8. To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of annual woodland planting targets have been met in each year since 2017-18. (S6O-03053)

Since 2017, in the face of significant challenges including Brexit, Covid and weather disruption such as storm Arwen, Scotland has delivered, on average, about 75 per cent of the annual woodland creation target. Scotland’s contribution to all woodland planting across the United Kingdom over that period is more than that of any other UK nation.

Even before the Scottish National Party Government announced a £32 million cut to the forestry grant scheme, it had already failed to meet five out of its six annual targets. Mairi Gougeon has admitted that the SNP Government will fail to meet next year’s target. Is that massive budget cut a sign that the Minister has completely given up on meeting net zero targets and woodland creation planting targets? [

Interruption

.]

The Presiding Officer:

Let us hear the member.

The funding support is important. However, despite the cut to our capital allocation by the UK Government, we will still create more than 9,000 hectares of new woodland. Woodland creation is a long-term activity, and we have significantly invested in the forestry sector in Scotland to increase its capacity to deliver woodland creation.

Although the reduction in grant funding is not what we wanted, other sources of funding for tree planting are increasing, and we remain committed to increasing woodland creation in the medium term, despite this year’s challenges.

Scotland outperforms the rest of the UK on tree planting, but further action is needed to ensure that barriers to progress do not prevent us from reaching our targets. Does the Minister share my bemusement at the fact that, while the Tories want more money for various initiatives, they are content with Scotland’s budget being slashed, as their bosses in Westminster did not lift a finger to stop it?

Ms Harper makes a good point. A trend is emerging—[

Interruption

.]

The Presiding Officer:

Let us hear one another.

— with every decision that we have had to make as a result of a worst-case autumn statement and the capital allocation being cut, yet the Tories ask why we are cutting things in our budget.

The message is clear: farmers and crofters are better off with the Scottish Government than any Westminster Government, whether Labour or Tory. The Tories should not just take our word for it—they should listen to farmers in Lancashire and Wales, who fear for their very existence.

We are—

The Presiding Officer:

Thank you, Minister.