Meeting of the Parliament 23 September 2015
I am very pleased to open this important debate on the opportunities and current challenges facing Scottish agriculture. As we are all aware, agriculture matters hugely to our country; indeed, 98 per cent of Scotland is agricultural. It underpins what is now our £14 billion food and drinks industry; it contributes to our environment by delivering clean air and water and carbon capture, and by protecting and sustaining our rich and varied wildlife; and, of course, it generates jobs in the wider economy, supporting communities and other industries throughout the nation. Last year, agriculture contributed more than £3 billion to the Scottish economy, with around 40 per cent coming from the livestock sector alone.
First of all, however, I want to turn to the current challenges that face agriculture. As we know, our farmers are used to difficult and sometimes challenging weather and the vagaries of the marketplace, but this year the challenges that they face are really quite exceptional. Right now, the industry seems to be facing a perfect storm, with local, European, United Kingdom and global factors all coming together. In particular, bad weather, with heavy and prolonged rain, has had a huge impact on farming in some parts of the country, particularly in the north and north-west of Scotland. In fact, the first six months of the year have been the wettest in a century in Orkney.