Chamber and committees

We have made a PFG commitment in relation to tenant farmers, and that work will be undertaken through land reform legislation, so the committee will be closely involved in it. We also want to ensure that tenant farmers can play as full a role as possible when we are looking to undertake measures for climate mitigation and emission reductions. A number of schemes are being worked on to ensure that that can happen.

As you say, the EU’s target of 25 per cent is very ambitious. About 1.7 per cent of our land is currently being farmed organically. Our target is achievable—there is no point in setting targets that are so far out of reach that we do not have a chance of meeting them. We must be pragmatic, but we must also be ambitious about what we can do.

It is concerning that, over recent times, the amount of land that has been farmed organically has reduced when we want it to increase. In the co-operation agreement, we say that we want the amount of land that is farmed organically to at least double by the end of this parliamentary session. If we are able to increase the amount further, I hope that we will do that.

We will also deliver on an action plan for organic farming. We will build on the work that was done through the previous plan, which was in place until 2020. We will also work together with the organic sector on the different actions that we can take to increase the amount of land that is being farmed organically and on what we can do with regard to organic produce.

Critical to that is the food for life scheme, which is about getting more organic produce to local authorities and served in our schools. We very much support that initiative and are keen for it to continue. Just over half of local authorities in Scotland are now signed up to the scheme. As we set out in our manifesto, it is critical that we harness our wider public procurement and spending powers and that we embed the food for life scheme and expand it across the wider public sector. That will all help to develop our work on organics.

I will be happy to get back to the committee with more information on who will be the lead on the various bits of legislation that are in the PFG.

That issue has received a lot of attention recently. However, deer numbers across Scotland almost doubled in the period from 1990 to now, and managing numbers is absolutely necessary if we are to reduce the ecological damage that deer can do and to protect young trees. That is absolutely imperative in helping to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises.

I reassure the committee that that activity is licensed by NatureScot, which takes welfare very seriously when it is considering authorising the taking of deer during the period of highest welfare risk to dependent young. The people who undertake that activity have to go through rigorous training to comply with best practice. What we have seen announced recently is not a routine operation. Forestry and Land Scotland is responding to its annual survey of crop damage and habitat impacts from deer, and it is trying to prioritise deer management on vulnerable areas of land. A substantial number of Scotland’s land management organisations recognise the need for on-going control of deer populations and acknowledge that Forestry and Land Scotland delivers deer management to the highest possible standards.

Going back to the point that you made at the start of your question about where various bits and pieces fall, I note that wildlife management is the responsibility of the Minister for Environment, Biodiversity and Land Reform, which is why the legislation in that regard will be led by that minister.

I believe that it may well fall inside the remit of the Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee, but it is ultimately up to the Parliamentary Bureau to determine committee allocation of bills and pieces of legislation.

Absolutely. Where local management is in place—there have been a couple of pilots—it seems to be operating really well, so we would welcome proposals from the regional inshore fisheries groups on how it can be done in other areas. Local management and ownership will be really important in making progress, and it will be a critical part of our work as we move forward.

As I said, I met the regional inshore fisheries groups earlier this week. We talked about future engagement. We want them to continue the work that they are doing and we know that they will need support with that. We will continue to consider those issues. We want to ensure that the groups have the resources that they need to enable them to deal with issues such as future local management plans and to undertake the engagement that will have to happen. We will continue discussing that with them.

I am not able to tell you that off the top of my head, but I am happy to come back to the committee with that information.

I completely understand that. The member and the committee will be aware of the co-operation agreement with the Scottish Green Party, which sets out a number of measures that we are looking at with regard to inshore fisheries and putting a cap on activity. It also sets out our intention to introduce highly protected marine areas, which would cover about 10 per cent of our seas. We will, of course, follow due process in relation to introducing such measures, and we will consult and engage with communities and the fisheries sector.

I also highlight “Scotland’s Fisheries Management Strategy 2020-2030”, which was published towards the tail end of last year. We will publish an action plan on that to be delivered towards the end of this year.

In my role, I undertake a lot of engagement with the various regional inshore fisheries groups; indeed, I met the chairs of the groups earlier in the week. We will continue to engage with the sector.

As Alasdair Allan will be aware, there are many competing interests in our marine environment, including renewable energy and various fishing interests, and we also have to try to improve that environment, protect our fish stocks and improve marine biodiversity. There will be a lot of challenges over the next few years, so we need engagement and consultation to ensure that we fully understand all the issues and that we work with communities in developing our future proposals.

Absolutely. On your first question, which was about the co-operation agreement with the Greens, engagement with different stakeholders is a critical part of my job and something that I have sought to do since I was appointed. Since we announced the co-operation agreement, I have sought to meet fisheries stakeholders to discuss concerns and potential issues.

However, the fact remains that we want sustainable development across our fisheries sector. I understand that there are concerns. As we move through the agreement that we have reached and the policies that we have outlined, it is really important to engage and consult and to base our decisions on the best available evidence. Working with stakeholders and carrying out that engagement is a critical part of the process.

There are a lot of issues in the marine environment. I have spoken about the increasingly cluttered landscape when it comes to our seas, about competing interests between fisheries and renewable energy, and about trying to protect our marine environment in the best possible way. I assure the committee that we will engage in the proper process as we develop the policies that we have set out in the co-operation agreement.

You also asked about catching policy. We have, in the programme for government, set out in some detail how we intend to move forward on that and on other work on fisheries. However, as you said, the pandemic has had an impact on the seafood industry and, in particular, on the fisheries industry. That has shown how much we need to boost the resilience of the industry overall, and to strengthen the links between the catching sector and onshore interests—for example, through diversification of fishing opportunities and attracting new entrants.

We want to tackle some of the known issues, an example of which is the landing obligation. We will introduce a future catching policy to take a tailored approach to tackling discards and reducing unwanted catch through various technical and spatial measures. We intend to consult on that before the end of the year and to introduce legislation next year. As I said in my previous response, we will also publish a delivery plan that will set out our plans for delivering the future fisheries management strategy and the 12 points within it, which will address a lot of the issues that are being experienced. That has strong backing from all our stakeholders and will be a critical piece of work.

It is also important to note that the co-operation agreement will build on what is set out in the future fisheries management strategy.