Meeting of the Parliament 05 March 2026 [Draft]
I am pleased to speak on behalf of the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee to set out the findings of our scrutiny of the agriculture and land use chapters of the draft climate change plan.
The committee began its scrutiny of the plan by taking evidence at meetings in early January. We heard from a range of stakeholders, including academics and non-governmental organisations with experience and expertise in agriculture, peatlands and forestry, as well as representatives of the agriculture and forestry sectors. To conclude our evidence taking, we heard from the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy and her officials later that month.
On behalf of the committee, I take this opportunity to thank everyone who contributed to our scrutiny of the draft CCP and the clerks who were involved in the preparation of our report.
I turn first to our findings on the agriculture chapter. The Scottish Government has set out in the draft CCP that it intends to achieve most of its reductions in agricultural emissions through its reforms to support payments. Many stakeholders agreed that changes to requirements for agricultural subsidies would help to incentivise farmers to transition to more sustainable and climate-friendly practices. However, the committee also heard concerns from the industry that there was still a lack of clarity around the Scottish Government’s reform programme, which it believed was holding back efforts to decarbonise the sector in the short term.
The sector was particularly concerned about delays to the first rural support plan, which will set out the Scottish Government’s policy priorities for agriculture support over the next five years.