Scottish Land & Estates (SLE), the rural business organisation, has called on the Scottish Government to urgently outline its funding and support schemes for rural businesses, asserting that clear strategies are vital for Scotland to achieve a 94% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. This plea follows the Climate Change Committee (CCC)'s recent advice recommending the ambitious emissions target.

Eleanor Kay, Senior Policy Adviser (Agriculture & Climate Change) for SLE, stated: "These recommendations from CCC highlight the need for the Scottish government to be clear with land managers and rural businesses on the challenge ahead and ensure there is a new policy and support scheme in place to ensure a successful transition."

While supporting the Scottish Government's emission reduction intentions, SLE voiced concerns that current policy proposals might negatively impact rural businesses and communities due to an "urban-centric" focus. Kay highlighted the significant, yet often overlooked, contribution of rural areas to net-zero goals, noting that rural estates alone deliver over half of Scotland’s renewable energy generation and peatland restoration.

SLE agreed with the CCC on the need for long-term certainty in public funding for farming practices that reduce emissions but expressed concern over the proposed 26% reduction in cattle and sheep numbers by 2035. They stressed the critical role of agriculture in food security, biodiversity maintenance, soil protection, and greenhouse gas reduction.

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"If farmers and rural communities are expected to diversify their incomes away from livestock farming and towards woodland creation, peatland restoration, agroforestry, and renewable energy schemes, a full package of guidance and support must be available," Kay emphasised.

SLE strongly advocates for an integrated approach to land use policy, rejecting siloed views on activities like forestry, food production, carbon sequestration, and natural capital. They argue that integrated land management provides multifaceted benefits, including wildlife habitats, improved water quality, natural flood management, and carbon capture.

Additional challenges highlighted by Scottish Land & Estates include:

• While 50% emissions reduction from 1990 levels was achieved by 2022, "easy wins" are largely exhausted, and future targets must be "rural-proofed" as data from 2022-2025 may show a tailing-off in reductions.

• Significant public and private investment is required to meet the CCC's proposed pace of change.

• Energy infrastructure and renewables targets are unattainable without the involvement of rural businesses and estates.

• The necessity of supporting farmers and land managers to achieve climate and biodiversity goals while ensuring their livelihoods and community prosperity.

• The opportunity for new policies that deliver for Scotland through an integrated land management approach, ensuring sustainable food, timber, and wider ecosystem improvements.

• Recognition that rural communities are disproportionately affected by climate change impacts, making adaptation as crucial as emission reduction.

Regarding farming and land management, SLE raised concerns about the accuracy of agricultural and land use emissions data, which they suggest relies heavily on assumptions rather than highly instrumented measurements seen in heavy industries. They also cautioned against offshoring emissions to countries with lower environmental standards.

For energy and housing, SLE noted unique rural challenges such as limited energy infrastructure, dispersed populations, and older, less energy-efficient homes that require different, potentially more costly, solutions than urban areas, alongside a limited availability of skilled labor for necessary changes.