On 10 January, the Scottish Parliament will debate a motion by Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy Fergus Ewing on Future Rural Policy and Support in Scotland.
In advance of this, Scottish Environment LINK members have set out their views for a new, comprehensive and forward-looking process for developing future rural policy and support in Scotland. Any new policy framework should be based on 10 principles.
Scottish Environment LINK members want to see a firm commitment to a robust, well-resourced, transparent and representative process to develop future rural policy and support for Scotland, resulting in a blueprint for policy post-2024.
LINK members welcome the motion’s reference to “conven[ing] a group consisting of producer, consumer and environmental organisations to inform and recommend a new bespoke policy on farming and food production for Scotland” as a step in the right direction.
The full briefing is available here.