Chamber and committees

Thank you.

You might have touched on some of this already, cabinet secretary. Last year, we sought to unpick what “financial transactions” meant in the budget. This year, we might seek to unpick “business development” a bit further. It will be interesting to know whether that budget will cover the Farm Advisory Service, the knowledge transfer and innovation fund and the small farms grant scheme, and whether the support for those areas will be continued to the same level under that heading.

On crofting, do you have to hand the figure of how many crofters have been assisted by the CAGS in the past year?

It is helpful to have examples from last year and this year, but can you say a bit more about the fund? The word “transformation” suggests that there is something dramatic that you are looking to change about the way that agriculture is done. Can you say a bit more about the reasoning behind that budget?

My final question is on purchasing equipment. Obviously, the inflationary pressures that we talked about are a disincentive for all farmers to invest. Will the fund adapt this year to cope with that reality? Is it seeking to help farmers in that situation?

Finally, I know that everyone in all sectors—not just in your budget area—is looking to move towards longer-term budgeting and so on. Given the uncertainty that we have experienced from month to month at the UK end, and given the budget’s dependence on what is happening there, I am trying to get an idea of the predicament that the Scottish Government is in, in terms of planning. How is any attempt to move to longer-term planning possible?

Thank you, cabinet secretary. I did warn that the matter might have been touched on already.

Will you say something about how the budget deals with some of the big questions that island communities are facing? We have often talked about the need for employment opportunities in the islands. Clearly, that need is still there but, in a way, the biggest issue that the islands are currently facing is the labour shortage, which connects to other areas of policy such as housing. What does the budget do to try to address those problems?

Obviously, we are talking about a budget in the context of massive inflationary pressure, which applies to individual farmers just as it applies to the Government. How are you planning in the coming year to work within the constraints that that imposes on you, given what we have had? Without rehearsing history, we have had a parade of chancellors and unprecedented levels of inflation in recent years. How do you plan the budget for the coming year in those circumstances?

There is £5 million allocated to the agricultural transformation fund. Can you say a bit about what you seek to transform? How do you intend to spend that budget?