Chamber and committees

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to lay regulations to restrict the marketing and advertising of vaping products, following the publication of the responses to its consultation, “Tightening rules on advertising and promoting vaping products”, on 27 September 2022. (S6O-02255)

I represent a hugely rural region that has many of Scotland’s hard-working farmers, so I wanted to speak. As does the Government’s motion, I applaud the progress that has been made by the agriculture and aquaculture sectors to adapt to and mitigate the impact of the twin global climate and biodiversity crises.

Our farmers face huge pressure in the media and, as NFU Scotland has pointed out, often feel vilified and blamed for causing climate change. That isnae the case. Our farmers and fishers are our food producers. They work incredibly hard to mitigate the impact of climate change. The evidence shows that, particularly in Scotland, our farmers, crofters and food producers have already hugely adapted to the practices that have been mentioned in order to protect our environment and reduce their carbon footprint.

Much of that change has been made possible through investment in agricultural sciences and emerging technologies. I have witnessed much research—for instance, the dairy nexus at the Barony campus of Scotland’s Rural College, and vertical farming, which has been mentioned by John Swinney.

I know from farmers in Dumfries and Galloway that they are installing on-farm renewable energy production, such as solar panels and wind turbines; that they are minimising the use of petroleum-based fertilisers and pesticides; and that they are reducing dependence on fossil fuel inputs for their farming, storage and transportation of crops and livestock. They are increasing soil health by increasing plant matter, and building soil fertility through practices such as compost application, the planting of cover crops and reduced-till or no-till cultivation.

My constituent Christopher Nicholson, chair of the Scottish Tenant Farmers Association, who farms at Whithorn, has not ploughed or deep-cultivated for more than 20 years. He says that not only is there a big cost saving in fuel and machinery, there is improved soil health and a higher level of soil organic matter. Soil health is crucial for food security. Kaukab Stewart spoke about that.

The Scottish Government’s vision is for Scotland to become a global leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture. There is no contradiction between high-quality food production, food security and the production of food in a way that delivers for the climate and nature.

The Scottish Government has been clear and consistent in its position. It expects full equivalent replacement of EU funds to ensure that there is no detriment to our finances and it expects the UK Government to fully respect the devolution settlement in any future arrangement. However, the Scottish Government has no clarity about the future budget and already faces a shortfall of £93 million because those guarantees have not been honoured.

I am proud of our farmers in Scotland. We should all be proud of our Scottish farmers. They are our food producers and the custodians of our land, and they deserve our thanks. I will support the Scottish Government motion at decision time tonight.

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I seek some further guidance. My understanding was that we were out of time, so I cut my speech short and did not take any interventions. I normally do, but the last time I took interventions, members went on and used up half of my speech time. I am conscious that I had some time in hand at the end. I seek clarity, as my understanding was that I did not have enough time.

Good morning. As a nurse, I am always interested in infection control and prevention. Obviously, Covid has really educated people about how we transmit infection. You mentioned Cumbria and the movement of cattle from one side of the border to the other. The proposal is to change the validity period of negative results from 60 days to 30 days, as far as movement is concerned. How will farmers in England know that we have changed processes in Scotland? Is that a concern that we have?

The two farmers I spoke to were very well informed about and quite welcoming of the changes in the consolidation of the regulation, so they did not seem concerned. That is quite welcome.

To go back to what the convener said earlier, we should be proud that Scotland has TB-free status. Biosecurity is about being aware of how diseases spread and what practical measures can be implemented to reduce spread. I am also thinking about other bovine diseases such as Johne’s disease. TB is not the only one.

My perception is that farmers are very aware of how diseases are transmitted and what they need to do to prevent that from happening, and that isolation is part of that. What do you perceive the attitudes of farmers to be? I think that they are doing a great job and that we should be—to go back to the word that the convener used—proud of our producers in Scotland. How do you feel about that?

I, too, agree, convener.

Tess White mentioned livestock worrying. It is great that we raise awareness at every opportunity about attacks on livestock. Does she agree that the changes to legislation that were made by my member’s bill will help to raise awareness so that we can reduce incidents of livestock worrying?

I congratulate Rachael Hamilton on securing this debate. It is a really important issue, and Ms Hamilton has highlighted that very well.

As an MSP who covers a large rural area—Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders—I am aware of the challenges that rurality can pose for positive mental health, but also of the benefits that it can bring. I am also aware of the increased challenges that our farming community faces, which the motion mentions. The Ukraine war and the cost crisis have added increased stress, as has leaving the European Union.

This has already been said, but it is worth repeating that the evidence shows us that people in rural Scotland are more likely than others to experience depression, suicidal thoughts and feelings, self-harming behaviour and anxiety, no matter their age, gender or location. They are at higher risk of becoming isolated, and that risk is worsened by remoteness, stigma and fear. Stigma is a huge issue and it needs to be addressed. It is therefore right that we take whatever action is possible to support the health and wellbeing of our rural communities.

Some 98 per cent of Scotland’s land mass is rural and 17 per cent of Scotland’s population lives in rural Scotland, which equates to just under 1 million people. A lack of anonymity has been identified as a barrier to people seeking help at an early stage in rural areas. Evidence from Change Mental Health, which was formerly known as Support in Mind, shows that people in rural Scotland want support to be low level and to be delivered in non-clinical, informal settings by trusted people and local networks.

Services need to be close to the place of need and should be designed to include mobile and digital services and outreach. The outreach approach must recognise the significant stress that is involved in travelling to appointments for those with poor mental health. I therefore ask the cabinet secretary whether further targeted advertising and engagement can take place across rural Scotland to promote the means through which people can access support and to promote the wider message that it is okay not to be okay.

I am aware of the research from RSABI that shows that the Scottish index of multiple deprivation struggles to identify people living in deprivation in rural areas. That can lead to some believing that living in rural Scotland is idyllic, whereas in fact deprivation and poverty exist and are becoming exacerbated there. The lowest-wage economies in Scotland are in rural areas, and nine out of 10 people who are income deprived do not live in a recognised deprived area.

Evidence suggests that people who live in rural areas experience deprivation differently from those who live in towns and cities. The particular issues in rural areas include the need for higher consumption of fuel for heating and transport. I am a member of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly’s economy committee, and our current inquiry is highlighting that the challenging cost of oil for heating is a major issue. That can contribute to poorer mental health.