Question reference: S6W-08184
- Date lodged: 22 April 2022
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Current status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 9 May 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to making food security impact assessments an immediate requirement for any application for largescale forestry expansion on productive agricultural land, in order to ensure that all productive land can be prioritised for food production rather than carbon offsetting by non-agricultural businesses.
Answer
The Scottish Government requires that where large scale forestry expansion is proposed, that may impact upon productive agricultural land, that consultation takes place between the applicant, Agriculture and Rural Economy (ARE) and Scottish Forestry (SF) colleagues. This ensures that potential impacts on agricultural productivity are examined and mitigated. This benefits integration with other patterns of land use and allows for the retention of agricultural enterprises. As a result of this approach, Scottish Government does not feel that additional food security impact assessments are necessary.