- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Friday, 28 August 2009
-
Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 23 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what responses it has received to its consultation on the consolidation of planning policy guidance and whether it will make these responses public.
Answer
One hundred and ninety-six responses to the consultation on the consolidated Scottish Planning Policy were received. These, together with an analysis of consultation responses will be published in October.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 August 2009
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 18 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how many post-mortem examinations were carried out at the veterinary laboratory in Thurso in each year since 2000 and what the equivalent numbers were for each of the other veterinary laboratories in Scotland over the same period.
Answer
The Scottish Government commissions a programme of veterinary surveillance from the Scottish Agricultural College who report their activities on a quarterly basis. Our interest is to ensure that suitable geographical coverage is provided by the programme as a whole and not in the specific delivery of those services from individual investigation centres, therefore data on post-mortem numbers is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Friday, 04 September 2009
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 18 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list EU member state representatives with whom the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment has discussed electronic identification for sheep in the last two months and detail any action taken as a result of each discussion.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-26957 on 18 September 2009 All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Friday, 04 September 2009
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 18 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the abolition of EU export refunds in such areas as beef, poultry, eggs, pig meat and live animals.
Answer
EU export subsidies are already subject to restrictions, as agreed in the Uruguay Round of international trade negotiations. Further modifications may be agreed in the context of the current WTO Doha Round. In the interim the Scottish Government supports the European Commission''s approach of applying export subsidies on a case-by-case basis and in compliance with WTO rules.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Friday, 04 September 2009
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 18 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the establishment of seed conservation programmes.
Answer
Scottish Government already supports a programme to protect and conserve seed of traditional Scottish varieties and other significant seed collections.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Friday, 04 September 2009
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 18 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports an increase in funding at EU level for the creation of farming co-operatives, as proposed in amendment 5254 to the EU agriculture budget.
Answer
The government is in favour of farmers organising themselves into co-operatives and other collaborative structures in order to strengthen their commercial position. Financial support for such collaboration can be offered in a number of ways, using both national and EU funding.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Friday, 04 September 2009
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 18 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the withdrawal of EU funding from compensation for withdrawals and buy-ins, as proposed in amendment 5258 to the EU agriculture budget.
Answer
Withdrawals and buy-ins has received only limited use in Scotland. Should the proposed amendment be adopted, the Scottish Government anticipate that it would not have a significant impact in Scotland.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Friday, 04 September 2009
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 18 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to enhance farmers’ and consumers’ initiatives to establish low-carbon emission, low-energy consumption and locally marketed food chains.
Answer
Scottish Government action to reduce emissions from farming is currently based around our Farming for a Better Climate initiative with support through the Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP). SRDP also provides assistance to support collaborative activity throughout food chains which assist the marketing of locally produced food.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Friday, 04 September 2009
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 18 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executivewhen the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment last met EU member state representatives to discuss electronic identification for sheep and what action was taken as a result of that meeting.
Answer
I met with Irish and Hungarian Ministers in the margins of the EU Agriculture Council in March 2009 to discuss electronic identification (EID) of sheep. I urged them to support the Scottish position on sheep EID.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Friday, 04 September 2009
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 18 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executivehow many meetings have taken place in the last two months between the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment and farm industry representatives regarding electronic identification for sheep.
Answer
My officials regularly meet with key industry stakeholders regarding electronic identification (EID) and they keep me informed of these discussions. Over that last few months I have discussed EID with various industry members, amongst other issues, at meetings and events I have attended. I have also met with the Scottish EID Working Group on the 10 September 2009 to discuss this issue.
