Mairi Gougeon
Scottish National Party · Scotland
“Mairi Gougeon: As other members have done, Michelle Thomson has raised a number of important points. We established a food security unit precisely to address the key challenges that members have identified.”
“I am grateful to Jamie Halcro Johnston for securing the debate. Given the breadth of the areas that are covered in the motion, any one of my colleagues could have been here to respond. However, I am delighted to have the opportunity to do so, because this SNP Government cares deeply about our rural and island communities.”
“He did not do as badly on that run as he thought, but I am glad to hear that he suffered afterwards. [Laughter.] On Fulton MacGregor’s substantive point and the concerns that he has raised about community right to buy, he is absolutely right.”
“Last but certainly not least, I thank my amazing family, whom I cannot wait to spend more time with, and my amazing husband, Baptiste. It takes the patience of a saint to be married to anyone in this job, but he has looked after me and I would be at a loss without him.”
“Of course, some of those challenges remain, but our rural and island communities and industries are rich with opportunity and this Government has been determined to unlock it. Housing is a key issue that has been raised in the motion and throughout the debate.”
“Our croft house grant scheme has invested more than £26.5 million to support more than 1,100 croft homes. We are going further still, with an announcement this year of a new rural and island housing grant scheme, with investment of up to £20 million.”
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“All those measures will help the process. Ultimately, the process has to be robust. However, making it easier is a goal of the review, and I encourage members to look more broadly at the detail that is contained in that.”
“He did not do as badly on that run as he thought, but I am glad to hear that he suffered afterwards. [Laughter.] On Fulton MacGregor’s substantive point and the concerns that he has raised about community right to buy, he is absolutely right. The points that he has made came through loud and clear in the consultation and have been made to me by community groups that have been through the right to buy process—that it has been difficult and cumbersome. Community right to buy, and the various other rights that have been in operation, have achieved a lot, but we are committed to improving on that by making the process less of a burden on groups that seek to use it. Recommendations include combining and simplifying the rights, reducing the burden on voting and eligibility requirements, and extending the registration period for groups.”
“What are the cabinet secretary’s views on how that process can be made easier and on how genuine mistakes that are made by the council, private owners or others can be made to carry no final consequences for the process? Presiding Officer, as this is her last portfolio question, I put on record my best wishes to my good friend Mairi Gougeon, who started with me in 2016. I wish her all the best for the future, and I know that she will be sorely missed by our national Parliament—although perhaps that is not as sore as my legs were when we went for a run during our first session. I took a long time to recover from that. Mairi Gougeon: I thank Fulton MacGregor for those kind comments. Some of my favourite memories are from those early days when we came to the Parliament together and served on the Justice Committee.”
“The Scottish Government accepts the review and its recommendations for improvements to community rights to buy, and I am grateful to all who took the time to respond to the consultation that we undertook on it. The Government is exploring its options on legislation to take forward the recommendations. That will, of course, be a decision for the next Administration. However, where legislation is not required, we will act quickly, and work is already under way with stakeholders to make what progress we can in the meantime. Fulton MacGregor: The existing processes have achieved a lot, in revitalising parts of Scotland through community right to buy mechanisms, but those processes ask a lot of the groups that put forward proposals.”
“It is important that, in the next session of Parliament, those elements are delivered and built on, because we have to take action across all those areas if we want to ensure that we have food security and that we are resilient in the face of such challenges in the future.”
“Mairi Gougeon: I am in absolute agreement with Patrick Harvie on that point, and of course I will be leaving that message, worded in the strongest terms. However, for me, what needs to be done is more about building on the work that we have already done. As I highlighted in a previous response, we have established a food security unit to look ahead to any emerging threats and to deal with some of the big threats that we face at the moment, not least the threats that are posed by ecosystem degradation, which the report highlights. We are undertaking important work in many areas and have already established some of the necessary foundational building blocks through the climate change plan and the nature restoration legislation.”
“I am glad that it seems to be on the cabinet secretary’s agenda, because the warnings in the assessment are stark, saying that every critical ecosystem is on a pathway to collapse and that the implications are severe. As this is one of the cabinet secretary’s last opportunities to speak in the chamber, I thank her very warmly for her service to Scotland. I think that she will be a loss both to Parliament and to Government. However, I urge her to send a clear message to her successor in Government that the implications of the assessment for devolved responsibilities, including for our food security, need a much clearer and sharper focus if we are going to avoid the potentially catastrophic implications that the report warns us of.”
“As the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy said on 19 March, we have considered that UK Government report, which highlights that our national security is under threat from global ecosystem degradation and collapse. The Scottish Government is working to protect our communities and economy by investing in ecosystem protection and restoration and ensuring that Scotland’s food systems are secure and resilient. Work is under way on the inaugural food security statement, as required by the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act 2024, which will include those environmental considerations. Patrick Harvie: I am pleased that that was a slightly more positive answer than I have had from another minister, who has simply dismissed the issue by saying that national security is a reserved matter.”
“As the agriculture minister has just highlighted in response to Willie Rennie, and as I said in my meeting with the NFUS, we want to work with the industry to address those challenges. We are seeking engagement with the UK Government on the matter, so that we can address some of the problems and get ahead of any further issues. Direct Support Payments 5.”
“Mairi Gougeon: As other members have done, Michelle Thomson has raised a number of important points. We established a food security unit precisely to address the key challenges that members have identified. That unit was initially set up on the back of the work of the food sector resilience group that was established when the outbreak of war in Ukraine led to significant shortages. We in Scotland are fortunate to have close engagement with our wider food and drink sector, which means that we can engage quickly in an effort to address some of the challenges and find ways through them. We set up the food security unit in order to monitor the situation. With regard to broader engagement, I met NFU Scotland just last week, on the back of its letter to the Prime Minister about the significant concerns and issues that it wanted to be addressed.”
“Michelle Thomson: I am pleased to hear about the Government’s plans, especially its provision of additional capital investment to help businesses to expand and attract further investment, which will ultimately ensure that the sector remains a powerhouse for Scotland’s economy, but I want to add my voice on an issue that has already been raised. What scenario planning has the Government undertaken in the light of the continued disruption in the middle east, which, frankly, could disrupt the Government’s good work, given the possible impact on exports, energy and fuel costs, which Christine Grahame mentioned, and fertiliser and agricultural input markets? If it has not undertaken such scenario planning, are discussions under way with the United Kingdom Government?”
“As part of our £9 million capital support package for the food and drink processing sector, a new food and drink processing scheme will provide grants on a competitive basis to boost production, improve supply chain efficiency and deliver economic benefits for food and drink businesses. It will offer match-funded awards of up to £400,000 to unlock growth opportunities and strengthen the sector’s long-term sustainability. That investment bolsters the support of more than £9 million that the Government has provided to the sector this year, which includes funding to deliver the national food and drink strategy, as well as other initiatives that seek to maximise growth, enhance competitiveness across domestic and export markets, and drive further resilience and innovation.”
“Therefore, although I am stepping back from elected politics, I will continue to work tirelessly for Scotland’s independence and to deliver the fairer and more equal society that I know it will bring. The Deputy Presiding Officer: That concludes the debate. I will briefly suspend the meeting, and I look forward to regathering with you, cabinet secretary, and a few other colleagues at 3 o’clock. 14:46 Meeting suspended. 15:00 On resuming— Portfolio Question Time Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands”
“Last but certainly not least, I thank my amazing family, whom I cannot wait to spend more time with, and my amazing husband, Baptiste. It takes the patience of a saint to be married to anyone in this job, but he has looked after me and I would be at a loss without him. On a final, final note, on this beautiful spring day, I will end on a point of optimism. In spite of the challenges that we face and the times that we are in, I am full of hope and optimism for the future of our country. We have shown that we are delivering for communities across Scotland with the powers that we have. We have focused on the issues that matter: protecting funding for and investment in our farmers and crofters, investing in our rural and island areas, and taking action on land reform. However, we could do so much more with the powers of independence.”
“In my time as a junior minister, I worked with the formidable Jeane Freeman and Roseanna Cunningham. I also worked with my colleague and best friend, Jenny Gilruth, as well as Nicola Sturgeon, who took a chance on me by appointing me to the Cabinet. I again put on the record my sincere thanks to all those who have supported me in my Government role: the civil servants, the officials, the special advisers—including Ian Muirhead and Kate Higgins—and my incredible private office staff and my unfailing constituency office staff, who have pretty much been with me from the start and without whom I could not do this job. I also thank the Parliament staff, who are so kind and who make working in this building such a joy.”
“One thing that I love about our farmers and fishermen is that they are not backward in coming forward to say what they really think. I must also mention some of the incredible women I have had the opportunity to work with and meet. Caroline Millar is a true force of nature who has driven the incredible growth of agritourism in Scotland. A chance meeting on a bus at the Royal Highland Show led to a farm visit with Cora Cooper to see at first hand how a commercial livestock business can work hand in hand with peatland and nature restoration. Nikki Yoxall and the incredible Denise Walton are at the forefront of nature- friendly farming. From the incredible women in agriculture to the incredible women right here, in the Parliament, I have been fortunate to work with so many inspiring women.”
“Bryce Cunningham, of Mossgiel, is an organic dairy farmer in Elena Whitham’s constituency, and he is working tirelessly to improve our food system. Martin Kennedy, whose farm I have been fortunate enough to visit a number of times, is not just a former president of NFU Scotland; he is still working and continuing to drive innovation in the industry that he has worked tirelessly to represent. There are also our amazing fishermen. Just last week, when I launched the marine fund Scotland, I met Sam Mason and Barry Brunton, fishermen who care about the environment, are innovating to avoid bycatch and are so passionate about what they do. That also brings me to Ian Wightman, whom I have met in Largs a couple of times.”
“It has also been an honour beyond imagining to serve the people of Scotland as a member of the Scottish Government in what is the best portfolio in the Government. One of the great privileges of this role is who you get to meet and work with along the way, and the amazing people who keep you going in your job, too. It is fair to say that I have met some of the best of them, and I will mention some of the people who have made a real impression on me. First, I had the experience of riding a combine with Andrew Moir, discussing the techniques that he is using on his farm, as well as agriculture policy. Last summer, along with Kenny Gibson, in his constituency, we visited David Carruth and his woolly pigs. Nothing quite warms your heart like driving along the road and having a troop of little piglets running towards you.”
“As the member who has the honour of making the final contribution in the final debate of this session of the Scottish Parliament, I want to say that it has been an absolute honour and the privilege of my life to serve the people of what I can now definitively say, without challenge, is the most scenic, culturally significant and generally the best constituency in Scotland—Angus North and Mearns: “almost you’d cry for that, the beauty of it and the sweetness of the Scottish land and skies.” Lewis Grassic Gibbon, the great author from the Mearns, summarised better than I ever could how I feel about my home region. From the coast to the glens, it really is the best of Scotland. I thank the people of Angus North and Mearns for putting their faith in me to represent them in the past two sessions of Parliament.”
“One of the parts of the job of which I have been most proud has been working with youth local action groups and the Young Islanders Network, which I launched in Orkney a number of years ago. Working with our incredible youth leaders has been inspirational and it ensures that our young people have a voice and take part in our decision making.”
“They have frozen funding, removed ring fencing, removed multi-annual funding and Barnettised funding across those critical areas. That serves only to short-change our critical food producers. I am proud of the work that we have done to support new entrants to our agriculture industry, including the 17 new opportunities that we provided on Forestry and Land Scotland land, the transformative projects that we are investing in through the islands programme, and the investment in our community-led local development. Just recently, we had the Tyne and Esk local action group in the Parliament talking about the return on investment that it sees from such development and about the important work that it does in our rural communities.”
“I will reflect on two key areas mentioned in the motion that are the lifeblood of our rural, coastal and island communities and that form the heart of my portfolio—agriculture and fisheries. We value our food producers in Scotland, which is why we invest more than £660 million every year in our farmers and crofters. That is the most generous support package anywhere in the UK. We are continuing to back our marine economy with more than £70 million through the marine fund Scotland since 2021 and the £16 million that was announced just last week. However, that all pales in comparison with the funding that we should receive. The UK Governments, past and present, have short- changed our farmers, crofters and fishermen.”
“Our croft house grant scheme has invested more than £26.5 million to support more than 1,100 croft homes. We are going further still, with an announcement this year of a new rural and island housing grant scheme, with investment of up to £20 million. That is alongside £37 million for a rural and islands housing fund and £25 million in rural affordable housing for key workers. Transport has quite rightly been mentioned in the debate. We have reduced the cost of travel and have improved connectivity. We have expanded concessionary travel, abolished peak rail fares and introduced a £2 bus fare cap pilot in the Highlands and Islands. The road equivalent tariff has reduced ferry fares significantly, and we cannot forget the significant investment in new ferries, which will improve lifeline links for our rural communities.”
“Of course, some of those challenges remain, but our rural and island communities and industries are rich with opportunity and this Government has been determined to unlock it. Housing is a key issue that has been raised in the motion and throughout the debate. Just this morning, we heard more information about the announcement by the housing secretary, Màiri McAllan, of the £10 million that is being made available from 1 April through the Scottish emergency heating oil scheme, which will provide vital support to householders who are worried about the recent surges in the cost of heating oil and liquid petroleum gas. It is a key example of where we have gone over and above what is provided by the United Kingdom Government to deliver for our communities. That is alongside the wider investment that we are making in housing.”
“I wish her all the very best as she steps down from Parliament. I also want to express good wishes to those who are not stepping back but hope to return in the next session of Parliament. It has been a privilege to work with you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and with Finlay Carson, Tim Eagle, Jamie Halcro Johnston and a number of other members across the chamber, not least Ariane Burgess, with whom we worked closely on a number of key pieces of legislation, always striving to do what is right. Being Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands has been the privilege of my life. I have worked alongside many others to deliver real and lasting change for our rural and island communities and businesses.”
“It is safe to say that the species champion debate is the only debate that unites us right across the chamber. In all seriousness, John Mason has had many years as a councillor, MP and MSP, and it is important to mark that contribution. I wish him all the very best going forward. It has been an immense pleasure to get to know and work with Beatrice Wishart during our time in Parliament. I have always appreciated her openness to engage with me. Through all the numerous pieces of legislation that we have worked on together, she has always been driven by doing what is best for the people of Shetland. From fisheries to fixed links and a whole host of issues in between, we have not always agreed, but I have always appreciated Beatrice’s ability to have difficult discussions in a constructive way.”
“We served together on the Justice Committee initially, and, from that initial engagement to now, I have always enjoyed engaging with him. It has always been in good humour—normally outside the chamber rather than inside it, as members will probably have been able to judge today. Inside the chamber, we tend to profoundly disagree on a number of items. We have just heard the final contribution from John Mason. Despite the fact that he represents a more urban constituency, I have always appreciated John’s interest in matters relating to my portfolio, which I know also matter greatly to him—none more so than the sheep of St Kilda. It was a sheer delight for me, as species champion for the kestrel, to respond to the debate that John Mason brought to Parliament just recently.”
“She fostered a passion for debate and a drive for fairness and justice, and she really stoked a fire to campaign for Scottish independence. I thank her for that. During this final speech, I am flanked by my closest friends and colleagues, without whom I could not have survived these sessions of Parliament: Jenny Gilruth, Jim Fairlie and, sitting behind me, Nicola Sturgeon. There is so much that I want to cover and talk about today, but it is important to recognise the final contributions of some more colleagues. Oliver Mundell and I entered Parliament at the same time, in 2016. I still remember our first meeting; potentially, he does not. In that session, we were given opportunities to get to meet each other and break down political barriers.”
“I am grateful to Jamie Halcro Johnston for securing the debate. Given the breadth of the areas that are covered in the motion, any one of my colleagues could have been here to respond. However, I am delighted to have the opportunity to do so, because this SNP Government cares deeply about our rural and island communities. When they thrive, all of Scotland thrives. There are a lot of items to cover. I thank everyone across the chamber for their kind words to me. I am so glad that members expressed all of that on a day when my mum is up in the public gallery to hear it—as opposed to in half an hour’s time, when they will be throwing pelters at me again at question time. I wish to recognise my mum, Marianne, without whom I would not have entered politics. She is the most inspirational woman I know, and she sacrificed so much for me.”
“The next item of business is consideration of Parliamentary Bureau motion S6M-20972, on approval of an SSI. Motion moved, That the Parliament agrees that the Conservation of Habitats and Species (Offshore Wind) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2026 [draft] be approved.—[Graeme Dey] 17:11”
“As I outlined at committee, if the SSI were not agreed today, there would be the opposite situation: there would be more resource pressure on the Scottish Government marine directorate and on SEPA, because we would still have to consult SEPA on any licence applications but SEPA would not be able to recover the costs for it. SEPA is in agreement about the SSI. We believe that it has the resources in place to deal with it. There are no applications in place at the moment and we do not believe that there will be a massive deluge, should the SSIs be agreed to. I urge members to approve the Marine Licensing (Exempted Activities) (Scottish Inshore Region) Amendment Order 2026. The Presiding Officer: The question on the motion will be put at decision time.”
“I highlight the interdependent nature of this SSI and the former one. If this order is not approved, there will be a dual regulation and dual license requirements between 3 and 12 nautical miles, which will lead to confusion and a cumbersome consenting system. Further, minor amendments to clarify and strengthen the existing marine licence equipment deposit exemption, which are supported by the vast majority of consultation respondents, would not be introduced. I will touch on the points that Ariane Burgess raised in relation to the resource requirements and pressures that could be put on SEPA. There has been consultation with SEPA, it has engaged with the process and it is content with the proposals because they relate to work that it deals with at the moment. SEPA has the ability to recover costs for any charges that it puts in place.”
“The second statutory instrument, the draft Marine Licensing (Exempted Activities) (Scottish Inshore Region) Amendment Order 2026, which the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee also debated and approved last week, extends an existing exemption to marine licence requirements for fish farm environmental discharges from 0 to 3 nautical miles to 0 to 12 nautical miles. It also extends and clarifies the application of an existing exemption for the deposit of fish and shellfish farm equipment, strengthening the prerequisite requirements for its use. Taken together, those SSIs provide a consistent consenting framework for Scotland’s inshore marine area and identify SEPA, Scotland’s independent environmental regulator, as the lead regulator for fish farm discharges between 0 and 12 nautical miles.”
“I first wish to set out that we committed to clarifying the consenting processes for aquaculture development between 3 and 12 nautical miles, as a key deliverable in our programme for government and as part of our vision for sustainable aquaculture. Legislative changes are being introduced to ensure that the best regulatory arrangements are implemented, which includes identifying those who are best placed to lead. Last year, we consulted on two Scottish statutory instruments, and the one that is now before us is interdependent with another. The first of those instruments is the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2026, which the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee discussed and agreed to last week. It makes SEPA the responsible authority for the regulation of fish farm environmental discharges.”
“That has included funding project officers to try to identify where the opportunities are and then to go on and deliver them. We are also providing support through the woods in and around towns grants, which are under the forestry grant scheme. Annie Wells raises an important point. We are always striving to do more and to consider how we can use funding mechanisms in a way that ensures that we are expanding the benefits of our trees and woodlands to urban parts of Scotland, too. Future Farming Investment Scheme 7.”
“Almost 40 per cent of our neighbourhoods are considered to be a high priority for action to improve tree equity. I listened to the cabinet secretary’s answer, but what action will she take for Glasgow specifically to make sure that the protection, management and expansion of Scotland’s urban trees and woods will benefit those in the Glasgow community? Mairi Gougeon: As I hope I was able to outline in my initial response to Annie Wells, the intention is very much to focus on the cities and areas in which there is less tree cover and where more can be done. We are constantly looking at our support and how we can better provide it. I mentioned the Clyde climate forest, which we have invested in. I also want to emphasise that the Government has worked with local authorities for more than 20 years to expand and manage urban woodlands.”
“The Scottish Government is committed to improving tree equity so that more communities, particularly those with limited existing tree cover, can enjoy the full range of benefits that are provided by urban trees and woodlands. Through our forestry grants and support for the Clyde, Forth and Fife climate forests, we are supporting tree-planting projects across towns and cities in central Scotland, with a focus on areas that have the greatest need for trees. When we review future support mechanisms, tree equity will remain an important consideration, to ensure that we effectively address inequalities in access to urban woodlands and trees. Annie Wells: More than a quarter of Glasgow’s neighbourhoods have less than 10 per cent tree canopy cover, and those areas have some of the lowest tree equity scores in Scotland.”
“Although the 2025 act will have to be implemented before we can hope to see any improvement, I look forward to seeing how that develops in the coming years and any impacts that it might have.”
“Mairi Gougeon: I agree with Foysol Choudhury in the sense that the pattern that we have seen is going in completely the wrong direction; it is not the direction that we want to see it going in. However, I emphasise exactly what I outlined in my initial answer about the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025. Although it has not yet been implemented, it is a massive step forward when it comes to land ownership and land reform in Scotland more generally. The Scottish Government is making significant interventions for the first time, and that includes our having the ability to intervene directly in the land market. I believe that we are taking steps in the right direction.”
“I welcome the report’s contribution to the land reform debate. It highlights that land ownership in Scotland is still deeply unequal. That issue is hundreds of years in the making, and addressing it will not be quick or easy. The recent Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025 is a huge step forward. Once implemented, ministers will have lotting powers to split up large landholdings when they are being sold, provided that it is in the public interest to do so. The 2025 act will also ensure that communities can receive advance notification of impending sales or transfers of land by large landholders. Foysol Choudhury: In 2024, half of Scotland’s privately owned rural land was in the hands of 421 entities. That is now down to 408 individuals or companies. Does the Scottish Government agree that land ownership is going backwards?”
“It is an important point that we need to have indicators and a monitoring framework if we want to make sure that we are making good progress on our good food nation ambitions. Dyslexia Assessments for Adults (Free Provision Pathway) 5.”
“When we were looking at the criteria for the indicators that should be included in the good food nation plan, we were looking for indicators on which information was readily available, understandable and accessible to a wide range of stakeholders. The indicators also need to be sensitive enough for changes to be detected over time, cost-effective to use and have low resource requirements. I emphasise that, although the good food nation plan does not currently have an indicator in relation to this outcome, it is the first plan. We can only look to build on it, to fill the data gaps where they exist and to find data and evidence so that there are suitable indicators in the future.”
“Although the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022 does not reference imported food and drink, the act sets out some principles that are relevant to fair trade principles. In addition, our strategic approach to trade policy is a values-based approach, as is set out in “Scotland’s Vision for Trade”. Our annual report on that, which was published in January this year, sets out recent progress on putting those values into practice. John Mason: Outcome 6B of the good food nation plan refers to “positive contributions to global food system transformation.” However, there are no indicators for it. I would have thought that that would have an impact on fair trade. Could fair trade be used as part of the indicators? Mairi Gougeon: I appreciate the concern that John Mason raises.”
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“Although I will not be a member in the next session of Parliament, I hope, like other members, that the initiative will continue in the next session with a new set of parliamentarians who are willing to support these precious species and habitats. The Deputy Presiding Officer: That concludes the debate. We can now all head to Alexander Burnett’s for a grey squirrel surprise. Meeting closed at 18:32. This is the final edition of the Official Report of this meeting. It is part of the Scottish Parliament Official Report archive and has been sent for legal deposit.”
“As I set out in a response earlier today, a number of pieces of work are under way to try to address the pressures, of which we know there are a number, that are impacting on that iconic species. Although we are making progress, there is clearly still much to be done. Now more than ever, it is important that we keep the nature agenda firmly in the spotlight. There is still work to do to raise its profile, to strengthen wider understanding and to ensure that nature remains at the heart of our national priorities. I welcome the discussion and the spotlight that the nature champions initiative puts on our biodiversity and iconic species in Scotland.”
“Of course, the debate is not just about our terrestrial species—we have had contributions from various members on our marine species. David Torrance mentioned seagrass, Douglas Ross talked about the bottlenose dolphin and Beatrice Wishart mentioned the orca. I welcome Finlay Carson’s focus on native oysters, and the fact that he highlighted the Stranraer oyster festival. I have been able to see at first hand some of the work that has gone into supporting the species, as well as enjoying the product of that work later on at the oyster festival, which is a fantastic experience. I encourage members to visit it if they get the opportunity. We also had an important contribution from Edward Mountain, who focused on the pressures that our iconic wild salmon face.”
“Across Scotland, we are restoring nature and iconic species, not as a Government acting alone, but by working hand in hand with communities, land managers and conservation partners. Our work to protect red squirrels, which Alexander Burnett mentioned, demonstrates the power of partnership. He highlighted the vital saving Scotland’s red squirrels programme, which involves Government, volunteers and landowners working together to control grey squirrels, limit the spread of squirrel pox and safeguard one of our most iconic native mammals. Lorna Slater and Christine Grahame highlighted golden eagles. The return of golden eagles to the south of Scotland is one of our most inspiring success stories. So much vital work has taken place on that, and it is great to see that success.”
“We are also investing in our nature, and members have heard about the importance of financing critical initiatives for our species. The groundbreaking nature restoration fund has already invested more than £65 million in projects across Scotland. The fund is delivering a real impact and supports a wide range of innovative projects across Scotland. Among the already successful initiatives is the Highland amphibians reptile project, which has boosted the survival rate of the Highland great crested newt from 2 per cent to 13 per cent. That breeding success enabled the translocation of the United Kingdom’s rarest newts, which is thought to be a first in Europe. I hope that Fulton MacGregor, who is the nature champion for the great crested newt, will be delighted to hear that.”
“As everybody here will be aware, that groundbreaking legislation requires us, for the first time, to set statutory targets for nature. Such targets will form a central part of our strategic framework for biodiversity and, crucially, will ensure clear accountability and co-ordinated action across the Government. As the nature champions initiative demonstrates, we need to take action to protect our precious species and habitats. Just last year, we launched our first nature 30 sites, which is a key step in delivering our commitment to protect 30 per cent of our land and seas for nature by 2030. Four pioneering sites have now been recognised across Scotland—Loch Arkaig pine forest, the Findhorn hinterland, Loch Wood and Knapdale—and they will play a vital role in promoting ecological restoration and management at scale in Scotland.”