Chamber and committees

We have established the Agriculture Reform Implementation Oversight Board which will contribute to the Scottish Government’s work to implement policy reform to cut emissions across agriculture, support the production of sustainable, high quality food, and design a new support system and approach. The Board will consider the Farming 1.5 Report together with the recommendations of the Farmer-led Groups, WWF Scotland, Just Transition, NFUS, the Climate Change Plan update and Scotland's Climate Assembly's Recommendations for Action Report when devising practical measures for delivery. It should also be noted that Mike Robinson, co-chair of Farming 1.5, is a member of the Board.

The Board will create a package of measures, which we will fund, that can be agreed as part of our approach to COP 26. This National Test Programme will include early progress on reducing livestock emissions and the package should be implemented by spring 2022 with recruitment of farmers and crofters expected to begin this autumn.

We are committed to working with industry and partners to best enable the agriculture sector to contribute to our world-leading emissions targets, support biodiversity and ensure a Just Transition for all involved. We therefore have launched a consultation which will ensure everyone can play their part in shaping the future of farming, food production and land use in Scotland.

We have committed to shift half of all funding for farming and crofting to conditional support by 2025, which will see farmers and crofters rewarded for their key role in delivering wider biodiversity and environmental benefits.

Scotland will continue to provide support to farmers and crofters for the work they do in producing food but with that support comes the requirement to farm in the most sustainable way possible.

The newly established Agriculture Reform Implementation Oversight Board’s immediate priority and focus will be on how to make progress on cutting emissions from the livestock sector, including suckler beef. The Board will consider the Farming 1.5 Report together with the recommendations of the Farmer-led Groups, WWF Scotland, Just Transition, NFUS, the Climate Change Plan update and Scotland's Climate Assembly's Recommendations for Action Reportwhen devising practical measures for delivery. It should also be noted that Mike Robinson, co-chair of Farming 1.5, is a member of the Board.

The Board will create a package of measures, which we will fund, that can be agreed as part of our approach to COP 26. This National Test Programme will include early progress on reducing livestock emissions and the package should be implemented by spring 2022 with recruitment of farmers and crofters expected to begin this autumn.

Key to the spring 2019 review was that projects should continue to be designed at a grass roots level but that a more strategic approach to funding was needed to deliver lasting behavioural change.

We are providing a vehicle for communities to come together and engage in collective climate action through the development of a network of regional climate action hubs and climate action towns. These initiatives will empower communities to identify the actions that are most appropriate to their needs.

They will address the findings of the review by developing an integrated network of support that can build capacity for climate action across all communities. They will provide tools and resources to support community-led groups to take action commensurate with our climate commitments and allow for a wide r exchange of knowledge and best practice.

We are also taking steps to better integrate climate objectives into wider SG community initiatives to promote the mainstreaming of climate action, deliver increased value for money and ensure funding delivers on both climate and wider policy outcomes .

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02296 on
‎ 10 September. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

We are committed to supporting our world-class producers thrive whilst contributing to our world-leading climate change agenda and response to the biodiversity crisis.

The concept of a Suckler Beef Climate Scheme (SBCS) was one output of the Farmer Led Group initiative, which has been followed by the recent establishment of the Agriculture Reform Implementation Oversight Board (ARIOB), and the publication of the consultation on a sustainable agriculture transition. The ARIOB will help to develop new proposals for sustainable farm support by considering the Climate Change Plan Update and the Farmer-led Groups recommendations, alongside industry reports like Farming for 1.5C. The group will place farmers and crofters at the heart of a future support framework and help Scottish agriculture become more economically and environmentally sustainable.

The ARIOB has been asked to create a package of measures, which we will fund, that can be agreed as part of our approach to COP 26. This National Test Programme will include early progress on reducing livestock emissions and the package should be implemented by spring 2022, with recruitment of farmers and crofters expected to begin this autumn, advancing the work undertaken by the Suckler Beef Group.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02296 on
‎ 10 September 2021. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

Portobello to Newcraighall enhancements is a package of works which is being considered as part of the ‘pipeline-based approach’ to rail development and delivery. The project considers the railway infrastructure between Portobello and Newcraighall Junctions and seeks to improve the resilience and efficiency of the corridor today and for the future.

Looking further forward, improved capacity and frequency on the North Berwick route are two of the rail based options currently being appraised as part of the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2). The appraisal process for STPR2 is considering the performance of all options against the transport outcomes we are seeking, the Transport Planning Objectives, which are aligned to our National Transport Strategy priorities and outcomes. The interventions will seek to contribute to our vision of a sustainable, inclusive, safe and accessible transport system helping deliver a healthier, fairer and more prosperous Scotland for communities, businesses and visitors.

Therefore, we need to consider the social and economic benefits and impacts based on performance against these objectives and the five Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance criteria, to determine the overall Value for Money. This also takes into account risks, uncertainties and other factors such as affordability, deliverability and the wider acceptability of options. This will be an important consideration given pressures on current and future public finances.

Also underpinning STPR2 is the Sustainable Investment Hierarchy where we will aim first to reduce the need to travel unsustainably, make better use of and enhance existing infrastructure, before investing in new capacity. This hierarchy is also central to Infrastructure Investment Plan. STPR2 will conclude later this year, with publication of recommendations for investment and an appropriate statutory consultation period.

Until the appraisal process is completed, it is not possible to make individual decisions on specific rail based options.

ScotRail advise that between 6 January 2019 [the start of 2018-19: reporting period 11] and 24 July [the end of 2021-22: reporting period 4], there were 216 full cancellations and 74 part-cancellations on the North Berwick line as a result of infrastructure issues.

While full- or part-cancellations as a result of track congestion are not reported separately, ScotRail also advise that there were a further 34 full cancellations and 29 part-cancellations to ScotRail services as a result of the actions of other train operating companies.

As part of the Scottish Government’s 100 Days commitments within the portfolio of the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands, we have established:

• the Agriculture Reform Implementation Oversight Board which will contribute to the Scottish Government’s work to implement policy reform, incorporating the relevant recommendations of the farmer-led groups to cut emissions across agriculture, support the production of sustainable, high quality food, and design a new support system and approach. A National Test Programme will include early progress on reducing livestock emissions and the package should be implemented by spring 2022, with recruitment of farmers and crofters expected to begin this Autumn;
• the Commission for the Land-based Learning Review, a short-term advisory group which will undertake a root and branch review of learning in Scotland’s land-based and aquaculture sectors - from early years to adulthood - to provide opportunities and qualifications through school, college, university and work-based learning, including apprenticeship, for more people, and specifically more women, to work with and on the land, particularly in green skills. The Commission has a reporting deadline of December 2022 and;
• the Scottish Agritourism Sector Group, which will explore how agritourism can deliver a range of Scottish Government policies across tourism, agriculture and food and drink and create a national strategy for agritourism focused around consumer demand, quality of experience, sustainability and a clearly defined sector and customer experience. The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands will be launching the growth strategy at the Scottish Agritourism Conference in November.

The two pathfinder regional community climate hubs were launched on 6 September: The Northern Highlands and Islands Climate Action Hub will be delivered by Thurso Community Development Trust, and the North East Scotland Climate Action Network (NESCAN) Hub will build on the work of Aberdeen Climate Action.

Clear outcomes have been set allowing us to bring learning into the wider network as it evolves.