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

What likely impact – direct or indirect – will the policy/measure have on children and young people?

We anticipate that Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill, with links to the National Performance Framework, will bring positive impacts to children and young people.

To deliver the Vision; “identify and develop the skills needed for regenerative and sustainable farming, changes of land use and adaptation to the changing climate”; “encourage co-operative approaches to optimise collaboration and knowledge exchange”; enable “more new and young entrants into farming” and “create a diverse, flourishing industry”.

If the agriculture sector successfully delivers against the policies in climate and biodiversity plans and strategies outlined above using any support produced under Schedule 1, this could restore nature, reduce emissions from agricultural and mitigate the impact of climate change for current and future generations of children and young people. It would build a sustainable food production sector for future generations, whilst reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing carbon sequestration, and helping to improve biodiversity, air, soil, and water quality, making it more sustainable and thereby offer opportunities for young people to gain employment in the agricultural sector and become our next generation of farmers.

The Bill will allow for continuation of support for rural communities and rural networking, which can have positive impacts for people living in rural areas, including children and young people. Given the enabling nature of the Bill, there will be no direct impact from the inclusion of provisions relating to supporting rural communities or rural networking within the Bill.

Payments Framework

There are not considered to be specific impacts on children as a result of this policy. These enabling powers in the Bill and proposals will not have specific impacts on children as these powers relate to operational delivery rather than policy and any change will be delayed until the secondary legislation is introduced and implemented later on.

Food and Drink

The policy will not directly affect children and young people but there will be positive impacts for communities if support for businesses provides the potential for economic stability and growth, and jobs.

Climate and Nature

As outlined above there are long term positive impacts for future generations and communities though tackling the twin crises of climate and nature.

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

No impacts identified regarding the broadly framed enabling powers set out in the Bill.

Animal Health, Welfare and Genetic Resources

As set out above there will be indirect medium to long term positive impacts from the use of powers in the Bill and implementation of policies arising from these. Assisting the promotion, protection and improvement of animal health, welfare and genetic resources will contribute to points raised during the Children’s Parliament and Scotland Youth Climate declaration. These policies may also contribute to narrowing the gap in children’s perceptions of welfare of farmed animals between urban and rural communities, and to agriculture as a positive career destination through inclusion in educational resources.

Plant Genetic Resources

The bill gives the power for Ministers to give support to holders of plant genetic resources. This is felt important as plant breeding adapts to increasing challenges from climate change. These resources allow us to retain important traits which could mean fewer inputs such as fertilisers and pesticides or to breed plants which can thrive in a changing environment. This can only have a positive impact on children as it provides a resource to help preserve resources, whilst continuing to provide nutritious food.

Access

No specific impacts on children or young people, other than overall positive impact of allowing support for the improvement of public access.

Forestry

The Bill is a framework Bill. It provides for a suite of powers which will enable Scottish Ministers to give assistance for specified purposes. One of these purposes is forestry. The inclusion of forestry within the Bill is not likely to have any future negative consequences against the relevant 45 UNCRC articles. The inclusion of forestry is likely to have future beneficial impacts on children and young people, particularly in relation to articles 24 (health & health services) and article 27 (adequate standard of living) as the Bill will enable the continuation of financial support for projects that increase and enhance the accessibility of woodlands and encourage better management, particularly within areas in and around towns. These projects increase opportunities for outdoor exercise and play, as well as encourage cleaner, well managed outdoor environments and cleaner air, all of which is positive for children and young people.

Forestry grants are accessible to land managers, such as farmers and crofters. This means that forestry grants could inadvertently have an impact on the children of land managers by influencing how the land is managed, particularly for long-term projects like afforestation which require multi-generational management. However, in the short term there are no changes proposed to the existing grant scheme so the effects on children and young people are neither positive nor negative. Any changes to current the grant scheme are proposed through the development of secondary legislation, further assessment of the impacts on children and young people will be carried out at that time.

Knowledge, innovation, education and training

No direct impacts identified as the policy will be delivered through secondary legislation. While much of the proposals in secondary legislation will affect farmers, crofters and others over the age of 18 years, provision could be made for those under the age of 18, through for example, a range of activities provided by the Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System (AKIS), Continuing Professional Development (CPD), and for example the setting of specific policies including apprenticeships in agriculture. All of these initiatives This would be a positive development in providing them with skills and knowledge to help them develop a career in agriculture, crofting and land management.