Seòmar agus comataidhean

I am interested in finding out what we need in the rural support plan that supports actions that the Government wants to take in the climate change plan. What specific information in the rural support plan would make you confident that agricultural policy will provide agriculture with a clear direction of travel and support a just transition to low-carbon farming?

A lot of farms out there are achieving a lot. There are anaerobic digestion plants on dairy farms in the south-west of Scotland that are using their own digestate, creating biogas and using it as part of achieving their net zero goals. I am interested in hearing specifically what we need to see in the rural support plan.

The evidence has been very interesting, but I want to pick up on what Beatrice Wishart was saying about Food Standards Scotland and its latest dietary intake in Scotland’s children—or DISH—survey. When the Health, Sport and Social Care Committee scrutinised the climate change draft plan yesterday, we heard that, according to research, people in Scotland already eat less than 70g of red meat a day. The worry was that Food Standards Scotland’s information was being misinterpreted and that, if people in Scotland were already eating less meat to that extent, they would be facing a micronutrient deficit. I would also note that we are trying to get more people to eat venison in Scotland, which is quite lean red meat.

I am interested in issues such as food miles, food production and all of the supply chain aspects, because I do not want a reduction in our animals in Scotland if they can allow us to meet our dietary targets with fewer food miles. Do we need to make people more aware of this? It is all about food supply and food production, and it kind of links with Ariane Burgess’s question about supermarkets, too.

I have a quick supplementary question. We are talking about fertiliser, and there is an opportunity for fertiliser that is natural digestate from anaerobic digestion processes. If a dairy farm, for instance, used its farm digestate, that would be a circular economy. Does that need to be pushed, researched or engaged with more?

I will not take long. It has been interesting to hear about all the work that is being done and about what other countries are doing. Our draft climate change plan does not mention diet specifically. Does it need to, or is it enough for it to point to the population health framework and the good food nation plan?

The plan mentions healthier food, which I think links to the need to avoid ultra-processed food, which may or may not contribute to climate emissions, because of everything that it involves, from supply chains and the movement of products to wrapping and packaging and so on. Our food system is really complex.

We have 180,000 dairy cows in Scotland, but there are 300 million sacred cattle in India and an estimated 11 to 14 million dairy cows in China. Therefore, rather than reducing the size of our herd, we need to look at what is happening with regard to technology, genetics and so on.

It is hard to ask questions when you are participating in a meeting remotely, but I would be interested to hear whether you think that our climate change plan should contain diet-specific info or whether we should focus on the population health framework and the good food nation plan.

I am not talking about food waste in anaerobic digestion; I mean the digestate from slurry, for instance—which is already going on the fields. That is another opportunity. I am not thinking about food waste on land.

I am thinking about—

Thank you.

I grew up on a dairy farm and know that south-west Scotland has 48 per cent of Scotland’s dairy herd. Farmers are producing their dairy products—their milk—in the most climate-friendly ways. That is their goal. The last thing that I want to do is vilify food producers, because each farmer will be required to have a whole-farm plan that covers goals on achieving net zero.

I am interested in ammonium nitrate and issues around air quality. A lot of products are helping to support emissions reduction, especially in dairy farming. We have nitrate vulnerable zones, which means that farmers spread slurry at certain times to protect watercourses. Farmers across Scotland are already taking action, and I would rather not offshore our red meat production to somebody who might not produce it with the best welfare or climate change mitigation measures in mind. That said, I recognise that everybody needs to collaborate to achieve emissions reduction, and that we need to do what we can to reduce emissions in food production. Is it fair enough to say that we need to work together?

I go back to air quality. Are we seeing an increase in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other lung health issues because of wood-burning stoves? We have concerns about that in rural Scotland, because wood-burning stoves might be the only way to heat your house.

I have a quick question regarding preparing food from scratch and ingredients. Are ultra-high-processed foods worse for the climate in their manufacturing and preparation? I am thinking about the packaging, the air miles and the palm oil, soy and other stuff that goes into ultra-high-processed foods—does that make them worse for the climate?