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The Scottish Government takes the welfare of all farmed animals very seriously and has recently introduced measures to monitor fish welfare at slaughter. The UK Animal Welfare Committee is currently considering the welfare of farmed fish at slaughter and we will explore the need for any changes to current practice or legislation once the committee publishes its findings.

The Scottish Government, it’s partners and agencies have funded actions to support capercaillie conservation across Scotland through a range of schemes. Funding has been awarded to estates as well as eNGO’s and individuals and we expect this to continue.

Funding is awarded to projects that would benefit capercaillie conservation but are not specifically for this purpose. This could include supporting new pine wood planting in capercaillie areas, the management and improvement of existing habitat as well as it's extension through actions such as controlling deer numbers, fence marking or removal, and thinning to improve light levels.

NatureScot’s investment in Abernethy over the past 3 years has principally been support through the Peatland Action Fund that is delivering SG objectives to tackle the twin crisis of climate change and biodiversity loss. A further project supported a number of seasonal rangers, helping to ensure responsible use of the NNR. They have also provided support for RSPB staff posts for their work on Capercaillie.

The following tables below show the funding allocation from both NatureScot and the Forestry Grant Scheme to Abernethy National Nature Reserve, this funding may have been for a range of purposes, and funding may have been allocated indirectly via other partners so a complete breakdown is not available. It is important to note that the Capercaillie officer funding is mainly for the wider co-ordination of Capercaillie, and not specific to Abernethy.

NatureScot Abernethy Funding Allocation

As I outlined in my response to S6W-07615 on 25 April 2022, funding allocated to Abernethy is for a range of purposes and is our assessment that this has been of value for money despite the decline in capercaillie numbers.

While the status of the capercaillie population in Scotland remains vulnerable, without the investment that has been made to the likes of Abernethy it is likely that we would have lost capercaillie from Scotland.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

The Food Security and Supply Taskforce met for the third time on 20 April and continues its work to monitor, identify and respond to any potential disruption to the food and drink supply chain resulting from to the impact of the war in Ukraine. The Taskforce plans to publish details of its work in the near future.

The “Beyond the Glen” strategy for the Scottish venison sector is an industry-led strategy, the implementation of which is being co-ordinated by the Scottish Venison Association.

In common with other food and related rural businesses, the Covid pandemic has caused major uncertainty and market disruption in the last two years and has impacted on producer confidence and price. EU exit has also impacted on exports. Work on the strategy has been impacted but despite this, some good progress has been made, for example in exploring new routes for local chills, processing, and supply; developing market insight; and deer health research. Scottish Government funded £60,000 of online marketing in spring 2021 to support Scottish producers and processors. £80,000 has also been made available through the Covid Recovery Plan Opportunities Fund to create new local chill and processing units for wild venison.

The Marine Fund Scotland was launched in March 2021, with £14m awarded over the financial year 2021-22. The fund will shortly reopen for funding bids over the 2022-23 financial year.

The “Beyond the Glen” strategy for the Scottish venison sector is an industry-led strategy, the implementation of which is being co-ordinated by the Scottish Venison Association (SVA). The action with regard to a deer monitor farm is the joint responsibility of the SVA, as the Industry Hub, and the Industry Leadership Group.

Work on implementation of the strategy, including with regard to a deer monitor farm, has been impacted by the Covid pandemic and EU exit. New interest in deer farming is currently limited because of the challenges faced by the industry. We will continue to liaise with the SVA on progress with the strategy actions.

Specific information on the tonnage of malting barley produced in Scotland that is used in the production of whisky is not held. Information on the production and disposal of cereals including barley is published at Scottish cereal harvest: estimates - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . It is estimated that between 50% to 60% of the barley produced in Scotland will be used for alcohol production.