I think that is everything.
Under the statutory register of interests, I am a partner in John Hume and Son, which is a hill farming business in the Scottish Borders.
My other relevant interests are that I am a member of NFU Scotland, and I have been a director of that organisation and its environment and land use director, and I have been Lothians and Borders National Farmers Union president. That was all pre-2007, but I am still a member of that union.
I am a member and a past trustee of Borders Forest Trust, a member of Scottish Land and Estates, a member of RSPB Scotland, a past director of Scottish Enterprise Borders, for which I was chairman of the land-based advisory group, a past chairman of the Borders Foundation for Rural Sustainability, and a past member of the Forestry Commission’s south of Scotland regional forum. I am a member of the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, but I play no active part. I am also a member of the Cheviot Sheep Society, which is far more important than the Scottish Blackface Sheep Breeders Association. [Laughter.]
For the moment, I have no registrable interests. That is set out in the register of members’ interests, which the Parliament will publish in July.
I do not have anything to declare under the mandatory categories. I do not think that I have anything to declare under the voluntary categories, except that I am a season ticket holder at Carnoustie Golf Links—I do not know whether that is relevant.
I do not believe that I have any relevant interest to declare.
I do not have any registrable interests. A couple of years ago, I was a guest of the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation in order to find out a bit more about the aquaculture industry. I have voluntarily declared that and a number of other things because the organisation paid for my accommodation.
I am a member of Unite the Union—formerly the Transport and General Workers Union—which I suppose could have some influence on the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board, for example. I am also a member of RSPB Scotland, the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Dumfriesshire and Cumbria Greyhound Rescue, Dumfries and Galloway Canine Rescue Centre and Oxfam, but I give them money—they do not give me any.
My only declaration is that I am a member of Aberdeen City Council and, through the council, I am currently a member of the north-east Scotland agricultural advisory group, which is a cross-authority group formed by Moray, Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City councils. However, it is not a membership that I intend to continue for very long as I am looking to reduce my council commitments to focus on the work here.
Thank you. As the interest declarations have been made, we will move on.