Summary
On 24 February 2015, the Justice Committee held a round-table evidence session on agricultural crime, focusing on the following key areas:
- the extent and cost of the problem to the farming community;
- the extent to which those who commit these crimes are opportunists or involved in organised crime;
- the impact these crimes have on victims and farming businesses;
- how the farming community and the police are tackling this problem, e.g. what security measures they are putting in place; and
- any barriers to detection and prosecution.
In response to the evidence heard, on 3 March the Solicitor General announced a review of agricultural crime prosecution policy.
On 4 March, the Committee wrote to the Cabinet Secretaries for Justice and for Rural Affairs, Food and the Environment, seeking details of the steps being taken by the Scottish Government to address the problem of agricultural crime. This correspondence is below:
The Committee has received updates on initiatives being taken forward by Police Scotland.
The Committee held an evidence session with the Solicitor General for Scotland on 2 February 2016.