It’s official. Humza’s in and he’s lined up his cabinet. But we at Animal Concern have spotted a key change which could have potentially troubling implications for animal welfare resource.

Our full press notice on this question here:

After the confirmation of the new government by the Scottish Parliament on Thursday 30 March, Animal Concern made the following statement. A spokesperson, Graeme Corbett, said:
“We are pleased to see Mairi Gougeon MSP continue in the role of Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Islands. We welcome the commitment she has shown over the years remaining inside the Scottish Government”.
“We are however concerned that there no longer appears to be a minister working alongside the Cabinet Secretary with responsibility for animal welfare. We wish the outgoing Minister for the Environment and Land Reform well after her promotion, but that gap has not been filled, and the role axed”.
“We sincerely hope this does not represent a downgrading of the department or reflect that animal welfare is now less of a priority for the Scottish Government”.
“It is too important a time in animal welfare for the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs to be working alone without ministerial support. A [Wildlife Management] Bill is before the Chamber, there are consultations pending, and further Bills expected in the coming year, all of which need ministerial attention”.
“Scotland has a positive track record of animal safeguards, but with so much more to do now is not the time to be taking our foot off the gas”.

The Daily Record picked this up and included a snippet in their 4th April issue:

Note - in June of 2023, it has been announced that Mr Yousaf has finally appointed a new Environment Minister, to fill the gap of Mairi McAllan’s former role. Gillian Martin MSP has been named as Energy and Environment Minister, supporting Cabinet Secretary Mairi Gougeon.

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