Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment

Name the policy, and describe its overall aims

Payments Framework

Currently Scottish government utilises rolled-over powers under Retained EU Law “REUL” to make support payments of the extended Common Agricultural Policy “CAP” schemes.

The main objective of the Bill is to take powers which will allow for the delivery of a payment framework broadly aligned to the EU.

There are not considered to be specific impacts on children as a result of this policy.

Food and Drink

The enabling powers in the Bill will provide for financial support to food and drink businesses for a range of specified purposes including in response to exceptional or unforeseen circumstances in the sector. Financial support will be available to all businesses. This will have a positive impact on businesses and also the wider community – including children and young people - through the potential for economic stability and growth, and jobs.

Climate and Nature

Through the support framework, the Bill enables the Scottish Government to deliver towards the outcomes of climate mitigation, adaptation and nature restoration and ensure farming in Scotland can continue to produce our food more sustainably and that the land is managed more sustainably. This will support delivery of outcomes and strategies, including the Climate Change Plan, Scottish National Adaptation Plan and Biodiversity Strategy.

Payments Administration & Data

The broadly framed enabling powers set out in the Bill allow for the Scottish Ministers to make regulations about (1) the provision of support to assist the creation of the new payment framework for the administration of payments and (2) the provision for the collection, processing and or sharing of data where that is necessary to ensure effective governance. These regulations and powers will enable the Scottish Ministers to enforce , monitor and evaluate progress to achieving the objectives of the bill and the Vision. These enabling powers in the Bill and proposals will not have specific impacts on children.

Support for Rural Communities and Rural Networking

Aims to set out broadly framed enabling powers allowing for continuation of support for rural communities and rural networking, and to allow flexibility for Ministers to be able to adapt that support to meet future requirements. This means that although our support to rural communities has potential to significantly impact on children and young people, the powers set out in this bill will not in themselves alter this support (rather, any such alteration will be policy change and subject to Ministerial future decision-making).

Animal Health, Welfare and Genetic Resources

The Bill provides powers for Scottish Ministers to provide financial support for the purposes set out in the Schedule including livestock breeding and keeping, and assisting the promotion, protection and improvement of animal health, welfare and genetic resources. The Bill also makes provisions for the identification of animals, which is a requirement for the prevention and control of diseases. The implementation of these powers is anticipated to contribute to the aims of high quality food production; climate mitigation and adaptation; nature restoration; and wider rural development.

Plant Genetic Resources

The power in the bill allows Ministers the power to provide support for plant genetic resources. Plant Genetic Resources is a broad term, but can be described as a resource for breeders or researchers of new plant varieties to draw on when they need a genetic trait which doesn’t exist in the capacity they require. Sometimes as species are used to develop varieties, each variety gets further from the original and they may lose important characteristics. Resources are kept to preserve the existence of the original sources, so we don’t lose those important traits. Traits may include aspects such as pest resistance; drought tolerance or yield quality. A genetic resource may include but is not exclusive to a seed bank or a plant collection. Plant genetic resources a public good and should benefit all by allowing greater potential for conventional breeding of viable plants for the future.

Access

The powers in the bill enable Ministers to provide support to assist with the provision of public access over land. Where support is given it will be based on the needs of that particular area with a view to ensuring improved public access and the ability of the public to exercise the right of responsible access as set out in the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003.

Forestry

The power to provide support will allow the continued delivery of forestry grants.

Forestry grants play a significant role in contributing to a wide range of SG policies, including policies relating to: reducing net emissions as a contribution to climate change mitigation; tackling the biodiversity (habitats and species) crisis; deer management; peatland restoration; Atlantic rainforests; rural development; community development; public access; and, ensuring future timber supplies. Forestry grants also support the sustainable management and restoration of Scotland’s forests, in line with Scottish Ministers’ duties under the Forestry and Land Management (Scotland) Act 2018 (“the 2018 Act”).

Forestry grants primarily affect many rural businesses with an interest in forestry. This may include farmers, crofters, estate owners, and other land managers with any interest ranging from forest nurseries, forest management, and the timber processing sector. These grants also have impacts on the broader environmental sector as they contribute to multiple outcomes, including the protection and improvement of legally protected habitats and species.

These powers will provide a continuation to the existing payment framework and therefore there is no likely impact on children or young people as a result of these powers.

Knowledge, innovation, education and training

The Bill includes new powers in respect of courses of training and personal development relating to agricultural, forestry, land management or related sectors and other forms of learning and sharing information as well as the provision and obtaining of advice. It also includes new powers relating to innovation and other research and development activities which may improve or support rural communities, rural land or land use. There is also power to support these activities through the development and maintaining of resources, digital tools or databases.

The Bill also provides the Scottish Ministers with powers to make provision for continuing professional development (CPD) for farmers, crofters, land managers and other persons.

Existing evidence

Agriculture sector (i.e farmers, crofters, and land managers) is the primary affected sector within the Agriculture Bill powers.

The powers in the Agriculture Bill will support Scottish Government’s Vision for Agriculture and the ARP. The power to deliver in the Bill will be taken forward under the ARP which will consider the detail of implementation to ensure farming and food production in Scotland becomes a global leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture.

The Bill sets out a wide-ranging list of powers for the agricultural sector to reduce emissions. The powers vary to help deliver this. As none of the policies are designed to have a specific impact in relation to Part 1 of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 and the UNCRC requirements.

We do however acknowledge possible indirect impacts in respect of our reform proposals for children and young people. For example:

• reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural will mitigate the impact of climate change including current for current and future generations of children and young people,
• this could make it more sustainable into the future and thereby continue to offer opportunities for young people to gain employment in the agricultural sector or become our next generation of farmers,
• there are number of powers in the Bill which will enable support to be provided to farmers, crofters and land managers in the form of information, advice, guidance, skills development and capacity building,
• the benefit if sector successfully delivers against the policies and how several policies seem to address issues highlighted during the Children’s Parliament and Scotland Youth Climate declaration work.

Due to the way statistical information is collected, we are not able to identify if there are farmers (or those workers in the sector who are under 18). Even if there are farmers and workers under 18 (the numbers would be small compared to the overall sector figures) and the policies are designed to specifically address any issues in relation to any under 18 as apply sector wide, regardless of age.

Assessing the powers intended purposes, we are satisfied they are not aimed at or are designed to have an impact or address an issue in relation to Part 1 of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 and the UNCRC requirements.

So are satisfied in our scoping assessment finding that NO CRWIA is required.