Meeting of the Parliament 06 January 2026
Douglas Lumsden’s greatest hits for 2026 are the same as for 2025.
I talked to ADBA about the climate change plan. At that point, the plan had not been published, and ADBA was very keen for anaerobic digestion to be mentioned in it. I hope that ADBA will have read the plan by now. I made sure that AD was mentioned in it, because, as Sarah Boyack said, we have an opportunity to reduce the emissions associated with waste from food production and animal waste, but we also have an economic development opportunity. I was pleased to meet ADBA representatives and my colleagues at BrewDog, and some of the farming colleagues who were there.
Anyone who is considering investing in an anaerobic digestion plant should not be put off by some of the issues that Maurice Golden mentioned. I encourage such people to engage with SEPA and Zero Waste Scotland at the earliest opportunity, because their expert advice can help to shape the most resource-efficient and successful projects. The Scottish Government also provides interest-free loans through Business Energy Scotland. Farms can apply for up to £100,000 towards an AD system with combined heat and power, and Business Energy Scotland can also provide advice to deliver more energy-efficient low-carbon solutions.
I am glad that the issue has been raised in the chamber. I was pleased to hear about the plants in Cumbernauld and Kilsyth that Jamie Hepburn mentioned. Biogas for 8,000 homes is not to be sniffed at, and I look forward to perhaps coming to Mr Hepburn’s constituency to see how that is rolled out. The numbers that Jamie Hepburn quoted on tackling food waste are important. As I said, that is a stubborn type of waste on which we are maybe not meeting the targets. In fact, there is no maybe about it—we are not meeting our targets for food waste. Of course, food waste is also a feedstock that we should be using.
To answer a question that I think Jamie Hepburn asked, the public sector should be decarbonising more. Perhaps we will see more local authorities seizing the opportunity of anaerobic digestion plants as part of the circular economy work that they are doing. That might be unlocked by the producer levy funding that is coming to them.
In conclusion, I thank Emma Harper. She is already a champion for anaerobic digestion, and I will reflect on her asks of the Government.
Meeting closed at 18:41.