Hansard

I thank the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee clerks and all the witnesses and stakeholders who contributed to the stage 1 process.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats believe that more needs to be done to halt and reverse the decline of many of Scotland’s important species. We recognise that the climate crisis and biodiversity loss are not separate issues but are deeply intertwined. The Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill presents an opportunity for action—a chance to create legally binding targets for nature recovery, to modernise the regulatory framework for deer management and to restore ecosystems. For those reasons, the Scottish Liberal Democrats will support the general principles of the bill at stage 1.

However, there are several areas that could benefit from changes. My party and I are in broad agreement with the use of legally binding targets for improving biodiversity, although we should be wary of any unintended consequences. As the stage 1 report highlights, targets must be evidence based with robust data, and, as stakeholders have highlighted, the lack of explicit links to the marine environment is noticeable.

Although the bill requires the Scottish ministers to specify how progress towards targets is to be measured, further detail is needed on how they will ensure that targets are robust and that there is sufficient resource available. Targets are useful only when meaningful action is taken to deliver them.

Almost half of Scotland’s species have decreased in number since the 1970s. One in nine species in Scotland is at risk of national extinction—that is a sobering statistic. Invasive non-native species are one of the biggest drivers of biodiversity loss in Scotland, and the bill provides a chance to legislate for action to address that issue.

Non-native game birds, bred in captivity and released in large numbers, can cause damage to sensitive habitats and have been subject to several mass-mortality events that have been caused by highly pathogenic avian influenza—HPAI—in recent years. That poses serious risks to native wildlife. There has been an increase in releases of novel non-native species to sensitive island ecosystems, including in Shetland, where the impact of HPAI on wild birds is more serious than it is almost anywhere else in Europe. I understand that game birds released in Shetland might not even have been registered on the Scottish kept bird register, despite that being a legal requirement. Given that situation, I ask the cabinet secretary to consider the call for the Scottish ministers to have stronger powers to regulate the release of game birds. In addition, those who plant or manage woodland should take steps to reduce and mitigate the spread of non-native tree species.

The committee heard strong concerns from many stakeholders about part 2 of the bill. Stakeholders emphasised the importance of the environmental impact assessment legislation and the habitats regulations in protecting Scotland’s natural environment and biodiversity. I share their concern that the bill would provide very wide scope for those regimes to be amended by the Scottish ministers. Although our current Government may state that it has no intention of diluting or weakening environmental standards and protections, it cannot speak for future Governments. The law needs better safeguards, such as a non-regression provision, and there should be stronger parliamentary scrutiny. I note the call that some stakeholders made for part 2 to be removed entirely from the bill, and I look forward to seeing what the cabinet secretary brings forward at stage 2 to address those concerns.

I turn to the section on deer management. The intention to modernise the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 is welcome. In some areas, increasing deer numbers and damaged habitats prevent nature restoration. The bill’s success will depend on working with those who undertake deer management, which is largely a voluntary process. Voluntary deer management is vital, and it is important that, when changes are introduced, the trust and consensus that have been built up in the sector are not affected.

To that end, it is important that we consider the concerns that the sector has raised. Deer management organisations have highlighted the lack of detail on how the new nature restoration grounds for intervention will be used in practice. The criteria are to be detailed in the deer code, but that is not due to happen until after the bill completes the parliamentary process. I echo the calls for the draft revised deer code to be ready for consultation as soon as possible, to enable stakeholders and parliamentarians to have sight of the proposals during the bill process.

Mandatory training requirements will have an impact on deer management practitioners and training providers. The Scottish Government must ensure that the training requirements are proportionate and that support is put in place for transition. That should include consideration of grandfather rights and other mechanisms, to avoid a loss of specialist skills and expertise in the sector.

On the repeal of the venison dealer licence, I reiterate the committee’s call for the current system to be maintained until the NatureScot app has been fully tested and rolled out, and for opportunities for expanding the wild venison sector to be explored.

Although the bill presents opportunities for action on climate and nature, improvements are needed, and I look forward to working constructively with the Scottish Government to that end.