Official Report 535KB pdf
Agenda item 6 is the “Brussels Bulletin”.
There is a slight change of tack for me on the “Brussels Bulletin”. On page 3, there is an important item on the dairy issue and milk prices. That issue does not affect just Scottish milk producers—throughout Europe, there is absolutely no stability in pricing for milk—but it is particularly an issue in Scotland. It is potentially seriously damaging and it threatens the industry.
The bulletin talks about the concerns and says that there is some kind of basket of “tools” available with which to try to influence the issue and bring about a wee bit of stability for our farmers and milk producers. I am keen to find out exactly what those tools are and what the intention behind deploying them might be, so that we can see whether they might assist Scottish farmers and milk producers to get a fair price for their milk and a consistent and stable price that lasts for a period of time and does not go up and down like a yo-yo, as it does at the moment.
The Parliament’s Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee has just started an inquiry into milk prices in the dairy sector, so maybe the way to address the issue is to keep in close contact with our colleagues on that committee.
I was going to raise that point. Some of my constituents in the Campbeltown area in Kintyre have been getting 13p to 16p for their milk, when it costs them 24p to produce it. Most of them are members of First Milk. It is a real crisis, so I hope that something will be done quickly. Something needs to be done quickly.
We should maybe look at the criteria that the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee has set for its inquiry and see what it involves.
I am a member of the Public Petitions Committee, and there was a petition by a farmer who feels that their human rights were infringed when the pricing was set in the first place. I just want to point out that aspect. We need to be careful about how we address the issue so that there are no losers—that is important. We might want to share that with the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee so that, in its deliberations, it can try to ensure that we do not end up with people on the losing end. The idea is to ensure that there is a win-win for all of us and, most important, to protect our industry. We should advise the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee of that fact. It might already know that but, just in case it does not, it would be nice to let it know.
We should ensure that that section of the “Brussels Bulletin” is highlighted to that committee with our comments.
On biodiversity, I am interested in the study by the non-governmental organisation BirdLife International, which has requested that the Commission
“start working on a targeted and effective biodiversity conservation policy”.
Could we follow through on any response to that from the Commission?
Absolutely.
I draw members’ attention to the section at the back of the bulletin, which is a SPICe paper on the anti-money laundering legislation—an issue that a number of MSPs have raised with the committee. The paper is fairly detailed, and I know that the chief executive of the Parliament has been doing some work on what it means for us all. Some overzealous banks might be getting a bit ahead of themselves on some aspects of the matter. It is a detailed paper that gives us an update on the fourth anti-money laundering directive, which was adopted only a few weeks ago.
My inclination is to ensure that the chief executive of the Parliament gets a copy of the paper, which could then be distributed directly to all MSPs to ensure that they understand what the phrase “politically exposed person” means and the impact that the measures will have on their day-to-day financial transactions. Do members agree to that approach?
Members indicated agreement.
I add a cautionary note. Perhaps we can do something on public awareness. I saw a television programme in which a youngster was prevented from leaving the UK because he had a large sum of money and he could not produce evidence, there and then, of where it came from. People need prior knowledge so that they can ensure that they have evidence if they are taking large sums of cash abroad for business or pleasure. It is important that we disseminate that information to the general public.
I hope that individual members will help with that as well.
It is a good point that we should disseminate the information to members of the Parliament so they are fully aware of the issue. I have personal experience of the issue from some time ago, but I am sure that plenty of members are not aware of it at all.
You are not alone. Many members have contacted me, in my capacity as the convener, to discuss the issue. That is why we commissioned SPICe to provide the information. I know that the chief executive and the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body are working hard to ensure that people get the right information. It is an important paper and a great example of how something that comes from Europe has an impact on us that we do not realise it until it is right on us. Horizon scanning is always a good thing. It is a good paper and I thank SPICe for putting it together so quickly. We should keep a weather eye on the issue.
That completes our business in public, and we will now move into private. I thank everyone for coming.
11:12 Meeting continued in private until 11:22.