6. To ask the Scottish Government what preparations it has made in response to the protracted start to the 2023 grain harvest. (S6O-02493)

The Scottish Government supports farmers in preparing for and responding and adapting to challenging conditions over the course of the season by ensuring that timely and effective advice and support are available to inform decision making.

That support includes Scotland’s Rural College’s crop protection report, which offers online, free-of-charge regular analysis by region of current issues for a range of crops. That includes the provision of fortnightly local reports on the progress of the grain harvest over the season, which aids farmers in making informed decisions for their crops. The Government’s support also includes the Farm Advisory Service, which facilitates largely free access to high-quality generic and bespoke advice for the agriculture sector.

The cabinet secretary will know that that information shows that it has not been an easy start to the 2023 grain harvest, not just because of the delays but because of poor quality in some crops. That is particularly true of barley in my area, which is causing concern not to farmers but to the Scottish whisky industry.

In the light of the fact that we do not have any clarity about the agriculture bill, can the cabinet secretary reassure grain farmers that they will be supported?

I would not agree with the member’s statement that there is no clarity on the agriculture bill. We have previously made a commitment, which I maintain, to introduce this year an agriculture bill in which we will continue to support our farmers and crofters as we have done in the past. We will continue to support our food producers with direct payments, which is another commitment that we previously made and which I stand by.

Over decades, precision crop breeding has led to modern varieties of cereal crops delivering higher yields and more resistance to a wide range of environmental stresses. However, the development of those new varieties takes time. With clear signs that the European Union will change its position on gene editing, when will the Scottish Government commit to a policy that will allow our world-leading institutions such as the James Hutton Institute to adopt GE as a crop-breeding tool, which would bring huge benefits to our farming communities? Can the cabinet secretary set out the timescale for that discussion to take place?

Again, we fully support innovation when it comes to our agriculture sector. As Finlay Carson is aware, we have world-leading institutes—he named one of them—doing world-leading work and science in that area.

I have outlined in a previous response where we stand on gene editing at the moment. Of course, we are carefully considering what happens elsewhere in the EU, but we also have to understand and fully consider the wider ramifications before taking any steps forward where that could affect future trade. Again, we will make sure that we engage everyone in the conversation when we do that.