Here’s what the CCC says needs to be addressed in agriculture and land use:

• The Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill lacks detail on the financial support framework that will be offered to farmers and land managers as they transition to post-CAP agricultural policy.

• The Scottish Government should set out how future support systems will integrate and address the objectives for food, nature, and climate.

• Scotland missed the Scottish Government’s 2022 to 2023 woodland creation target. A quarter of the approved woodland creation was delayed or not taken forward by landowners, with Scottish Forestry suggesting this is due to skills and capacity issues. Plans are needed to address barriers to meeting future targets, which are also important for UK-wide planting targets.

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• The Scottish Government needs to show how it will meet future woodland creation targets following the reduction in spending plans for 2024-25, from a budget of £103.7m for Scottish Forestry in 2023-24, to £70.1m in 2024-25.

• There have been no updates on the future of funding for hedgerow creation and management, and small-scale tree planting after the AECS supports end in 2026

• Scotland missed the Scottish Government’s peatland restoration target for the fifth year in a row and the Scottish Government should identify and set out how the current barriers will be addressed.

• The Good Food Nation Plan should seek to provide further detail on the emissions reduction potential of dietary choices, particularly relating to meat and dairy consumption.