Seòmar agus comataidhean

I have no particular plans that I can share at the moment. We are aware of the discussions that are happening in the EU on the issue, and we are closely monitoring them. I will, of course, be happy to update the committee on developments.

There will be a lot of scope to refine the policy as it develops. The consultation is open. We have committed to developing £5 million-worth of islands bonds. The intention is to offer 100 bonds of £50,000 each to young people and families. The bonds could encourage people to move to islands that have fragile populations or suffer from depopulation, or it could be used to help to keep people on our islands.

We are in the early stages of that and are keen to hear what people think. I have already been inundated with emails. I hope that there will be a high rate of response to the consultation. I encourage everyone to take part and to make their views clear. We will also undertake an island communities impact assessment as part of that work. We want to do that work early so that it can inform how the policy develops. We are open to ideas. The consultation is important in shaping the policy.

The bonds are just one measure. We do not expect them to resolve the depopulation that some islands are experiencing, but they are one tool to tackle some of the issues.

You are absolutely right that that is a key piece of work that we have taken forward on agriculture.

We are also working closely with the Scottish fishing industry, through the Scottish fishing industry safety group, on improving safety for all fishers. That group recently received £140,000 through the marine fund Scotland to deliver free safety training for fishing vessel crews.

As well as looking at safety, we are carrying out specific research into the barriers that are faced by new entrants and by specific equalities groups, including women, to entering and progressing through the fishing industry. We will be looking to take specific action on that through the future management strategy, in order to ensure that we have the right support in place. In addition, through the marine fund, new entrants are able to apply for funding towards the purchase of a second-hand fishing vessel. In relation to new entrants and women—as you said, as we have done for women in agriculture—we realise that there is more scope for diversity in fishing, so we want to ensure that we make the industry as open as possible.

In relation to committee scrutiny, again, as we touched on earlier, it is a matter for the Parliamentary Bureau to discuss and determine which committee would be best placed to consider which pieces of legislation.

When it comes to wildlife and some of the issues that you mentioned—the grouse moor management review and the response to the deer working group—those are the responsibilities of the lead minister, the Minister for Environment and Land Reform, Màiri McAllan.

I am sorry, but do you mean wider species licensing in general?

We have made a PFG commitment in relation to tenant farmers, and that work will be undertaken through land reform legislation, so the committee will be closely involved in it. We also want to ensure that tenant farmers can play as full a role as possible when we are looking to undertake measures for climate mitigation and emission reductions. A number of schemes are being worked on to ensure that that can happen.

As you say, the EU’s target of 25 per cent is very ambitious. About 1.7 per cent of our land is currently being farmed organically. Our target is achievable—there is no point in setting targets that are so far out of reach that we do not have a chance of meeting them. We must be pragmatic, but we must also be ambitious about what we can do.

It is concerning that, over recent times, the amount of land that has been farmed organically has reduced when we want it to increase. In the co-operation agreement, we say that we want the amount of land that is farmed organically to at least double by the end of this parliamentary session. If we are able to increase the amount further, I hope that we will do that.

We will also deliver on an action plan for organic farming. We will build on the work that was done through the previous plan, which was in place until 2020. We will also work together with the organic sector on the different actions that we can take to increase the amount of land that is being farmed organically and on what we can do with regard to organic produce.

Critical to that is the food for life scheme, which is about getting more organic produce to local authorities and served in our schools. We very much support that initiative and are keen for it to continue. Just over half of local authorities in Scotland are now signed up to the scheme. As we set out in our manifesto, it is critical that we harness our wider public procurement and spending powers and that we embed the food for life scheme and expand it across the wider public sector. That will all help to develop our work on organics.

I will be happy to get back to the committee with more information on who will be the lead on the various bits of legislation that are in the PFG.

That issue has received a lot of attention recently. However, deer numbers across Scotland almost doubled in the period from 1990 to now, and managing numbers is absolutely necessary if we are to reduce the ecological damage that deer can do and to protect young trees. That is absolutely imperative in helping to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises.

I reassure the committee that that activity is licensed by NatureScot, which takes welfare very seriously when it is considering authorising the taking of deer during the period of highest welfare risk to dependent young. The people who undertake that activity have to go through rigorous training to comply with best practice. What we have seen announced recently is not a routine operation. Forestry and Land Scotland is responding to its annual survey of crop damage and habitat impacts from deer, and it is trying to prioritise deer management on vulnerable areas of land. A substantial number of Scotland’s land management organisations recognise the need for on-going control of deer populations and acknowledge that Forestry and Land Scotland delivers deer management to the highest possible standards.

Going back to the point that you made at the start of your question about where various bits and pieces fall, I note that wildlife management is the responsibility of the Minister for Environment, Biodiversity and Land Reform, which is why the legislation in that regard will be led by that minister.

I believe that it may well fall inside the remit of the Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee, but it is ultimately up to the Parliamentary Bureau to determine committee allocation of bills and pieces of legislation.