 Felly, grafio'r cyflodau a myfyrdd ychydig yn ei gynlluniaeth, ac mae FFASMA yn fawr yn fawr yng nghylch o erbyn i gael y Cymru a'r hollidrwydd Cymru. Efallai y terfodol casfodd ymddangos a'r cwrwp o'r cwrwp o'r pwg gysylltiadau i'r cyflodau a'r ilynydd, ond mae'n gweithio i'r cwrwp o'r roastedigwetau, ond wrth unigair y cyfnodau'r cwestiynau. Rwy'n meddwl o'ch gynrych, rydw i ddilyn a wneud o'r cyfnodau sy'n cheiswydau. Rydw i ddilyn a'r cyfnodau a'r cyfnodau sydd sydd yn gallu gweld unigair yn gyfrifiadau y miestalu. Aelodau. Rwy'n meddwl i gael y newid ei wneud ar y gwbl yn y gwiradau Cymru, ac mae'r cyfrifiadau peron yn 65% aelodau i'r gwbl yn chi'n rhoi i'r ffordd y flag ffó Scotland o'r ffordd. The Scottish Brand, whether it is the saltire or Scottish label, is a key provenance mark and a signal of quality. It is no surprise that people in Scotland recognise it and are proudly enjoying our world-class produce. Through our local food strategy and the development of our sustainably Scottish brand, they will have even more opportunities to access food-produced locally and be confident that it is produced to rigorous environmental standards. I very much indeed for that answer and just to assuish any worries on behalf of some members of the parliament. That doesn't mean that it will be on the actual food, it will be on the label. In recent weeks, we have seen the UK Government moving closer to allowing gene edited crops. Does the Cabinet Secretary therefore share my view that identity of Scotland's world class produce must be protected from any action in this regard which threatened its brand reputation and provenance? I'm aware of the UK government's plans to change English regulations to enable the use of gene editing technologies and Scotland's policy on GMOs hasn't changed and we remain opposed to the use of GM in farming to protect the clean green brand of Scotland's £15 billion food and drink industry. I'm also aware that there is the current debate around novel genomic techniques and how those relate to existing GM legislation and in particular the on-going consideration of this at EU level. The Scottish Government's policy is to remain aligned with the EU. We're practicable and we're closely monitoring the EU's position on this issue and we'll continue to engage with the UK government, Wales and Northern Ireland to ensure that devolved competences are respected in charting our future direction. The Scottish Conservatives are proud to support the Scottish dairy industry. Embarrassingly, the Scottish Government's milk and snack scheme has been branded unlawful by Lord Bride. That is yet another example of the SNP letting down rural Scotland, with small Scottish dairies impacted because of childminders in receipt of funding through the scheme forced to source Scottish milk from larger suppliers. Cabinet Secretary, why is the SNP letting down small Scottish milk producers? Ms Hamilton, that was a very tenuous link to the original question. If there's anything, Cabinet Secretary, you wish to add then please do so. We're obviously committed to supporting our producers in Scotland and in relation to the specific issue that the member has raised. I'd be happy to contact her with further information. To ask the Scottish Government how it will support the fishing industry to grow to meet any increased capacity within the catching and processing sectors. The Scottish Government is supporting the seafood sector through the Marine Fund Scotland. Around £13 million has been awarded to date across a range of projects, including supporting young fishers to enter the sea fisheries industry, vessel refurbishment and new more sustainable fishing gear. That is in addition to the £40 million under European Maritime and Fisheries Fund that we provided to support an innovative and competitive sector which also helped to build capacity. Clearly we'd like to continue doing so but the UK Government has cut the available funding that Scotland gets now that we've left the EU and instead of the £62 million that we should be getting we're only receiving £14 million now which clearly limits our ability to provide as much support as we did in the past and we'd wish to in the future. Scotland is the biggest fishing nation in the UK yet five wealthy families control a third of Scottish fishing quotas and have minority investments in companies that hold a further 11 per cent. Almost half of the entire Scottish fishing quota is held by just five families. Does the minister agree that this concentration of private ownership over this natural common asset is completely unacceptable in the long run? In response to that we've undertaken an analysis of this and of quota distribution in Scotland and when we did that in 2016 it demonstrated that there was a diversity of ownership and that's in contrast to the situation in England where the separation of small scale and large scale vessels is more pronounced and the headline figures suggesting that access to fishing opportunities are very limited is misleading because the reality is that holders of pelagic quotas appear to own huge shares in terms of number of quota units but equally hold very little in terms of other species and this significantly distorts any representation of holdings across all fish stocks. I've got quite a few supplementaries here. Again a plea to be brief in the questions and the responses first. Finlay Carson. There's a huge potential in the fishing communities around the Scottish coast but sadly it needs joined up thinking. We need investment in neutral science and work within the environment which allows good management as well as permitting fishing businesses to plan development. Sadly last week two young Scottish skippers revealed that they are now re-evaluating a long-term career in the wake of the embarrassing boorock surrounding the Clyde Cod closure announcement. Can I ask the cabinet secretary what plans does she have to promote stability, co-management, capacity building and most importantly trust to deliver sustainability and investment in the fishing industry? In response to the point that the member raised there, I think that the course of action that we've taken since the closure was announced is the right one because we've listened to our stakeholders, we've got our scientists, our fishers and the environmental organisations together to try and chart a way forward and I think that that's the way that we should continue to work when we're dealing with issues such as this which of course is vital but I don't know if the member would have preferred that we didn't listen and take action on the back of the information that we'd received and on the back of the discussion that we've had with our stakeholders but I do believe that the position that we've taken now is the right one and of course we're keen to work with our stakeholders as we move forward and look to introduce measures such as highly protected marine areas. Okay, there's going to have to be a bit brief for Kenny Gibson. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Since this introduction, the annual closure of the Clyde spawning grounds has included exemptions to allow nephrops, trawls, creals and scallop dredgers to continue to fish. However, there'll be no exemptions with the imminent Clyde closure from 14 February to 30 April as exemptions didn't lead to fish stock recovery. Can the cabinet secretary advise what positive impact she anticipates will be on future fish stocks from the closure, albeit the temporary closure that has been? Well, the stock so far has shown very little signs of recovery under the previous measures and that's why the measures we announced to increase protection are required and the scientific evidence that we have shows that spawning cod can be disturbed by any fishing gear that operates within 10 metres of the seabed. As the fishing methods allowed under the previous exemptions such as trawling, dredging and crealing all operate within 10 metres of the seabed, removing those will significantly reduce the likelihood of the spawning cod being disturbed. Now, during the closure we're going to increase monitoring of the activity and catches to assess in particular whether and where cod are being caught outside the closure areas and whether they were mature enough to spawn. We intend to hold a meeting with stakeholders at the end of the 2022 closure to reflect on the effectiveness and practicality of the revised closed areas. The chief executive of Seafood Scotland recently stated that the UK Government's immigration policy post-Brexit is preventing new people coming into Scotland's seafood workforce and that, as a result, an average of 20 to 25 per cent of vacancies are left unfilled throughout the industry, particularly on fishing vessels and in processing facilities. Does the cabinet secretary therefore share my view that a Scottish visa is greatly needed to support the fishing and seafood sectors? I do, but the UK Government unfortunately has dismissed our proposals for a 24-month visa for all sectors to try to mitigate the acute labour shortage crisis, and it has ignored calls from businesses to create appropriate migration routes for vital workers to come to Scotland. Their short-sighted fixation on restrictive migration is devastating our businesses and communities. I'm beautiful with it. Several of my constituents have been denied support through the Marine Fund for new entrants because of arbitrary grant criteria. Those are young people looking to invest in the modern Shetland fleet and become the next generation of fishers. Will the minister commit to reviewing those criteria and considering those applications anew to help fishing capacity for the future and match the ambition of young fishers? This is the first year of the operation of the Marine Fund Scotland, so, of course, we will be monitoring and having a review of the fund as we look to establish the fund again in future years, and we'll consider the issues that the member has raised. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its position on the effectiveness in Scotland of the UK geographical indication scheme that replaced the EU protected geographical indication scheme. Scotland's GIs, including Scotch beef, Scotch lamb and Scotch whisky, are rightfully world-renowned for their quality and provenance, and they deserve protection from imitation. The UK scheme mirrors the EU scheme. All existing GIs from both the UK and EU were recorded on the UK register from January last year, and they continue to be recognised in the EU. New applicants can apply for protection through the UK scheme, and the Scottish Government continues to support our applicants and work with the UK Government to ensure that the scheme continues to benefit our producers. I agree with the cabinet secretary that Scotland's produce is internationally renowned, but figures show that the total food and drink exports to the EU in 2019 were worth around £2.6 billion to Scotland, but the first nine months of 2021, Scotland's exports to the EU were 12.1 per cent lower than 2019. In addition, the industry bodies have shared their concerns that the new UK GIs scheme provides inferior legal protection. Does the cabinet secretary share my view that Brexit has not provided a single benefit to rural communities? Can she outline what communication the Scottish Government has had with the UK Government and industry regarding the seemingly inferior UK GIs scheme? Yes, I do. We already know that there are going to be more barriers to our exporters and importers to come along the line. Only this week, the UK Government had extolled the benefits of Brexit in a publication, which curiously omitted the figures and the damning figures that Emma Harper has highlighted. We have supported our food and drink sector to the tune of £10 million over the course of the past couple of years in order to mitigate the effects that Brexit and Covid have had on the sector and the communities that they support. Meantime, of course, the UK Government continues to talk pie in the sky, rather than tackling the real issues that have been brought about by its calamitous Brexit policy. I encourage members to look at the questions that they are intending to pose and cut them back if they think that they are going to not fall into the bracket of brevity. I ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is supporting new entrants into agriculture. Currently, we are supporting new entrants into agriculture through the farm advisory service, the Scottish landmatching service, the farming opportunities for new entrant group and direct payments. I am also exploring options to further develop support for new entrants in line with our manifesto commitment. I thank the cabinet secretary for that response. There is currently a serious issue in rural Scotland with soaring land prices, mainly driven by corporate entities buying up large tracts of property for planting of trees to help meet environmental obligations. Encouraging tree planting clearly is good for climate change, but that is the effect of taking marginal land that could be used for food production out of agricultural use and making it harder for new entrants to agriculture, either to purchase land or to expand holdings. Is the Scottish Government aware of the issue and do they have any concerns about what is currently going on? I thank the member for raising that important point. It has been an issue that has been raised directly with me by the NFUS. Both myself and the Environment Minister had a meeting with the president and vice-president of the NFUS to talk this over. I would also highlight to members that the Scottish Land Commission had been tasked with undertaking an urgent piece of work to examine the issue and to look into it in more detail. We are currently awaiting the outcome of that. The recently published Women in Agriculture Research report highlighted the unique challenges that key workers, women in agriculture, continue to face. Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that it is vital to the future of our rural communities that we support women who are new entrants in the agricultural sector in a way that addresses those challenges? Absolutely. I want to see more women like those in Bamshire and Buchan having the opportunity to develop their skills, talents and careers and supporting a new generation of women into agriculture will ensure its long-term sustainability. That is why, in addition to the new entrance support that is available through the Farm Advisory Service, we committed £300,000 this financial year and £400,000 next financial year to bring about some practical solutions to support women. That includes through the wider roll-out of Be Your Best Self, which is personal development training, pilot of agricultural business skills training and skillscedar, which is a skillsharing app to encourage greater participation in rural and land-based training. During the course of the Scottish Parliament, we will double women in agriculture funding up to £600,000. On Saturday, the NFU president referred to post-Brexit trade deals saying, my greatest fear was that we would be used as a pawn in trade deals and, effectively, that is what's happened. Does the cabinet secretary share my view that a more prudent question might be when will the UK Government stop discouraging new entrants into agriculture by undermining the industry with what Ms Batter has described as really bad trade deals for the UK? As proof of this possible, cabinet secretary. Yes, and just to say that I share the views that Manette Batter's had expressed, and I've repeatedly expressed my significant concerns with the UK Government on the impact of post-Brexit trade deals on Scotland's agricultural sector. Farmers and crofters are continuing to be undermined and undercut by the UK Government, who have shown little care for the future of the Scottish rural economy, and the UK Government's actions are damaging the attraction for new entrants to the sector. And while the Scottish Government hasn't been afforded a meaningful role in safe negotiations— I think that's enough, cabinet secretary. Question number five, Miles Price, please. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government what support it will provide to help increase the numbers of allotments in community garden spaces across Edinburgh. Minister Mary McCall. Presiding Officer, allotments and their provision is the responsibility of local authorities that set out in the Community Empowerment Scotland Act 2015. However, since 2012, the Scottish Government has allocated over £1.4 million to directly support an increase of land available for community growing and more widely. Our £50 million vacant and derelict land investment programme supports a variety of community regeneration projects, and our Scottish land fund, with a budget of £10 million, supports communities to take ownership of land and buildings, which can include the provision of allotments. I thank the minister for that answer, but it's clearly not having the desired effect here in the capital. The average weight in Edinburgh for people to access an allotment is over eight years in East Lothian. That stands at over 15 years. There are currently 4,259 people here in the capital waiting for an allotment. Will the minister agree to my request to take forward a national allotment viability study with all government agencies looking at what potential land they could use to develop allotments and community growing spaces? I am aware of the concerns in Edinburgh. I know that there are 1,900 allotment plots and 69 community growing projects managed already by the City of Edinburgh Council. I am also aware that the pandemic had the effect of encouraging people to take up allotments but equally making it a very crowded landscape. However, as I said in my initial answer and for more specificity on the point raised, I would direct the member to Edinburgh Council, whose statutory responsibility allotments in Edinburgh are. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the rural affairs secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding support for young farmers in the North East to support and promote good mental health and wellbeing. The Scottish Government takes mental health and wellbeing seriously, and that is why last year we launched the community's mental health and wellbeing fund. We will continue to support those who are supporting the mental health and wellbeing of all farmers throughout Scotland, including young farmers in the northeast. In this financial year, we gave a total of £450,000 to RSAPI, the national rural mental health forum and support in mind Scotland, specifically to support the mental health of our rural communities. Officials are actively engaging with the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Club Board and their chief executive to discuss potential projects, including mental health support for young farmers. Those initial discussions are on-going. Farming has the poorest safety record of any occupation in the UK and a higher than expected suicide rate. Last year, a farm safety foundation's research found that 92 per cent of Scotland's farmers under 40 say that mental health is one of the biggest hidden problems that they face. The RABI big farming survey revealed that over one third of farmers are probably or possibly depressed. Financial uncertainty around the replacement of funding for EU farm payments, powerful supermarkets dictating challenging prices and poor connectivity are just some contributing factors. What more can we do to ensure that we support farmers as part of strong, resilient and connected communities for our rural areas? There are quite a few points on that that I would like to address, but I think that first and foremost is to highlight the likes of organisations such as RSAPI and the important work that they do. If there are any concerns, there are people with concerns, I would urge them to contact RSAPI. Both myself and the Environment Minister had a meeting with them last week hearing about some of the cases that they have been involved in. We recognise that there is serious concern there, especially given the huge costs that everybody is facing at the moment, but we see that in terms of agriculture in relation to the increase in price of fertilisers, energy and all those other issues. We can only anticipate that some of the problems that we are seeing now will get worse. I am happy to write to the member to provide more details about the organisations that can provide this help and support, but also to highlight that we have tried to give as much certainty to farmers and our crofters as much as we possibly can through some of the payments that we have delivered and the commitments that we have made in terms of the rates of payments that we will be making over the term of this Parliament and also through schemes that we have announced recently such as the ELFAS support which has started. Thank you and on the theme of mental health test wide. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Cabinet Secretary, more than one farmer a week in the UK dies by suicide. While the suicide rate among vets is at least three times that of the general population, given the particular mental health challenges facing the agricultural-related professions, does the Scottish Government have any plans to explore more widely the under-reporting of mental health in rural areas? We of course want to get to grips with the issues as much as possible and understand the scale of the issues. The member also touched on an important point there about our vets too. I had recent meetings with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons as well as with the BVA to discuss some of the issues that they are seeing and experiencing. Of course, we are committed to tackling that as best we can. I am happy to get back to the member with further information. I want to ask the cabinet secretary about pig farmers in the northeast. They have had a particularly challenging time as it has affected their mental health. How has the Scottish Government's pig producers hardship support scheme been helping them? Last year, I was delighted to launch the pig producers hardship support scheme, which was worth £715,000, because, as the member rightly highlights, it was one of the sectors that had been most impacted. The scheme supported farmers who were affected by the temporary closure of the Abattoir and Breakin last year and the subsequent suspension of its China export licence. However, we have recently announced that we are going to be extending that scheme and recognising the support that pig producers need. We are providing additional financial support worth more than £680,000 to pig producers at a time when they need it most, and we are encouraging all those who are eligible for the funding to apply for it. To ask the Scottish Government what support the agricultural sector receives in Scotland and how that compares with the rest of the UK. The 2022-23 budget provides £680 million in on-going agricultural support, including direct payments, the Scottish rural development programme and agricultural transformation. Agriculture is devolved and it is for each part of the UK to develop policies for their own circumstances, unhindered by the very real threats that we face with the UK Internal Market Act, the subsidy control regime and the lack of replacement EU funding. An example is our commitment to support those farming and crofting in constrained areas. We commenced the ELFFAS 2021 payments last month and, by 31 January, over 9,000 businesses have been paid £46.8 million. If you ask, I welcome the ELFFAS funding that was announced this week and the support that it provides to farmers operating in some of the most challenging parts of the country. The Cabinet secretary was aware of the Tory's insistence that no other state or country in the world is doing it, including agricultural support in its subsidy control bill. How might that impact on Scotland's ability to support its farmers to meet our needs and interests? We have very serious concerns about the subsidy control bill, not least because it risks constraining our ability to develop future policies that are specifically tailored to meet the challenges that are faced by Scottish farmers and crofters. ELFAS is an excellent example of that, because it provides essential income support to farming businesses in remote and constrained rural areas, of which Scotland has significantly more than other parts of the UK. However, that support would not be compatible with the principles that have been set out in schedule 1 of the bill. Both myself and my officials are continually raising our concerns about the potential impacts of the bill in Scottish agriculture at every available opportunity. We are not suggesting for one minute that agricultural subsidies be completely exempt from any form of subsidy control, but, as the member highlighted, they are already subject to specific controls and requirements under the agreement on agriculture and will remain so to meet our WTO obligations. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider a complete ban on fox hunting. As we set out in our 2021 programme for government, we will introduce a bill during this parliamentary year to strengthen the law relating to the use of dogs to hunt foxes and other wild animals, as well as introducing other measures such as preventing trail hunting. I thank the minister for that answer. Of course, this is a bill that has been beset by multiple delays, so it is welcome to hear that there is a commitment again in this parliamentary session. Along with complaints in my own region, we have heard of a hunting council being reported to police where a dog was chasing down a fox. Will the minister consider the law, including a complete ban, without a licensing scheme for hunting packs of dogs that could act as a new loophole and has been raised as an issue of concern by campaign groups? I am obviously aware of the on-going investigation, which I will not comment on for obvious reasons. I agree that the act of chasing and killing a mammal with a dog for sport or otherwise has no place in modern Scotland. I am seeking to close loopholes, which exist that allow that already illegal activity to persist. I aim to do that in a way that ensures the greatest possible animal welfare whilst facilitating legitimate control in very limited circumstances. I know that the Scottish Government takes seriously the animal welfare standards, both wild and domesticated, but it is also very clear that foxes can do real damage to livestock and livelihoods. Can I therefore ask the cabinet secretary whether she appreciates the need to maintain a balance that allows farmers, smallholders and rural businesses to retain the ability to control foxes when they are pests? I absolutely appreciate that need for farmers to retain the ability to control foxes. I am very aware that foxes can cause significant harm to livestock. It is important that land managers have access to control measures that are both efficient and humane. As we have previously set out, we are not seeking to implement a ban on predator control. We are looking to tighten the legislation to reduce the occasions when a pack of dogs can chase or kill foxes or other wild animals accidentally or otherwise. That concludes portfolio questions. I thank members and the ministerial team for their co-operation in getting you through a fair number of questions. We will have a brief pause before moving to the next item of business.