Rural and Environment

  • Weekly round-up: 23/11

    23rd November 2018 by

    Crown Estate Bill passed   Local authorities and communities will have a stronger voice in the management of the Crown Estate Scotland assets, as Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham confirms the passing of the Scottish Crown Estate Bill Read more Nuffield Farm Conference  In his welcome to the 2018 Nuffield Farming Conference, Rural Economy Secretary Fergus...

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  • Stability and Simplicity: Proposals for a rural funding transition period

    16th November 2018 by

    For the whole of the Scottish parliament’s lifetime, farm policy and support in Scotland has been determined by membership of the EU, and more specifically CAP. With the UK’s decision to leave the EU, there is no doubt that the year ahead will be difficult. That is why the Scottish Government has made it clear...

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  • In the news: Red meat levy success

    16th November 2018 by

    The Scottish Government and industry – particularly QMS and Jim McLaren, its recently retired Chairman – have worked tirelessly for the last decade to find a sustainable solution that would ensure that the monies raised through this levy could be used to benefit the Scottish quality meat sector, including marketing and promotion of Scotch beef, Scotch lamb and specially selected pork to consumers at home and abroad.

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  • In the news: £1.3 million commitment to aquaculture

    14th November 2018 by

    £48 million freshwater hatchery opened near Oban Public Finance Minister Kate Forbes was in the news today as she visited Barcaldine to officially open Scottish Sea Farms’ (SFF) new £48 million freshwater hatchery – which is intended to be a centre of excellence for fish farming. The Scottish Government, through it’s enterprise agency Scottish Enterprise,...

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  • Coverage on UK Agriculture Bill

    13th November 2018 by

    Today, various media outlets are running a piece calling on the Scottish and UK Government’s to break the “current political log-jam” on how to agree future policy, financial frameworks and repatriation of agriculture powers. The pieces call for “meaningful progress” to be made on the legal mechanisms required to make agricultural payments in the immediate aftermath of Brexit, and follows a letter published by NFUS Scotland president Andrew McCornick to Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing and DEFRA Secretary of State Michael Gove.

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  • Winter is coming

    9th November 2018 by

    By Ian Davidson, Head of Agriculture Policy Division    Farming can be a rewarding profession – but there can be no doubt it poses a unique set of challenges. Over the past year, a wet winter followed by a cold spring and then the long, dry summer has meant farmers have faced many challenges including...

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  • Environmental news round-up

    2nd November 2018 by

    Read on to discover the latest Greener Scotland news from over the last week. New Plastics Economy Global Commitment The Scottish Government has signed the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment as part of our efforts to eliminate plastic pollution. The Commitment is an important way to encourage focused action on plastics by governments, urban centres and...

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  • Tackling marine plastics

    29th October 2018 by

    Scotland has shown leadership in resource use, increase in recycling and reduction in waste because we understand that we cannot continue to ignore the impact we are having on the natural world. The Blue Planet and Drowning in Plastics programmes brought home the horrific reality of that impact. Taking action on plastic waste and furthering our aims for a circular economy for the benefit of a global society is a crucial part of our agenda. That is why Scotland has taken the lead on plastics and will continue to do so.

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  • Programme for Government 2018/19: Rural commitments

    15th October 2018 by

    We’ve recently seen the unveiling of this year’s Programme for Government, outlining our commitment to making this bolder, more ambitious vision of Scotland’s future a reality. Over the coming year, I’ll be focusing my attention on carrying out the following commitments to support the sectors which make up one of Scotland’s key priority areas –...

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  • Programme for Government 2018/19: Environmental commitments

    3rd October 2018 by

    Following the announcement of the 2018/19 Programme for Government, I’ve set out my key commitments to target the most pressing issues facing Scotland’s environment today. From plastics and waste to marine protected areas, I’ve provided a brief round-up of the measures being taken to address these issues. Plastics and waste We’ve all seen the damaging...

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