Chamber and committees

We have been following the development of the Welsh Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) with interest. As well as the paper which was published in November, we also have regular discussions with the other UK nations, including Wales, regarding future agriculture policy proposals as part of the provisional Agricultural Support Common Framework. Whilst each nation has its own unique situation, and tailors their support accordingly, we also have shared challenges and goals. These discussions under the Framework enable all four nations to collaborate, coordinate, and cooperate regarding plans for future agricultural support.

While our proposals for future support are set out as a framework, as opposed to a single scheme, there are a number of similarities with the Welsh proposals. The Welsh “Sustainable Land Management” objectives, which the SFS is based on, are similar to our overarching objectives for future Scottish agriculture policy, which are set out in the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act 2024 and include the adoption and use of sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices and high quality food production.

A number of the “Universal Actions” proposed as part of the SFS, such as on soil health planning, Integrated Pest Management and habitat maintenance, also echo our proposals for future support. For example, as set out in our Agricultural Reform Route Map, the requirements we are putting in place under the Whole Farm Plan include soil analysis, a biodiversity audit, and an Integrated Pest Management plan. These are intended to help farmers and crofters prepare for the fact that from 2026 at least half of all funding for farming and crofting will be targeted towards outcomes for biodiversity gain and climate mitigation and adaption.

We recognise that reaching net zero will require all our farmers, crofters, and land managers to be ambitious and continue to help address climate change, alongside other outcomes including sustainable food production, enhancing biodiversity and supporting our rural communities. This will build on the good work that is already being done though adoption of low carbon farming practices, planting trees and hedges and restoring peatlands.

We firmly believe there is no contradiction between high quality food production and producing it in a way that delivers for the climate and nature and it is important that we do not offshore our emissions as we work towards net zero.

Importantly, the Whole Farm Plan will help farmers and crofters measure their businesses’ impact and find ways to become more efficient and to cut emissions. We continue to explore new, innovative ways to help mitigate emissions from agriculture, measure and build carbon sequestration, while continuing to produce high quality food and improve biodiversity.

We will bring forward a draft Climate Change Plan in the coming year that will set out policies and proposals for how the agriculture and land use, land use change and forestry sectors will continue to play their part in meeting our ambitious net zero national target by 2045.

The use of GWP100 is set by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change.

The Nature Investment Partnership continues to engage with a range of investors, land managers and local communities to identify the most suitable approach for each potential investment site. No private finance has yet been directed through the Partnership into on-the-ground projects. More information about the Partnership is available on its webpage: Nature Investment Partnership | NatureScot.

The Highlands and Islands Veterinary Services Scheme (HIVSS) is crucial support to ensure that crofters and small farmers in remote areas of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland have access to veterinary care to protect the health and welfare of their animals, and to ensure veterinary surveillance for notifiable diseases in these areas. HIVSS subsidises the travel costs of veterinary practices serving eligible clients to remove the significant financial disadvantage such clients would otherwise have relative to similar clients closer to urban areas.

Scheme funding is demand-led rather than inflation led. It is based on the number of visits made by veterinary practices to eligible clients over the last 3 years and the mileage covered doing so, along with the payment of receipted travel expenses and time spent waiting during journeys.

A number of factors affect the calculation of both grant and expenses payments. These are currently under review. However, the mileage and supplementary travel rates are based rates dictated by HMRC; the waiting time rate is based on the payment rate for Official Veterinarians; the standard visit fees payable by clients is based on the average rate of fee charges as per the salary survey by the Society for Practicing Veterinary Surgeons; and overnight accommodation payment is based on average B&B prices in the Highlands and Islands. These are all kept under review to ensure that the payments made reflect the actual travel costs faced by veterinary practices as closely as possible.

The Scottish Government’s Natural Capital Market Framework applies only to investment within Scotland and, where relevant, to governance within the wider UK for UK emissions and impacts.

Responsible private investment in Scotland’s natural capital through the Peatland Code (PC) and the Woodland Carbon Code (WCC) is already supporting our response to the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. The WCC and PC generate high-integrity, independently verified carbon units from woodland creation and peatland restoration respectively. Companies can use these units to support appropriate neutrality or net zero claims on their UK-based carbon emissions.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of all people with mental health problems, including those with Huntington disease, getting the right help, at the right time, and in the right place.

The core mental health standards set clear expectations for health boards to ensure referrals to community health teams and psychiatry are equitable, clear and prioritise those most in need. They also require services to reduce barriers to access, provide clear referral criteria, and ensure collaboration between staff and agencies to support individuals with complex conditions like Huntington’s disease.

Decisions on referrals may consider clinical appropriateness and service-specific criteria. Where referrals are declined from general psychiatry or community mental health teams a full explanation should be offered for this decision, and alternative pathways offered wherever possible and appropriate.

The role of the National Specialist Services Committee (NSSC) is not to "sign off" procedures. Instead, it provides oversight and governance for the commissioning of new specialist services and networks, reviews potential decommissioning of existing services and undertake an annual prioritisation process in relation to service business cases for development.

Numbers of prioritised procedures by NSSC are provided below:

a) Prioritisation by NSSC for the last 10 years:

This report adds to understanding about what can happen early in the process of natural colonisation, when trees established in this way grow relatively slowly. The efficacy of tree planting for carbon capture must also consider their contribution to removing CO₂ from the atmosphere and then storing carbon in the longer term.

The UK Forestry Standard applies requirements to minimise soil carbon losses when creating new woodlands. No planting is supported in Scotland on soils with peat exceeding 50 cm depth. In addition recently revised guidance for soil cultivation effectively limits ploughing of organic soils of less than 10 cm depth.

The Scottish Government attend the National Specialist Services Committee (NSSC) who meet quarterly. Apologies were provided for the most recent meeting on 25 November 2024.

Discussions at the 25 November meeting included:

• Finance Update
• Requests for New Designations
• Approved Designations
• De-designations
• Designated Services – Assurance Reporting
• Hyperbaric Medicine
• New Commissions/ Business Cases for Prioritisation - Overview of Business Cases & Scoring Process
• National Planning and Networks Update
• Reviews update
• NSD Highlight Report
• Any Other Business:
• Planning Process
• Implications to new NSSC Governance
• New Governance process for SLAs