Chamber and committees

My questions have been answered, too. As I represent Argyll and Bute, I was very interested to hear those comments about regionalisation and making things fit for purpose for different types of farming.

If it is okay, convener, I will move on to the next section of questions.

Thank you.

I have one very quick question. We have been focusing on trying to maintain different bird species across Scotland, but do you have any thoughts on plants? There are, for example, rare orchids in my constituency. What about the impacts that agricultural reform will have on them and on insects such as the marsh fritillary?

That is an interesting way of looking at it: they are not less favourable areas, but areas that can create great biodiversity and that can be used for carbon sequestration. The other important thing that I should mention is the sustainability of the rural population, which must be built into the thinking on all of this.

If the convener does not stop me from doing so, I want to ask specifically about the geese payments and where you see them fitting into the tiers, if at all.

Yesterday, as you will all know, was international women’s day. I said in the chamber:

“looking back and learning are essential to moving forward.”—[Official Report, 8 March 2023; c 45]

You have given us a lot of evidence about your experience in the civil service, and it has been absolutely fascinating. I was struck by the phrase “assertive and muscular unionism”. I apologise because I did not write down who said it, but I am interested to hear your thoughts on whether there is anything in the way in which the Windsor framework came about that can be learned from, in moving forward post devolution. Moreover, is there anything that we can learn from Norway or Switzerland about how things are constructed, as a way in which to improve relationships across Parliaments and Governments in the United Kingdom?

I think that my question falls into this topic of conversation, convener. I am interested in hearing people’s views on the monitor farms and how they are feeding into the ARIOB process. Also—I should have asked this the last time—what have you been doing to ensure that tenant farmers are included in the way forward?

I thank the panel, and I thank Kate Rowell for that last comment.

I represent Argyll and Bute, which has mixed farming. One of the key things in farming throughout Argyll and Bute, and certainly on the islands, is the sustainability of population and how the investment—I think that that is the right term to use—connects much more to the wider community.

Martin Kennedy, you talked about LFASS. I wonder whether you could expand a bit on what the ARIOB is advising with regard to LFASS payments. [Interruption.] Sorry—I am getting noises off from a sedentary position. I would also like to know how you have been looking at ensuring that population is sustainable across Scotland and at the interconnectivity of farming from the west coast to the east coast. It is a big question.

I asked about the interconnections between east and west.

I presume that you have had specific discussions about the amount of time for which you can play music? Are you allowed to put 30-second inserts into podcasts or can they be longer? How are those discussions going?

My apologies.