- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 March 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 April 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, given that pilots of the electronic identification of sheep are reportedly demonstrating that it will not result in 100% accurate information, what penalty regime will apply to farmers and crofters under the scheme.
Answer
The penalty regime which applies to farmers and crofters covering breaches of sheep identification and traceability is unchanged. Payment reductions will not be applied under Cross Compliance where discrepancies are purely as a result of any known technical limitations, including Electronic Identification equipment.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 March 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 12 April 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what the capital allocation for the Hjaltland Housing Association was in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10 and will be in 2010-11.
Answer
The National Affordable Housing Investment Programme was announced on 25 March 2010 and the link attached details this.
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/investment/ahip.
The allocation in Shetland Islands Council area overall:
(a) 2008-09 was £2.640 million, which Hjaltland Housing Association was allocated £2.6 million. Overall Shetland Islands Council outturn was £3.401 million with additional resources allocated having been added throughout the year.
(b) 2009-10 was £3.8 million, from which Hjaltland Housing Association was allocated £3.750 million. An additional £0.693 million was added in March 2010, so the outturn for SIC area will be in the region of £4.443 million. Note: Final outturn will not be finalised until mid-April 2010.
(c) 2010-11 overall programme for SIC will be £2.197 million, with Hjaltland receiving approximately £2 million. Programme agreements will not be issued until the end of April 2010 when final year end spend for 2009-10 has been reconciled.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 March 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 1 April 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what the long-term benefits to producers are of electronic identification of sheep.
Answer
Although many producers believe there are no benefits to themselves or to the sector, others take the view that there are benefits linked to the way individual businesses operate and how businesses fulfil their statutory obligations. The potential benefits that have been highlighted by some parts of industry can be classed into the following areas:
Quicker and more accurate recording of animals.
Improved ability to track animal movements “ improving disease control.
Improved management benefits “ enhancing farm efficiency and reducing farm administration by removing paper based records and movement documents.
Stock Improvements “ breeding performance and carcase quality data linked to Food Chain Information feedback from processors.
Welfare improvements by reduced handling of animals.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 March 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 29 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how the electronic identification of sheep database will operate, given concerns that the information obtained from producers will not be 100% accurate.
Answer
The Scottish Government''s Electronic Research Pilot database is being used by farmers on a voluntary basis. By extending the pilot through 2010-11 with an additional £1 million of Scottish Government funding, this database will be stress tested to identify any issues. Information gathered during the pilot will enable the joint Scottish Government/Industry EID working group to decide whether or not the new database should be rolled out on a compulsory basis or not at a later date.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 March 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 29 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive when its electronic identification of sheep database will be operational; how will it operate, and what information will be accessible to producers.
Answer
The Scottish Government''s Electronic Research Pilot database, which works on an individual animal basis, has been built to assess the feasibility and practicality of operating a fully reconciled individual movement database. It is currently operational and open to all sheep and goat keepers in Scotland on a voluntary basis. Further information, including the functionality of this database and government financial assistance for participation can be found at
www.scoteid.com. The existing centralised database (SAMU) that is currently in use as required by EU Regulations, operates on a batch basis and has been in place since 2002.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 March 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 29 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the 1,100 agricultural units in Shetland are eligible for funding of up to £1,000 for purchasing electronic reading equipment for on-farm electronic identification of sheep through the Scotland Rural Development Programme; what information on this scheme has been sent to individual producers, and over what time period the scheme is open.
Answer
Any of these producers may choose to include the purchase of electronic ear tag readers, under the Modernisation through Electronic Data Management for Agriculture option in their Land Managers Options (LMO) application under the Scotland Rural Development Programme. Provided they have land in Scotland and comply with LMO scheme rules they will be eligible for payment of 40% of the actual cost up to a maximum of £1,000, once in any five years.
Information about LMO and an LMO application form are issued annually with the Single Application Form (SAF), most recently on 15 March 2010, to all SAF applicants. Detailed guidance about LMO is available from the Scottish Government Website at www.scotland.gov.uk/srdp.
The LMO scheme opened for applications in 2008 and is due to run until 2013. LMO applications can be made annually in May for the scheme year 15 May to 14 May the following year.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 March 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 25 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to change the 13-day standstill period on farm holdings implemented under animal health regulations, given that the equivalent period in England and Wales has been reduced to six days.
Answer
There are no plans to change the 13 day standstill period at this time. The original standstill period of 20 days was introduced in the wake of the foot and mouth epidemic of 2001. The standstill period was relaxed to 13 days in 2003 in response to representations from the Scottish livestock industry.
The veterinary advice is that to reduce the standstill period to six days, with all the exemptions, would leave Scotland vulnerable to the effects of a rapidly spreading animal disease.
The animal movement regime in Scotland allows more exemptions from the standard rule for low risk movements than in England.
The current system in Scotland also allows farmers to maintain incoming or outgoing stock in a separation area in order to avoid whole farm standstills. Future improvements in animal tracing technology may allow changes to the current movement regime which would still maintain protection against the spread of infectious diseases.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 March 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 25 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it or its agencies (a) operates or (b) can operate farm holding compensation schemes for degradation of land caused by geese and, if so, what areas are covered by such schemes.
Answer
No, schemes are currently operated for the purpose of providing compensation to occupiers of farm holdings in respect of the degradation of land by geese. Furthermore, no such schemes could be implemented as there are not currently measures provided in the SRDP that cover the degradation of land.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 March 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 22 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria were used by Scottish Screen when considering the application for script development assistance for b4 films’ Between Weathers production.
Answer
The Between Weathers production was eligible to apply for assistance under the Content Development Fund. Scottish Screen consistently assesses all applications for this fund against the same criteria. Those criteria are as follows:
1. Cultural Impact
2. Creative Impact
3. Business Case/Ability to Deliver
4. Market/Audience Interest.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 22 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 3 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether crofters collaborating on a grazings committee that applies for Rural Priorities would receive a higher score as a result of that collaboration should (a) a single application by the committee be made or (b) each crofter apply outlining plans to collaborate on such a committee.
Answer
The score achieved by any Rural Priorities proposal depends on it meeting a number of criteria.
In order to achieve a high score for collaboration currently, there needs to be separate applications working together to meet the desired outcomes. However, the scoring criteria under Rural Priorities, including those for the collaboration element, are being reviewed. This review will look at how we should treat applications with unusual circumstances, such as those from a grazings committee.
