Seòmar agus comataidhean

As committee members have no further questions, I will ask a final question, which I will put first to Nichola Mallon.

Nichola, you mentioned the change in the Assembly’s position with regard to the relationship of DAERA and DEFRA and some of the responsibilities moving to the UK Government, and you also mentioned how important it is to build relationships with colleagues in the EU and in the UK. The committee has heard on many occasions, including from colleagues in other devolved Parliaments and Assemblies in the UK, that it can be difficult to locate the political responsibility and get UK Government ministers to be agile and responsive and to give evidence.

Given the importance of the matters that we have been discussing, do you have concerns about whether those relationships are in place and whether, when it comes to the review of the TCA, the UK Government ministers who are involved will have a full picture of the problems and challenges in Northern Ireland?

Were you finished, Stuart?

Thank you. That is very welcome. Stuart, do you have any final thoughts?

I have a couple more questions. Scott Walker—do you want to come in on that first question?

Good morning and a warm welcome to the ninth meeting in 2024 of the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee.

We have received apologies from Meghan Gallacher and Keith Brown. Kevin Stewart is substituting for Keith Brown. I invite Mr Stewart to declare any relevant interests.

Thank you.

Our next agenda item is a decision on taking business in private. Do members agree to take item 3 in private?

Members indicated agreement.

Our next agenda item is to continue to take evidence as part of the committee’s inquiry into the review of the trade and co-operation agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom. We are joined this morning by Tavish Scott, the chief executive of Salmon Scotland. Welcome—I am sure that you are familiar with this room, Mr Scott. We are also joined by Donna Fordyce, the chief executive of Seafood Scotland; Scott Walker, executive manager of the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers; and Fiona Burnett, the technical director of Scottish Quality Crops. A warm welcome to you all, and thank you for your submissions to the committee prior to the evidence session.

In their submissions, Seafood Scotland highlights that customs compliance, including meeting rules of origin, as well as complying with the sanitary and phytosanitary—SPS—requirements, has

“added a considerable time and cost burden for Scottish seafood traders”;

Scottish Quality Crops suggests that recognising

“equivalence in SPS standards across EU and GB borders”

would be welcome; and Salmon Scotland seeks a “bespoke and mutually convenient” SPS and veterinary agreement. Please can you briefly outline the particular challenges and say what you would want to see in such an agreement? What would that look like from your point of view?

That is great. I will now bring in Mr Stewart and then Ms Forbes.

I will ask a couple of final questions. Everything that has been said today has reminded us that Brexit was not an event but is a process. We are still going through that process and will be doing so for some time. Not only do we face UK elections, but the European elections are coming up. Those will delay any movement, although the European Commission will be up and running fairly soon afterwards.

You have talked about the importance of relationships and of building them. What tends to happen in the EU is that officials do three years on rotation, then move back to their country. We are now moving into a period in which many officials in Brussels will not remember the UK’s being part of that process, or will not have dealt with it. Will the challenges of keeping and maintaining those relationships therefore be harder? How much more effort do you have to put into building the key relationships in the organisations that you work with in Europe?

My other question will be about divergence, but I ask that one first.