NFU Scotland President Martin Kennedy writes to Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands
NFU Scotland has questioned NatureScot’s impartiality in its forthcoming role as reporter to the Scottish Government on the proposed Galloway National Park while reiterating the industry’s concern around the bid.
In a letter to Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands Mairi Gougeon MSP, President Martin Kennedy highlighted that NatureScot’s established position in favour of a Galloway National Park calls into question its ability to conduct a public consultation in an impartial manner.
NatureScot, acting as reporter for the Scottish Government in this matter, has today (7 November) opened the formal (statutory) consultation on whether a new National Park should be established in Galloway and parts of South and East Ayrshire. The formal consultation will run from today (7 November) until 14 February 2025
In the letter to the Cabinet Secretary, Mr Kennedy wrote: “NatureScot committed to conducting its investigation in an open, transparent and inclusive way. But unfortunately, its clear bias is preventing this from happening.
“Our members in the Galloway and Ayrshire regions feel that their views are not represented, their voices are not heard, and their opinions do not matter. They feel the matter on whether Galloway should become a new National Park has already been decided by a small minority.”
NFU Scotland has maintained opposition to a Galloway National Park from the early stages of its proposal. In a public survey undertaken by the Union, 73% of 2,000 respondents were against the bid.
Throughout the consultation process, the Union has emphasised to Scottish Government and NatureScot how it fears the park will impact rural communities and future food production. On 30 October, Regional Manager for Dumfries and Galloway, Mhairi Dawson, gave oral evidence to the Scottish Parliament's Citizen Participation and Public Petition Committee, which is currently considering a petition to halt the creation of any future National Park designations in Scotland.
In her response, Ms Dawson underlined how disappointed NFU Scotland’s Dumfries and Galloway members were with the process of handling the proposal. She highlighted that the agriculture, climate and biodiversity aims of a new national park would already be delivered by the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act, therefore negating the need for a national park.
She said: “NFU Scotland enjoy a good working relationship with NatureScot, and that is one we will continue and maintain outside the process of national parks but within it as well. We are very grateful they have promised to be open and transparent, and so far, they have been. But we have clear concerns that NatureScot has already intimated that it is not neutral in this matter. NatureScot is a proponent of a national park and that brings its impartiality as a reporter into question.”
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