Chamber and committees

Have you any indication as to when you will know what you are responsible for?

David, I have a question about something that you said in your opening remarks regarding obesity and our obesity strategy, and particularly the Scottish Government’s aim to reduce childhood obesity by half by 2030. That is a big challenge. Obviously, the work has been delayed and we still await the programme for government, but what impact will that strategy have on the food and drink industry with regard to reducing salt, fat and sugar? What impact will it have on promotions? Pete Cheema might also want to answer.

My question is for Martin Reid. In your introductory statement, you said that there would normally be 75,000 HGV tests in a year but there are now 35,000 because of Covid. Have you fed into the UK Government’s consultation through the DVSA on rolling together the rigid and articulated lorry testing? If that consultation is successful in rolling those two tests together, how quickly will that feed new lorry drivers into the system?

In relation to logistics in warehouses, particularly in Bellshill and central Scotland, has there been a problem with pickers?

I have lots of questions, but I will try to narrow them down. Last week, I visited the James Hutton Institute to look at the vertical farming and hydroponics there. I presume that that is under discussion by Scotland’s food and drink organisations in looking at producing food with low-carbon output to meet the net zero challenge. My question is a wide one. How does that issue fit in with the skills challenge, the labour challenges and shortages, and the future of food production?

I will roll in my second point, which is specifically for George Ogle and is on Natasha’s law, which will be rolled out on 1 October. Is the industry ready for that? There has been some scaremongering that businesses might be prosecuted if they do not get the labelling right. Do you have any comment on that? Does the committee have a role in ensuring that the law is rolled out properly and that we bring businesses along with us?

I have no interests to declare with regard to this committee, but I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests.

I congratulate you, convener, and Liam McArthur.

I am also slightly unclear about our remit. Looking at the legacy papers, I am interested in pursuing the food and farming future policy agenda.

It is important that farmers have a direction and know where they are going, and our committee could scrutinise any such policies that are introduced by the Scottish Government. That work might sit quite nicely with post-European Union legislative competence and other issues on that landscape.

The big issue for us will obviously be COP26. The question is how the committee, given its remit, will feed into all that with regard to the responsibilities and expectations that will be on agriculture in Scotland to reach net zero. That will, of course, include emissions targets.

It is important that we look at deer and grouse legislation, if, indeed, that falls within our remit. Another important aspect that has been raised by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation and which I think we should look at is the treatment of rural workers and people in agriculture.

I was greatly interested in the salmon farming inquiry that was carried out in the previous session. I was not a member of the particular committee that carried it out, but I think that it would be worth looking at what progress has been made on certain issues that it raised, such as the voluntary code of conduct.

Another important issue that we should look at is marine biodiversity, and there is also the matter of wildlife protection. Finally, on Alasdair Allan’s point about island communities, I have to say that I do not think that housing falls within our remit, but the issue of rural life will obviously take in some of the work that we did in the predecessor committee with regard to the ferry inquiry and connectivity issues.

There is a lot going on and, as the convener has said, we have our work cut out for us. That said, I am really looking forward to contributing to the committee and working with all the fabulous clerks whom we heard from this morning.

I have a comment to make about how we will shape the work that we do. Ariane Burgess mentioned specific aspects that she is interested in. We all have specific issues that we are interested in, but we need to look at umbrella subjects, such as the future of food and farming policy. That undoubtedly brings in procurement, which is an issue that could be pursued through, for example, the good food nation bill. That would not necessarily cover the question of where stocks of indigenous timber are going and whether those could be used to build houses, but such issues are all part of the big procurement tent.

Do you have any idea as to when we might get a bit of direction on our remit and how, within that, we might be able to pursue the subjects that we are interested in?

I nominate Finlay Carson.

Finlay Carson was chosen as convener.