Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 26 August 2020
26 Aug 2020 · S5 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Agriculture (Retained EU Law and Data) (Scotland) Bill
I really have not got time—I am very sorry. Why Opposition members think that that is important really defeats me, because the bill is about passing legislation for a necessary purpose; it is not about substantive policy. The approach of Opposition members is entirely up to them, but I am not sure that it is doing them any good.
We did not vote to leave the EU. We are here because Brexit is being foisted on us, but we are determined to mitigate its impacts in every way. It is my intention to continue to do that by providing certainty, confidence, continuity of income, payment to farmers ahead of our friends down south, and stability and simplicity for the next four years, which is not guaranteed in other parts of the country. The bill will help us to achieve those objectives.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Christine Grahame)
SNP
The next item of business is a debate on motion S5M-22514, in the name of Fergus Ewing, on the Agriculture (Retained EU Law and Data) (Scotland) Bill. I cal...
The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Tourism (Fergus Ewing)
SNP
I am delighted to present the Agriculture (Retained EU Law and Data) (Scotland) Bill to Parliament for its stage 3 debate. First, I will deal with an importa...
Fergus Ewing
SNP
I will not take an intervention because I am approaching the close of my speech in order to try to curtail these proceedings, which have lasted quite some ti...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
I thank members, including those on the front benches, who have allowed their timings to be truncated, and those who have withdrawn from the debate to allow ...
Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Con)
Con
Agriculture is the beating heart of our rural economy and we must never tire of promoting farming as a good, in and of itself. To break or weaken the connect...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
I call Colin Smyth to open for Labour. 17:57
Colin Smyth (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
There is probably more that could be said about what the bill fails to do and should have done than there is to say about what it does. Labour will support i...
John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Green)
Green
The Scottish Green Party will support the bill. The cabinet secretary describes it as technical—it is about mechanisms and process. The tension that is appar...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
Please conclude.
John Finnie
Green
I beg your pardon?
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
I said, “Please conclude”, Mr Finnie. You have spoken for four minutes, which is your allocated time.
John Finnie
Green
I was not told what time I had. I will leave it there. We will support the motion on the bill.
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
Thank you. That is very kind. It is hard on members who have sat through the entire debate to hear that instruction, but there we go. I call Willie Rennie t...
Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD)
LD
I, too, thank farmers and crofters for the work that they have done throughout the pandemic to put food on the table. While we were in lockdown, they were in...
Edward Mountain (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
The Liberals voted against nearly every amendment during stage 2, including an amendment to include a timescale for farming policy. I am bemused at Mr Rennie...
Willie Rennie
LD
It is unhelpful on any occasion to talk about unholy alliances, particularly when people in different parties are trying to agree on what is valuable. Mike R...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
We move to the open debate. 18:11
Maureen Watt (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP)
SNP
I am pleased that we are at the stage of the final speeches for the bill at last. As a member of the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee, it seems to me...
Rachael Hamilton (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con)
Con
I begin by thanking farmers and crofters for ensuring that our country is well fed and watered. They have played a significant part in keeping the UK’s food ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
I am sorry to interrupt, Ms Hamilton. In a very quiet chamber, we can hear everything that is being said at the back. It is very impolite to talk when the me...
Rachael Hamilton
Con
Shaping new policy that is informed by pilot schemes and trials will be key to determining the future direction of a system that is based on a principle of p...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
I call Claudia Beamish to close for Labour. 18:18
Claudia Beamish (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
The cabinet secretary’s approach seems to be no answers and no ambition. That complacency does not reflect this decade’s countdown to 2030, by which time we ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
Thank you. I call Edward Mountain to close for the Conservatives. I am afraid that you may speak for only three minutes. 18:23
Edward Mountain (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
I know, Presiding Officer, and the good thing is that I will do it in less time than that. First, I remind Parliament of my entry in the register of interes...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
Thank you very much. True to your word, you finished before your allocated time. 18:25
Fergus Ewing
SNP
I thank all the stakeholders and individuals who contributed in any way to the bill. Whether they agreed with me or with other members, I thank them for part...
Fergus Ewing
SNP
I really have not got time—I am very sorry. Why Opposition members think that that is important really defeats me, because the bill is about passing legislat...