Scottish Government consultations

We held a public consultation seeking views on proposed operational changes to the Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme in Scotland, to ensure the scheme remains sustainable and efficient under financial constraints. In addition, we asked for more general views to help inform any future redesign of the scheme. Future changes will be subject to a further consultation.

The consultation consisted of 20 questions and ran from 23 June to 14 September 2025.

A total of 18 validated responses were received from 15 organisations and 3 individuals. A range of views were provided.

In relation to proposed operational amendments, the majority of respondents agreed that aid provided by the scheme should be based on production grown in Scotland. There was a split in opinion if funding should be permitted for those producer organisations (POs) who have members outside Scotland, however the responses weighted in favour of allowing members in other parts of the UK to be part of a Scottish PO, but not including their value in the calculation determining the level of financial assistance that would be provided. The majority of responses agreed that Scottish Ministers should have discretion over the total budget for the Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme in Scotland and supported that the funding cap should remain as a percentage of a PO’s value of marketed production (VMP). The majority of responses agreed there should be a statutory right to appeal within the scheme.

In relation to the potential future redevelopment of the scheme, common themes highlighted were around stability, collaborative working, simplification, investment, aligning with other Scottish Government priorities and policies along with support and funding for smaller-scale producers. All responses regarding the future of the scheme are noted and will form the starting point for further consideration and stakeholder engagement on more detail potential changes in due course.

We analysed responses to the consultation and publish the analysis report on the Scottish Government website: Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme in Scotland: consultation analysis - gov.scot.

We published consultation responses (where permission was granted) on Citizen Space: Published responses for Call for input on the future of the Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme in Scotland - Scottish Government consultations - Citizen Space.

Following analysis of the responses, The Common Organisation of the Markets in Agricultural Products (Fruit and Vegetables) (Miscellaneous Amendment) (Scotland) Regulations 2026 was laid, in draft, before the Scottish Parliament on Friday 21 November. The Scottish Statutory Instrument (SSI) will come into force on 30 January 2026, subject to Parliamentary approval, and will make operational changes to the scheme in Scotland in line with the consultation and responses received.

Longer term, there is need for further conversations on the redesign of the scheme in Scotland and how it can complement future agricultural and environmental strategies. Information gathered via this consultation will form the basis of further engagement and consultation.

The Scottish Government remains committed to supporting the valuable fruit and vegetable sector in Scotland and we look forward to continuing to work closely with stakeholders in this area. 

We conducted a six-week public consultation, from 22 July to 1 September 2025, to gather views on Scotland’s Strategic Compensation Policy for Offshore Wind and its associated impact assessments.

This policy outlines Scotland’s proposed approach to reforming the Habitats Regulations for offshore wind, as enabled by the UK Energy Act 2023. It aims to introduce greater flexibility in the provision of environmental compensation and to unlock new opportunities for investment in Scotland’s marine environment.

During the consultation period, two online engagement events were held to facilitate participation from stakeholders and the wider public.

A total of 43 responses were received, of which 95% were from organisations and 5% from members of the public. A range of organisations responded including the offshore wind sector, fishing interests, marine science and research organisations, environmental non-governmental organisations, public bodies, and political parties.

We commissioned an independent analysis of the consultation responses, undertaken by ABPmer. This analysis report has been published on the Scottish Government Website.

We have published the consultation responses, where permission has been given, on Citizen Space.

The Strategic Compensation Policy, shaped by this consultation, will form the basis of new Scottish secondary legislation to reform the Habitats Regulations as they apply to the Scottish inshore region (0–12 nautical miles from the shoreline).

It will also inform accompanying statutory guidance, which will apply across both the inshore and offshore region (beyond 12 nautical miles). The Scottish Government is committed to laying the relevant Scottish Statutory Instrument in January 2026, with the publication of the statutory guidance planned to align with when the Scottish Statutory Instrument comes into force, currently planned for Spring 2026, subject to the required Scottish Parliamentary clearances.

These proposals are part of wider UK reforms. We continue to work closely with the UK Government to ensure a consistent and coordinated approach to environmental compensation for offshore wind development across the UK.

Finalised Impact Assessments will be prepared, for publication alongside the statutory guidance.  

We held a public consultation seeking views on the draft updated Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy (SMP) and associated assessments, as part of the process to update our existing SMP (adopted 2020). The SMP provides the spatial planning framework for the ScotWind and Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas Decarbonisation (INTOG) leasing rounds, and considers the potential environmental, social and economic opportunities and constraints associated with offshore wind development across Scotland and its seas.

The consultation ran from 30 May to 22 August 2025.  During this period, a total of 17 in person engagement events took place around Scotland, with a further three webinars held online.

A total of 304 responses were received, of which 70 were from organisations and 234 were from individual members of the public. A range of organisations responded including offshore wind developers, local authorities, community councils, public bodies and representatives from sectors such as fisheries, nature conservation, other marine energy and tourism and recreation

We commissioned an independent analysis of the consultation responses, undertaken by Arup. This analysis report has been published on the Scottish Government Website.

We have published the consultation responses, where permission has been given, on Citizen Space.

The Scottish Government is committed to producing an updated Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy in 2026. Consultation responses will be used to inform the scope of and implementation measures for the final Plan. A final Island Communities Impact Assessment will be prepared, for publication alongside the final Plan, to take account of specific feedback received from communities on proposed development in their area.