Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill Islands Communities Impact Assessment

Step Two – Gather your data and identify your stakeholders?

Payments Framework

The broadly framed enabling powers set out in the Bill will allow for continuation of support payments and it is not perceived to have any impact on island communities

Food and Drink

The stakeholders in question are all food and drink businesses in island communities. Figures are not available for the number of food and drink businesses involved.

Support for businesses will have a positive impact on the wider islands community through the potential for economic stability and growth, and jobs.

Climate and Nature

Businesses that will be supported to deliver toward climate and nature outcomes through regulations made under this Bill Will be farmers, crofters and land managers across rural Scotland, including in the islands.

Payments Administration & Data

The broadly framed enabling powers will enable the Scottish Ministers to enforce , monitor and evaluate progress to achieving the objectives of the bill and the Vision. Successful achievement of bill and Vision objectives should have a positive impact on the businesses who may benefit from support and in turn the powers should help enable the realisation of benefits to the wider islands community through this potential for economic stability and growth, and jobs.

Support for Rural Communities and Rural Networking

Stakeholders relating to rural communities and rural networking will be all island communities and stakeholders. However, no specific impact has been identified resulting from the broadly framed enabling powers set out in the Bill.

Animal Health, Welfare and Genetic Resources

Stakeholders on the Scottish islands will be those who keep animals for agricultural purposes. Those specifically affected by the powers enabling support for animal health, welfare and genetic resources will (if Ministers choose to include these purposes in the support framework) be claimants. At present we do not have the means to identify the number of potential claimants for schemes including these purposes.

Access

Stakeholders on the Scottish islands include farmers, crofters, rural communities, and those with an interest in public access. However, no specific impact has been identified from the broadly framed enabling powers set out in the Bill.

Forestry

As the proposed powers within the Bill are to enable continuity of the existing Forestry Grant Scheme, so far as possible, it is not perceived to have a likely impact on Island communities. The Forestry Grant Scheme currently supports island communities by offering enhanced grant rates for the northern and western isles. Should significant changes to the existing grant scheme take place in future, appropriate impact assessments will be carried out as appropriate to assess the potential impacts at that stage.

Knowledge, innovation, education and training

Stakeholders on the Scottish islands include farmers and crofters as well as people who are wishing to enter farming and crofting. Those specifically affected by the powers will be those seeking knowledge and innovation support to develop their businesses, not only in terms of productivity, but also to meet the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss as well as other aims of the Vision of Agriculture. We are not able to fully identify the number of people wishing to use the knowledge and innovation support as it is currently envisaged that it will be voluntary rather than mandatory i.e demand led.

Step Three – Consultation

In August 2022, the Scottish Government ran a public consultation titled ‘Delivering our Vision for Scottish Agriculture: Proposals for a new Agriculture Bill’ and ran for 14 weeks. In total there were 392 valid responses to the consultation comprising of responses from 225 individuals and 167 organisations. The public consultation played a key role in gathering further evidence in relation to the Island Communities Impact Assessment.

Further to this consultation there was substantial stakeholder engagement across Scotland including Skye and Orkney. In total there were nine in person events throughout Scotland (Inverness, Skye, Aberdeen, Oban, Scottish Borders, Stirling, Dumfries and Galloway, Ayrshire, and Orkney). In addition, five online events designed to ensure that views from across Scotland were heard. The Scottish Government’s Agriculture and Rural Development Stakeholder Group and Agriculture Reform Implementation Oversight Board were consulted in detail on the proposed approach to the Bill. Whilst, Agricultural tenancy elements were discussed with the Tenant Farming Advisory Forum in particular.

The results of this engagement is that it has not highlighted any potential negative impacts that the Bill itself and the initiatives and policies covered within may have on certain groups. This has allowed any negative impacts to be considered thoroughly and ensured steps were taken to mitigate these. However, as the Bill is largely enabling it will have limited impact on Island Communities.

The consultation asked the question:

“Are you aware of any examples of how the proposals in this consultation might impact, positively or negatively, on island communities in a way that is different from the impact on mainland areas?”

Responses in regard to island-specific impacts noted in the consultation analysis were:

• poorer transport links might make implementing some proposals more difficult,
• Scottish Government finance and data leading environment controls might make some landowners feel control is shifting away,
• housing is an issue on islands which makes the challenge of attracting new entrants more difficult. Island communities have explained that due to poor connectivity with the mainland they often struggle to sustain industry and education,
• any conditionality of support applied must recognise the starting position of a lot of the soils in fragile areas, including islands that are typically higher organic matter soils – and in the northwest highlands,
• more remote locations often have more fragile ecosystems.

Payments Framework

There has been no separate consultation in relation to the islands communities impact assessment for Payments Framework, beyond that described above.

It is anticipated that Islands and the mainland will have the same opportunities to benefit, contribute and gain access to services and benefits as on the mainland.

Food and Drink

There has been no separate consultation in relation to the islands communities impact assessment for food and drink, beyond that described above. The impact of the Bill on island food and drink businesses – and hence the wider community - is considered to be positive since it will provide for financial support from Scottish Ministers.

Climate and Nature

There has been no separate consultation in relation to the islands communities impact assessment for climate and nature, beyond that described above.

It is anticipated that Islands and the mainland will have the same opportunities to benefit, contribute and gain access to services and benefits as on the mainland.

Payments Administration & Data

There has been no separate consultation in relation to the islands communities impact assessment for Payments administration and data, beyond that described above.

It is anticipated that Islands and the mainland will have the same opportunities to benefit, contribute and gain access to services and benefits as on the mainland.

Support for Rural Communities and Rural Networking

There has been no separate consultation in relation to the islands communities impact assessment for rural communities and networking. However, no impacts have been identified through either the Bill consultation or stakeholder contact resulting from the broadly framed enabling powers set out in the Bill relating to support for rural communities and rural networking.

Animal Health, Welfare and Genetic Resources

No specific or separate consultation on the impact of the enabling powers in the Agriculture Bill has been carried out in relation to the Scottish islands. However, it is known that because of their geographic position and ability to coordinate local action (for example where common grazings are used) and control movements onto islands through ports the Scottish Islands have shown progressive leadership in animal health. Examples include Bovine viral Diarrhoea (BVD) control in Orkney, the Shetland Animal Health Scheme, and the recently initiated Sheep Scab control project in Lewis and Harris. These initiatives provide confidence that the enabling powers have the potential to serve island communities well in the future.

Comments at the Orkney event usefully highlighted the focus on some islands of particular types of livestock production, for example cattle in Orkney and sheep in Shetland. The longer and more challenging transport links between islands and to the mainland were also mentioned. These comments indicate that there may be scope, should Ministers choose, to use the payment powers to deliver support to island communities in a way that is suited to local circumstances and production systems.

Access

There has been no separate consultation in relation to the islands communities. However, no specific impacts have been identified.

Forestry

As the proposed powers within the Bill are to enable continuity of the existing Forestry Grant Scheme, so far as possible, it is not perceived to have a likely impact on Island communities. The Forestry Grant Scheme currently supports island communities by offering enhanced grant rates for the northern and western isles. Should significant changes to the existing grant scheme take place in future, appropriate impact assessments will be carried out to assess the potential impacts at that stage.

Knowledge, innovation, education and training

There has been no separate consultation in relation to the islands communities impact assessment for skills and knowledge, beyond that described above.

It is anticipated that the Islands will have the same opportunities to benefit from skills and knowledge opportunities under the secondary legislation as on the mainland.

Summary of main impacts across data gathering and consultation

Overall, no adverse impacts were identified regarding the broadly framed enabling powers set out in the Bill.

The enabling powers in the Bill will provide for financial support to food and drink businesses for a range of specified purposes and this will include businesses in island communities. This will have a positive impact on the businesses who may benefit from support including in response to exceptional or unforeseen circumstances in the sector. This in turn will have a positive impact on the wider islands community through the potential for economic stability and growth, and jobs.

The proposed powers within the Bill are to enable climate and nature outcomes. Therefore, no specific impacts have been identified for the broad provisions relating to climate and nature outcomes.

However, data collection is important with regard to effective delivery of animal health, welfare and genetics policies. Poor connectivity on the islands is problematic in some areas and may lead to slower collection and sharing of data compared to services on most areas of the mainland. Overall, the impact of this delay will not significantly impact on use of the enabling powers in the Bill and continuing investment in connectivity will improve the situation.

The proposed powers within the Bill are to enable continuity of the existing Forestry Grant Scheme, so far as possible, it is not perceived to have a likely impact on Island communities. The Forestry Grant Scheme currently supports island communities by offering enhanced grant rates for the northern and western isles. Should significant changes to the existing grant scheme take place in future, appropriate impact assessments will be carried out to assess the potential impacts at that stage.