Health and wellbeing

A survey of young farmers undertaken by Scottish agricultural charity RSABI at this year’s Royal Highland Show has highlighted many of the factors which are affecting the mental health of young people in agriculture.

University of Glasgow’s SFC Upskilling Project facilitates three runs of skills-focussed, demand-led CPD courses annually, with the aim of supporting employees and employers across Scotland to upskill and reskill in response to present-day economic challenges. In particular, the project aims to address skills gaps, unemployment issues and other health and economic adversities following the COVID-19 pandemic and EU exit.

Efforts to reduce the number of households living in temporary accommodation will be backed by at least £60 million to support a national acquisition plan to increase the supply of social and affordable housing.

The Scottish Rural Network will be supporting Scottish Government Just Transition policy colleagues to engage directly with rural and island communities this summer.

A series of community workshops will be undertaken in July and August to engage directly with rural and island communities across Scotland, which will help shape and inform our approach to the Land Use and Agriculture Just Transition.

In recent weeks monitoring by NatureScot and partners, including the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), RSPB Scotland and the National Trust for Scotland, has revealed worrying signs that more seabirds may be succumbing to the virus.

In particular there has been a rise in reports of dead kittiwakes, black-headed gulls, herring gulls, terns and guillemots being washed up on the east coast of Scotland, stretching from Wick in Caithness to St Abbs in Berwickshire.