Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is committed to the long-term viability of the livestock sector. Support may be available through the Single Farm Payment, Less Favoured Area Support Scheme and the Scotland Rural Development Programme.

In view of the particular difficulties facing the pig sector, the government has been working closely with the sector for some time. Support has been provided through, for example, a £30,000 strategic review of the sector and a £300,000 added value project for the red meat sector. Discussions across the supply chain have been encouraged and facilitated. I also established a Pig Sector Task Force to consider further actions and I am currently looking at its final report.

I am hopeful the forthcoming Common Agricultural policy (CAP) Health Check may give us greater flexibility to address the sustainability of cattle and sheep production within our more fragile areas.

While dry stone dyking is without question a key part of the rural amenity, there are other areas of extreme skills shortage. Historic Scotland is actively involved in measures to assist industry in ensuring that there are suitably trained operatives to maintain both traditional and historic buildings, and the associated landscapes in which they sit. Over the last two years officials in Historic Scotland have facilitated development of a national progression award in the conservation of traditional masonry and intend to develop similar qualifications in other key traditional trades.

Presently a qualification and curriculum authority approved dry stone dyking qualification is being delivered in Scotland as part of the lantra trade certification scheme. Present providers for this qualification include Banff and Buchan College, Glasgow Metropolitan University, Barony College and Oatridge College. It is hoped that other colleges with a rural focus will take up the delivery of this qualification. Historic Scotland is also working with the Dry Stone Walling Association to develop basic technical guidance on dry stone walling as part of the Historic Scotland INFORM publication series.

The European Commission’s proposals for the Health Check of the Common Agricultural Policy intend to reduce coupled payments and continue the process of decoupling payments from production. We are currently consulting on Scotland’s response.

The information is not held centrally. Details of all Scottish Statutory Instruments are published on the Office of Public Sector Information website.

The Scottish Government is determined to ensure effective regulation in Scotland while minimising the unnecessary cost and bureaucracy sometimes associated with compliance and inspection.

The information is not held centrally. Details of all Scottish Statutory Instruments are published on the Office of Public Sector Information website.

The Scottish Government is determined to ensure effective regulation in Scotland while minimising the unnecessary cost and bureaucracy sometimes associated with compliance and inspection.

The Scottish Beef Calf Scheme (worth about £18 million per year) is funded through the national envelope. The current European Commission Health Check proposals impose a limit of 2.5% of the national ceiling on certain national envelope  options - for the UK, 2.5% of the national ceiling is nearly 100 million euros.

The consultation paper Future implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy in Scotland seeks views on the use of the national envelope.

The new integrated delivery service SEARS - Scotland’s Environmental and Rural Services - launched on 20 June 2008 will cut red tape and bureaucratic burdens for farmers and other rural land managers and result in:

almost 2,000 fewer inspections to farms in the first year due to better  co-ordination of visits between the nine public organisations involved;

a reduction in the burden of information provision on land managers, as public bodies will share relevant data to avoid information having to be submitted more than once, and

a 24 hour, seven days a week contact centre and web portal to ensure easy access to information.

In addition, a research project looking at the costs and benefits associated with regulation in Scottish agriculture will report later this summer.

We engage in the annual consultation process with Norway, Iceland, Faroes and other countries to determine future fishing opportunities for the Scottish fleet. Those consultations are preceded by regular contact between the various governments to exchange views on appropriate management and conservation measures. In particular, I and my officials have this year held extensive discussions with our Norwegian counterparts on wider fisheries management issues.

It is only right and proper that those who are most affected by business regulations should have some say in how they are implemented. The Regulatory Review Group (RRG), which comprises representatives of the main business organisations, unanimously took the view that a “one in one out” approach may not be wholly appropriate or realisable at present. Consequently, since it is our stated intention to listen carefully to business practitioners and act on their considered advice, we will work with the RRG to advance its recommendations.

The RRG’s views on the subject of measuring the numbers and impact of regulations is explained in more detail in their first annual report which will be published in July 2008.

At present, 12 flood prevention schemes have been confirmed and four have been submitted to the Scottish Government for confirmation under the 1961 act. It is open to the local authorities to submit further schemes for confirmation. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency is a statutory consultee and has not made any objections to confirmation of these schemes.