Swinney promises rural renewal bill and wildfire plan review

First Minister John Swinney set out his 2026-31 Programme for Government at Holyrood on Tuesday (1 September), promising work on a rural renewal bill and a review of Scotland’s Wildfire Strategic Action Plan. The nine bills named for the programme’s first year contain no wildlife management or land reform legislation, and the document makes no mention of the muirburn licensing scheme that becomes mandatory on 15 September.

What did the First Minister promise rural Scotland?

Mr Swinney told MSPs: “Because a flourishing rural economy is a fundamental part of a flourishing Scotland, we will start work on a rural renewal bill that is designed to support rural businesses, from farms to food producers, and the rural way of life.” A last-provider fund will support the final remaining shops and pubs in rural and island communities.

The published programme commits £28m to restore 10,000 hectares of peatland in 2026-27, on the way to a target of 400,000 hectares by 2040, with woodland creation rising to 18,000 hectares a year by the end of the decade. It also promises to implement the Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2026, which carries Scotland’s deer management reforms, and to rationalise the country’s public bodies.

Wildfire plan under review

The programme pledges to “review and successfully deliver the Wildfire Strategic Action Plan to prevent, prepare and respond to the new reality of increased wildfire risk”, citing “the devastating wildfire witnessed in the Cairngorms” this summer.

Earlier on Tuesday, justice secretary Neil Gray told MSPs the review is already under way. “I want to ensure that the strategy is able to respond to what is an increasing risk to our natural environment, which is why I have commissioned a review of it,” he said, naming aerial firefighting support, public awareness, danger assessments and multi-agency co-ordination as areas of focus. Asked by Moray MSP Laura Mitchell to assure firefighters, gamekeepers and land workers that their views would be heard, he replied: “Yes, I can.”

That evening, MSPs debated a motion from Liberal Democrat Andrew Baxter declaring that the Government’s response to the Cairngorms fire “fell short” and calling for a cross-party wildfire summit. Ministers face a statement on the Glenmore-Strathnethy fire on Thursday (3 September).

What do shooting organisations say?

BASC Scotland director Peter Clark said: “BASC Scotland welcomes the Scottish Government’s commitment to continue developing a Rural Renewal Bill with rural communities and stakeholders, alongside its pledge to deliver the Wildfire Strategic Action Plan.”

He warned that “the plan to bring all environmental bodies together should be viewed with caution, given the potential for rural practitioners’ knowledge to be overlooked in one single body”, and said the plan “must recognise the vital role that responsible land management, including muirburn, plays in reducing wildfire risk”. A year on from the Dava-Carrbridge wildfires, he added, “we urgently need to see that recognition translated into action and a genuinely collaborative approach”.

Scottish Land & Estates (SLE) said rural businesses are “ready, willing, and able” to support the Government’s growth ambitions. Stephen Young, the organisation’s director of policy, said the statement “provides grounds for optimism”, but that rural businesses “have too often faced complex and burdensome legislation that has restricted their ability to invest, innovate and create jobs”. SLE raised “serious concerns” over the proposed food price cap and its possible impact on primary producers, and said it would have liked a clearer commitment to reform of non-domestic rates.

What happens next?

Ministers will make a statement on the Glenmore-Strathnethy wildfire at Holyrood on Thursday 3 September, after First Minister’s Questions. Muirburn licensing becomes mandatory across Scotland on 15 September, with applications made through NatureScot. The rural renewal bill will be developed with stakeholders through the parliamentary term, and Mr Gray has encouraged gamekeepers, land managers and firefighters to feed into the wildfire strategy review. The full Programme for Government can be read on the Scottish Government website.