Scottish Budget - Annex A.8 - Rural Affairs, Land Reform & Islands

20th December 2023

Rural Affairs, Land Reform & Islands supports Scotland's agriculture, forestry, fishing and aquaculture sectors, the food and drink sector, land reform, and promotes the protection and restoration of our land and seas, particularly peatland.

The portfolio's responsibilities are diverse, and include farming and food production, animal and plant health and welfare, rural and island communities, land reform, food and drink, crofting, forestry, peatland, natural capital, fishing and aquaculture. It has a critical role to support some of our most fragile rural, coastal and islands communities, enabling them to thrive and prevent depopulation.

Rural Affairs, Land Reform & Islands' funding will ensure Scotland’s rural and blue economies are supported to become more sustainable, productive and prosperous, as well as driving forward work to protect and restore nature, to mitigate and adapt to climate change, and empower communities.

Scotland’s agriculture, forestry, fishing and aquaculture sectors play a vital role in our economy and are at the heart of our rural, coastal and island communities. We will continue the Agricultural Reform Programme and work collaboratively to further develop the future rural support framework. Our Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture research programme will continue to provide the evidence base to support policy development and effective delivery. Sustainability will be central to our approach, working to transform future farming activity, deliver our Blue Economy Vision, Fisheries Management Strategy and Vision for Sustainable Aquaculture, and invest in peatland restoration, woodland creation and forest management.

Scotland’s first ever Good Food Nation plan sets out the main outcomes to be achieved on food-related issues, to support our food and drink sector.

We will support rural and island communities through the National Development Plan for Crofting, and legislate to enhance wildlife management and manage muirburn; to create a future framework to support agriculture and rural communities and on land reform to improve transparency of land ownership and empower communities to own land and direct how it is used. Recommendations from the land-based learning review will be used to help create employment and skills opportunities. We will continue to support six Scottish islands to become carbon neutral by 2040, and use this to advise all other Scottish islands. We will manage and restore more peatland, create more - and enhance - existing woodlands and forests, and protect wildlife and plant life.

The spending plans for 2024-25 will optimise how we use Scotland’s land and seas to produce food sustainably, help tackle climate change, provide green jobs and protect nature.

Rural Affairs, Land Reform & Islands intended contributions to the National Outcomes
Primary National Outcomes

Environment
Communities
Economy
Fair Work and Business
Secondary National Outcomes

Children and Young People
Education
Human Rights
Fair Work and Business
Poverty
International
Culture
Health

For further information on the purposes of the portfolio budget, and contributions to national outcomes (including impacts of spend on equality of outcome) please refer to the relevant portfolio annex in the published Equality and Fairer Scotland Budget Statement.

See the figures and tables HERE