Adam welcomes Holyrood support for Agriculture Bill
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THE progression of the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill has been welcomed by a north-east MSP.
The Bill outlines a framework for improving Scotland’s food security while protecting our countryside; leaving space for this to evolve over time and for support for farmers to be tailored as their needs change. Crucially, this detail will be decided in collaboration with producers.
The plan outlined in this Bill aims to allow Scotland to continue producing high-quality food while also tackling climate change, supporting nature restoration, and prioritising the well-being of rural communities.
This will operate alongside the Scottish Government’s Agricultural Reform route map, which informs farmers of upcoming changes; and the SNP government’s ongoing support for livestock production – Scotland being the only part of the UK to provide support to beef farmers.
These changes will make livestock production more environmentally and economically sustainable, and the broader reforms outlined in the Agriculture Bill will support broader work to improve food security and support rural communities.
Welcoming the Bill, Karen Adam, MSP for Banffshire & Buchan Coast, said: “Getting it right for our farmers, food producers and farming communities is of huge importance to Banffshire and Buchan Coast and Scotland in general.
“We are rightfully proud of our food producers, who feed the nation with high quality produce.”
“It's been an honour to work on and scrutinise this Bill as a member of the Scottish Parliament Rural Affairs Committee, which I sat on until recently. I want to thank the countless stakeholders, constituents and farmers I’ve met with during my time on the committee for the positive and constructive role they have played in creating a bill that gets it right for our farming communities.”
"It's very telling that on the week we passed this bill with industry support, farmers protested in London about the negative impacts of Brexit and trade deals that compromise our food standards.
“The Scottish Government will always listen to our farmers and food producers and work constructively to protect our food security, quality, and our environment.“
