The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands (), commonly referred to as the Rural Affairs Secretary (), is a position in the

Scottish Government The Scottish Government (, ) is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was formed in 1999 as the Scottish Executive following the 1997 referendum on Scottish devolution, and is headquartered at St Andrew's House in ...

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

. The incumbent Cabinet Secretary is

Mairi Gougeon Mairi Angela Gougeon (''née'' Evans; born 23 April 1985) is a Scottish politician who has served as Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands since 2021. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she has been the Membe ...

, who was appointed in May 2021. The Cabinet Secretary is responsible for rural Scotland and its islands, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, aquaculture, food and drink, and crofting. The Cabinet Secretary is assisted by the

Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity The Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity is a junior ministerial post in the Scottish Government established in February 2024. Overview Responsibilities The Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity supports the Cabinet Secretary for ...

, Jim Fairlie, who also supports the Cabinet Secretary for Transport.

History

The position was created in 1999 as the Minister for Rural Affairs and renamed as the Minister for Rural Development in 2000 and again in 2001 as the Minister for the Environment and Rural Development. Following the 2007 election, the position of Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment was created, becoming the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and Environment in a November 2014 reshuffle. Following the 2016 election, the position was re-titled Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy and Connectivity, but was again renamed in June 2018 to Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy, with connectivity passing to the new

Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity The Cabinet Secretary for Transport () is a position in the Scottish Government Cabinet. The Cabinet Secretary has responsibilities for transport and its associated infrastructure in Scotland. The incumbent is Fiona Hyslop, who was appointed Min ...

. In the third Sturgeon government, the role was re-styled to Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands. In the first Yusaf government, the role was re-styled to Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands.

Overview

Responsibilities

The Cabinet Secretary's responsibilities are agriculture and

crofting Crofting (Scottish Gaelic: ') is a form of land tenure and small-scale food production peculiar to the Scottish Highlands, the islands of Scotland, and formerly on the Isle of Man. Within the 19th-century townships, individual crofts were est ...

, fisheries and aquaculture, food and drink, rural Scotland,

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

, animal health and welfare, and cross-government co-ordination on islands.

Public bodies

The following public bodies report to the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands: *

Crofting Commission The Crofting Commission () took the place of the Crofters Commission () on 1 April 2012 as the statutory regulator for crofting in Scotland. Based in Inverness, it is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government. The C ...

Food Standards Scotland Food Standards Scotland () is a non-ministerial government department of the Scottish Government. It is responsible for food safety, food standards, nutrition, food labelling and meat inspection in Scotland. Established by the Food (Scotland) ...

Highlands and Islands Enterprise Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE; ) is the development agency for the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government with the role to "help build a prosperous, sustainable and inclu ...

James Hutton Institute The James Hutton Institute is an interdisciplinary scientific research institute in Scotland established in 2011, through the merger of Scottish Crop Research Institute (SCRI) and the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute. The institute, named ...

* Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland *

Moredun Research Institute The Moredun Research Institute is a scientific research institution based at the Pentlands Science Park, in the Bush Estate area of Midlothian, Scotland. It conducts research into diseases of farm livestock and the promotion of animal health and ...

Quality Meat Scotland Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government. It promotes the red meat sector and markets the Protected Geographical Indication Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb brands. It was set up in 1990 as ...

Scottish Agricultural Wages Board The Scottish Agricultural Wages Board (SAWB) is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government. It sets minimum pay rates and other conditions for agricultural workers, as set out in the Agricultural Wages (Scotland) Order ...

List of office holders

References