Chamber and committees

Mr Mountain has the last word in that debate, and he has wound up. I just need to ask whether he is pressing or withdrawing amendment 59.

The result of the division is: For 4, Against 5, Abstentions 0.

Amendment 5 disagreed to.

Amendment 77 not moved.

Section 7, as amended, agreed to.

Section 8—Registration of litters

Amendment 50 moved—[Jim Fairlie]—and agreed to.

Section 9—Regulations: supplementary

Amendment 51 moved—[Jim Fairlie]—and agreed to.

Section 10—Compliance

Amendment 52 moved—[Jim Fairlie]—and agreed to.

Section 11—Public awareness and understanding of relevant regulatory regimes

Amendment 53 moved—[Jim Fairlie]—and agreed to.

After section 11

The result of the division is: For 2, Against 7, Abstentions 0.

Amendment 71 disagreed to.

Section 4, as amended, agreed to.

Section 5—Revision of code

Amendment 47 moved—[Jim Fairlie].

The result of the division is: For 2, Against 7, Abstentions 0.

Amendment 74 disagreed to.

Section 6, as amended, agreed to.

Section 7—Public awareness and understanding of code

Amendment 75, in my name, is grouped with amendments 76 and 5.

Amendment 75 seeks to make it a statutory requirement to introduce a public awareness campaign specifically to ensure that children are made aware of the code at school.

In its stage 1 report, the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee noted that section 7 says:

“The Scottish Ministers must take reasonable steps to ensure public awareness and understanding of the code of practice”,

and then referred to the policy memorandum, which states that

“For the behavioural shift envisaged to take place, effective public awareness raising will be vital in ensuring those acquiring a dog become aware of and understand the contents of the code and the associated certificate.”

The report then made the point that

“All witnesses supported section 7 and strongly agreed that a public awareness campaign would be essential in order for the bill’s objectives to be achieved.”

The stage 1 report also referenced the Kennel Club’s puppywise survey. According to that organisation, the

“survey found that a fifth of people still spend less than two hours researching whether to get a puppy ... and nearly a third admit that they would not know how to spot a rogue breeder”,

and it concluded that

“For us, the educational piece is really important because, ultimately, we need members of the public to demand better standards of breeders.”

Several animal welfare organisations also talked about the challenges of awareness campaigns having a meaningful impact on public behaviour. The Dogs Trust referred to the “very low” public awareness of the existing code of practice for cats and dogs, while the SSPCA talked about

“people following their hearts, not their heads”

and how

“They know that standing in a car park with a puppy in the boot of a car is the wrong thing to do, but they think, ‘I want to go and rescue that pup, because who else is going to do it?’”—[Official Report, Rural Affairs and Islands Committee, 20 September 2023; c 7, 17.]

That is why the amendment seeks to make a public awareness campaign a statutory requirement.

We believe that children should be made aware of this issue in schools, too. According to new pet population data released by UK Pet Food, in 2024, 56 per cent of new pet owners have children at home. As for more long-term ownership, the National Library of Medicine found that almost 20 per cent of all dog owners had a child at home. One might summarise all that by saying that a sizeable proportion of dog owners have children, and it is therefore clear that targeting a public awareness campaign at schools would reach a sizeable pet owner demographic. As a result, a public awareness campaign with the code of practice explained in simple terms would be effective.

Amendment 76 seeks to make it mandatory for the Scottish Government to consult relevant organisations on raising funds for public awareness. It is incredibly important that the Government works with and consults organisations such as the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Dogs Trust, the Kennel Club, the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and the SSPCA, to ensure that any public awareness campaign is maximised. Discussions should also take place on the potential funding for public awareness campaigns.

I move amendment 75.

The result of the division is: For 7, Against 2, Abstentions 0.

Amendment 12 agreed to.

Amendments 13 and 14 moved—[Jim Fairlie]—and agreed to.

Amendment 61 moved—[Finlay Carson].

You touched on deer management. Is that likely to be part of the natural environment bill, or will separate policies come forward to the committee to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis? How will that appear?

So, individual pieces of deer legislation are not likely to come to the committee outwith that bill. Is that correct?

Thank you.

We will go on to theme 2, which is on the climate and biodiversity plans.

You sound very positive about forestry, but, in reality, a 40 per cent cut to woodland grants has had a dramatic impact on our forestry sector. In the programme for government, it was stated that at least 10,000 hectares of woodlands are to be restored, but the official target prior to that was 18,000 hectares, so that is a huge cut. That will have an impact on the Government’s climate change targets, especially if those 18,000 hectares were to be for planting fast-growing conifers. Employment in the forestry industry has increased by 30 per cent since 2015, and the message that the Government is sending does not promote much confidence in the sector although investment in the sector depends on that confidence in future wood supplies. That is one of the biggest issues.

What is your vision after March? There is no indication of what the targets will be after then. It is a long-term industry, so what is your vision for forestry? Is the target to remain at 10,000 hectares, or are you looking to get back to the target of 18,000 hectares?