Rural and Environment
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Reflections of Chief Vet: 2001 Foot and Mouth Disease Outbreak
1st March 2021 by admin
February marked the 20th anniversary of the start of the Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak of 2001 – the worst the UK has experienced. But it wasn’t until 1 March 2001 that the first case was identified in Scotland. As I have said before this is, in no way, an anniversary to be celebrated. It...
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Clarity on seafood support
26th February 2021 by Rebecca Macdonald
The UK Government must provide urgent detail on its new seafood funding scheme or risk undermining the support it is looking to provide businesses impacted by EU Exit and coronavirus (COVID-19), Fisheries Secretary Fergus Ewing has said. In a letter to the UK Government ahead of the second meeting of the Scottish Seafood Exports Taskforce...
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Fisheries Secretary responds to UK Government seafood funding announcement
9th February 2021 by Rebecca Macdonald
Commenting on the opening of the UK Government’s Seafood Disruption Support Scheme, Fisheries Secretary Fergus Ewing said: “After three weeks of waiting for detail, it is disappointing and beyond any rational explanation that this new compensation scheme will not help the vast majority of fishing vessels who continue to face the cost of the disruption...
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Compensation needed for Scotland’s food and drink businesses
14th January 2021 by admin
Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing has urged the UK Government to provide compensation to Scotland’s beleaguered food and drink sector as a result of the current trade issues. The sector is currently facing a series of challenging impacts as a result of the Brexit deal establishing new non-tariff barriers. This is compounded by the coronavirus...
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Update on seafood sector exports
12th January 2021 by admin
Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing met key seafood businesses and organisations this afternoon to discuss the ongoing issues affecting trade. Following the meeting, he said: “The plain facts are these very serious problems have arisen because of Brexit and the UK Government’s failure to agree to proposals about how to implement it – in particular...
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Post-Brexit seafood export delays
7th January 2021 by admin
Responding to reports of delays with exporting seafood from Scotland to the EU as a result of post-Brexit arrangements, Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing issued a statement. He said: “The Scottish Government, together with Food Standards Scotland (FSS) and Scottish Local Authorities, have been working intensively for many months to mitigate the worst impacts of...
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Concern for small breweries
19th August 2020 by henrybird
Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing has called on the UK Government to reconsider proposed changes to the Small Brewers Duty Relief which could disadvantage Scottish micro and craft breweries. In a letter to Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs George Eustice, Mr Ewing expressed concern that the changes would be financially damaging...
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Compensate farmers for Brexit losses
10th July 2020 by admin
Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing is calling for sheep farmers to be compensated for their losses if the UK Government fails to secure a comprehensive trade deal with the EU this year. Given the additional disruption caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Mr Ewing is repeating his call for a compensation scheme for farmers. A...
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Letter on distillery co-products
3rd June 2020 by admin
The bioenergy, agriculture and Scotch Whisky sectors are being consulted on how to ensure a fairer market for distillery co-products used in livestock feed in Scotland. Distillery co-products are an important source of protein and fibre when used for livestock feed, but the amount used in Scotland has decreased in recent years as prices have...
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The EU has been a good friend to rural Scotland
31st January 2020 by Fergus Ewing MSP
The EU has been a good friend to rural Scotland. For the whole of the Scottish Parliament’s lifetime, the rural economy has benefitted from our membership. Over the years, our engagement with it has allowed Scotland to push our case on everything from agriculture and fisheries policy reform, to fishing quotas and forestry. Scotland has had a voice in the room – a room we will no longer be able to enter.
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