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It will not necessarily take six years. It is like a safety net to give us enough time if we have problems. Again, that does not need to be set in stone. The regulations have been laid, but we can change things as we go along.

Basically, that gives us time. I am fairly sure that we do not anticipate that the regulations will last until 2030, but they give us time so that we do not have to come back in 18 months or in two years to do this all again.

It is part of the process of developing the policy, as we go forward.

The whole policy has been developed in conjunction with the industry—not just the NFUS, but the Crofters Commission, too. Everybody who was involved in development of the policy was sitting around the table. As we bring regulations out, the committee will be able to scrutinise them.

Is that correct?

You are right. All that I can do is give you the assurance that we are working incredibly hard right now to bring forward the legislation that will allow us to continue to support agriculture in the way that we want to support it. If the 2030 date is the problem, I can take that point on board, but that date is purely to allow us time to get things done and to get things moving in the right direction. However, I reiterate to you what I said to Emma Harper—namely, that I am absolutely committed to ensuring that we bring forward policies and proposals that will work with and for the rural and agricultural community to ensure that we can continue to support it as best we can in the future. That is all that I can give you.

No, it would not, because, if the position that we took was that rebasing was desired, that could be brought in at a later date, but before 2030, in other legislation that might come forward.

The convener has already asked why we did not make it 2026 or 2028. The year 2030 is what was picked. I am not sure that the relevance of that is going to enlighten us any.

Again, I go back to the point that Jesus Gallego made: the charge is based on headage going through the abattoir, so it will be consistent with the throughput of a particular slaughterhouse.

Thank you for making time to consider this draft SSI. As the committee will note, this is a very brief SSI, which makes changes to two dates that relate to plant health import inspection fees.

It extends until 1 July 2025 the end date for easements regarding the introduction of fees in relation to official checks on medium-risk fruit and vegetable goods being imported into Scotland from the EU, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. It does the same for fees in relation to plant health checks on goods arriving into Scotland from the EU, Liechtenstein and Switzerland via the west coast ports.

By way of context for the changes, I draw the committee’s attention to the UK statutory instrument, the Official Controls (Extension of Transitional Periods) and Plant Health (Frequency of Checks) (Miscellaneous Amendment) Regulations 2024.

Convener, I wrote to you on 29 August to seek the approval of the Scottish Parliament of proposals by the Scottish ministers to consent to the making of that UK secondary legislation affecting devolved areas, and I thank the committee in advance for its consideration. The SSI before the committee represents consequential changes that are required due to proposals that are set out in the linked UK statutory instrument.

The changes that are proposed to the dates on a Great Britain-wide basis by the UK SI and, through the SSI that is before the committee today, to the application of the related fees in Scotland are as follows. The UK SI makes changes in relation to annex 6 of the EU official controls regulation by extending, from 31 October 2024 to 1 July 2025, the period under which plants and plant products from the EU, Liechtenstein and Switzerland entering GB through a west coast port are not subject to controls. That helps to address the lack of clarity from the UK Government on the timeline for the implementation of checks on goods entering via west coast ports, which the cabinet secretary and I discussed with the committee at its meeting on 11 September. We remain concerned that the UK Government has yet to communicate clearly to the industry the timescales for the introduction of the range of checks at west coast ports and the complex issues that need to be resolved before that can happen.

Similarly, the UK SI extends to 1 July 2025 the period during which certain EU medium-risk fruit and vegetables are not subject to certain import controls. A statement was issued to the industry by the UK Government on 13 September, setting out the extension, from January 2025 to 1 July 2025, of the easement of import checks on medium-risk fruit and vegetables imported from the EU.

That clarity is welcome, and it is long overdue. As I said to the committee on 11 September, we are trying to reset the relationship between the UK and the devolved Governments. I hope that the clarity on dates that is provided through the linked SI represents a new beginning in that regard.

I ask the committee to support the SSI to ensure that the relevant plant health import inspection fees for Scotland are aligned to the revised dates. I consider the regulations to be necessary and appropriate. My officials and I are happy to take questions from the committee.