Scottish livestock cuts debate revived by EV plans

Scotland’s livestock sector could come under renewed pressure to deliver emissions cuts if the UK government waters down electric vehicle targets, the Scottish government has suggested.

Gillian Martin MSP, Scotland’s cabinet secretary for climate action and rural affairs, warned that ministers may face “very difficult decisions” if expected emissions savings from transport fail to materialise.

Her comments came during evidence to the Scottish Parliament Climate Action Committee on 17 September as the UK government considers changes to the Vehicle Emissions Trading Scheme (VETS).

See also: Scottish government to reject livestock cuts in climate plan

They raise fresh questions about where future emissions reductions would come from if transport delivers less than expected.

Current UK rules require 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans sold by 2030 to be zero-emission, but ministers in Westminster are considering changes to the scheme that could reduce pressure on manufacturers to meet those targets.

Ms Martin said any weakening of those assumptions could force ministers to reassess how statutory climate targets are met.

The Scottish government’s current Climate Change Plan 2026-2040 explicitly rejects proactively reducing livestock numbers, despite recommendations from the Climate Change Committee (CCC) that cutting cattle and sheep populations would help deliver future carbon budgets.

Instead, ministers have pledged to reduce the emissions intensity of livestock production through improved animal health, genetics, feed efficiency and emerging methane-reduction technologies.

However, any shortfall in transport emissions reductions could increase pressure on ministers to find additional savings elsewhere in the economy.

That could revive debate around proposals previously advanced by the CCC, including reductions in livestock numbers, despite the Scottish government’s current opposition to such measures.

Conservative accusations

Scottish Conservative MSP James Adams seized on Ms Martin’s comments, saying the SNP had “casually shown their hand” over its plans for Scotland’s livestock farms.

He warned that reducing livestock numbers could drive family farms out of business, threaten food security and “decimate communities across Scotland”.

The Scottish government insists it has no policy to cut cattle or sheep numbers and instead aims to help farmers reduce emissions while maintaining productive livestock businesses.

Scotland is legally committed to reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045 under a system of statutory five-year carbon budgets.