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The Scottish Ministerial Code makes clear that it is of paramount importance that Ministers give accurate and truthful information to the Parliament. Ministers and their officials will consider the best way of ensuring that they have information necessary to provide an accurate answer on a case by case basis and, as such, the Scottish Government may occasionally opt to engage with non-government organisations in relation to written parliamentary questions when it is necessary to do so.

The Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme is a legacy Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) EU Scheme. It has been delivered by the Rural Payments Agency on a UK-wide basis since its introduction. There have been a total of four producer organisations (POs), with headquarters in Scotland that have received funding through the scheme since it was introduced; one in Angus, two in Fife and one in the Scottish Borders.

Three of these POs have received funding via the scheme in every year since it was introduced. The remaining PO received funding for expenditure relating to one scheme year. Where possible, the Rural Payments Agency and the Scottish Government work with POs so that applications for operational programmes meet the necessary eligibility criteria as set out in legislation and the National Strategy.

The Scottish Government has committed to continuing the Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme in Scotland. The Scheme is based on multi-annual funding and operational programmes submitted for approval can run for a maximum of three years. Applications for new operational programmes submitted this year are expected to run until the end of December 2028.

A public consultation, seeking views on proposed legislative changes and the longer term future of the scheme was launched on 23 June. We will continue to work with stakeholders to explore how the scheme can be improved to ensure it operates as efficiently and effectively as possible.

The quota payback is calculated as 26% of the pound sterling value of the ‘missing’ landings in order to have otherwise met the landings threshold into Scotland (55% of all landings), aggregated across the eight named species.

The pound value of those missing landings is converted back into a tonnage figure, using the average pound per tonne (PPT) value of landings made by Scottish vessels into Scotland. Please see the consultation outcome report for further details: https://consult.gov.scot/marine-scotland/amendment-of-the-economic-link-licence-condition/

Compliance is assessed by the Marine Directorate in the following calendar year.

The first criteria for compliance for a vessel to have landed more than 10 tonnes of the eight named species. A vessel landing less than 10 tonnes total of the eight named species is exempt from the economic link condition.

To meet the landing target element of the economic link condition a minimum of 55% of all landings must be made into Scottish ports.

Vessels which do not meet the landings threshold must make a quota payback in order to meet their obligation.

No Scottish vessel has failed to comply with economic link licence conditions. Quota payback is the alternative for compliance.

The Marine Directorate provides vessels’ management groups with the landings data for vessels not meeting the threshold and the calculations for evaluating the quota gifts to be made. This provides transparency to vessel owners and managers.

Accountability is delivered though the annual publication of vessels which have provided quota gifts and the total amount of quota stocks paid back.

The following table shows the total amounts of quota payback made by Scottish vessels in each of the last five years.

No Scottish vessel has failed to comply with the economic link requirements in the last five years.

The Scottish Government has published this information since the amended economic link licence condition was implemented from 1 January 2023. It can be found at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-economic-link/

The following table shows the share of the eight species landed into Scottish ports as a percentage of the total Scottish landings of each species. It should be noted that landings for 2024 are still management data and are not currently available for publication.