Rural and Environment

  • Crofting update

    12th April 2018 by

    This government is determined not to allow crofting to be simply a relic of our past: crofting must have a purpose and a role in our present and our future. That purpose is to support people to remain on the land and to bring people back to the land, with crofting also playing a role in creating a sustainable and productive environment in which people can live and work. To achieve this, crofting needs an effective regulatory and statutory framework.

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  • Landmark day for Scotland’s forestry

    21st March 2018 by

    Yesterday I was proud to welcome the passing of the Forestry and Land Management (Scotland) Bill. This landmark legislation completes the devolution of forestry to Scotland, a process that started nearly 20 years ago. I am proud to have been the Cabinet Secretary responsible for introducing this historic bill, the first forestry legislation since the...

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  • Understanding our rural economy

    23rd February 2018 by

    To some people the term ‘rural economy’ conjures up images of sleepy, traditional industries, where very little changes from one generation to the next. In reality, the rural economy is vibrant, diverse, and changing all the time. My job is to build on that vibrancy, and encourage more diversity, to help grow that economy and...

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  • This migration season, will we see avian flu return?

    14th November 2017 by

    Last winter Scotland was lucky. We had no reported cases of H5N8 avian flu in domestic flocks. The rest of the UK was not so lucky as the disease was confirmed at 13 premises whose flocks ranged in size from nine to 65,000 birds. Here two experts have their say on the importance of practising good biosecurity measures.

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