Meeting of the Parliament 15 January 2019
The best way of getting certainty would be to back the Prime Minister’s Brexit deal tonight. [Interruption.] It is hypocrisy for Scottish National Party members to advocate a position that is more likely to lead to there being no deal while, at the same time, demanding more money in the event that there is none.
If we do not support the industry now, we will continue to face problems with achieving a carbon-neutral economy, and any targets that are currently proposed are unlikely to be met if we do not engage with every single industry proactively.
NFU Scotland has outlined its vision for future agricultural support in its document “Steps to Change: A New Agricultural Policy For Scotland”. It includes giving farmers and crofters the time and tools to adapt and become more resilient by putting the agricultural perspective at the heart of all measures from design to implementation.
It is not only the agriculture, forestry and fishing industries that will need our support to aid the transition to a carbon-neutral economy in rural areas. Small and large businesses, schools, organisations and local residents will all need support in our rural communities, too. The prospect of decentralised energy and digital connectivity offers an opportunity for rural communities not only to survive but to thrive. We would like there to be further engagement with our rural communities to aid that transition, because we need to listen to and work with them. It is vital that we do not leave such communities behind, because rural areas will feel the impacts most and will have the biggest changes to make if we are to achieve a carbon-neutral economy.
At the top of its briefing, Friends of the Earth Scotland makes the important point that
“protecting workers’ livelihoods, creating new jobs, and delivering a fairer Scotland should be at the centre of the move to a low-carbon economy.”
Any policies that harm job creation would be detrimental to rural areas, which are doing their best to encourage people to live and work there.
All those issues need to be worked on in a collaborative effort, and progress can be achieved only by our cabinet secretaries working in tandem. A carbon-neutral economy is one that we must set out to achieve for future generations to come. So, again, I ask the Scottish Government to reach out and engage with all areas across Scotland and not to leave our rural communities behind.