Publication - FOI/EIR release

Animal industry queries: EIR release

Published: 18 February 2025
Directorate: Agriculture and Rural Economy Directorate
Topic: Farming and rural, Public sector
FOI reference: EIR/202500447642
Date received: 12 January 2025
Date responded: 7 February 2025

Information request and response under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004.

Information requested

1. E-mail address in Scottish Government who can answer any enquiries related to the animal industries.

2. List of all partners Scottish Government has with companies and organizations in the animal industries, and their contact details and their executives’ contact details.

3. Written information on what increases the chances of being given employment, or selected to job vacancies in Scottish Government in the animal industries, and the selection criteria being used, and any other information Scottish Government may have about these procedures in job vacancies outside the Scottish Government.

4. How often do vacancies within the animal industries come up within the Scottish Government, and when was the last time of such a vacancy?

5. Will Scottish Government consider applications for the animal industries without qualifications?

6. Has there ever been an instance Scottish Government has considered an open application for the animal industries, and if so, how many times has this happened, when was the latest, and how many of these lead to an employment offer?

7. Has the Scottish Government ever established employment, training, education or other opportunity to a person wishing to get into the animal industries based on human rights regarding the right to choose a profession, right to education, human dignity or other human rights? If so, what crucial facts led to the establishment?

8. Has the Scottish Government ever been correspondence with ‘British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (a.k.a ‘BIAZA’), or other similar associations, for example, foreign equivalents? If so, with which purposes, which departments and people, and their contact details?

Response

We have applied two different legislative regimes in responding to your queries.

For parts 1, 2, and 8, the information you have requested has been identified as ‘environmental information’, we will respond to these questions under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs). For question 1,2 and 8 we are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA.

This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.

Parts 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 will be responded to under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA).

We will note clearly which regime is applied on each of the queries.

Response to your request

‘Animal Industries’ is not a term used within Scottish Government. For this request we have interpreted the term ‘animal industries’ to be relating to zoos, wildlife parks, aquaria and animal care. We have based our response on this interpretation.

I have provided a separate response below for each part of the requested information.

1. E-mail address in Scottish Government who can answer any enquiries related to the animal industries.

Response provided under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs)

To request information about ‘animal industries’ or any other matter, you can email contactus@gov.scot. Our Central Enquiry Unit will pass on your enquiry to the appropriate area. Please find further information in the following link Request information - gov.scot.

2. List of all partners Scottish Government has with companies and organizations in the animal industries, and their contact details and their executives’ contact details.

Response provided under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs)

I enclose a copy of some of the information you requested.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because exceptions under regulations 6(1)(b) (information already available) and 11(2) (personal information) of the EIRs applies to that information. The reasons why these exemptions apply are explained below.

Some of the information you have requested is available online. All executive’s contact details and/or generic email addresses we hold for contact have been withheld under regulation 6(1)(b) of the EIRs, we do not have to give you information which is already publicly available and easily accessible to you in another form or format. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the websites listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

An exception under regulation 11(2) of the EIRs (personal information) applies to other contact details that are held where individuals are not CEOs because it is personal data of a third party and disclosing it would contravene the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and in section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018. This exception is not subject to the 'public interest test', so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exception.

We interpret the request as being related to zoos, wildlife parks, aquaria and similar, but that wild fisheries or sea fisheries and aquaculture interests are out of scope. If we have mis-understood the request please note that we do hold information on salmon and sea fishing companies and these may be available on request, subject to the exceptions under the EIRs. Please find enclosed Annex A with a list of partner companies and organisations that the Marine Directorate have contact with.

Animal health and Welfare work closely with a range of stakeholders, other UK administrations, regulatory and enforcement authorities to develop evidence based policies. Please find enclosed Annex B which lists some of the partner companies and organisations that Animal Health and Welfare have contact with.

Response provided under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA)

Each advert published for employment in Scottish Government clearly lists the selection criteria being used for that post in line with the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. We cannot provide information on behalf of other employers. Guidance on making job applications to the Scottish Government can be found on our website www.jobs.gov.scot.

4. How often do vacancies within the animal industries come up within the Scottish Government, and when was the last time of such a vacancy?

Response provided under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA)

The National Careers Service website provides a list of Animal Care profiles, which has been used to interpret what is meant by ‘animal industries’ roles. These profiles are the basis for our search in this request.

From our searches across all advertised vacancies that we hold records for, we have identified that ‘Animal industry’ related vacancies are found within the following business areas: Food Standard Scotland and Director General Net Zero (which includes Agriculture and Rural Economy Directorate, and Marine Directorate).

Our searches were carried out across all recorded Food Standard Scotland and Director General Net Zero vacancies.

Recorded vacancies are those posted on our previous Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and our current ATS which holds records of vacancies advertised from the below dates:

Previous ATS: January 2022 to October 2024

Current ATS: October 2024 to date

From January 2022 to date we have identified 113 ‘animal industry’ related vacancies that were advertised. Please see the enclosed identified posts in Annex C, and some stats that you may find useful:

Of the identified 113 vacancies advertised:

58 were only advertised internally, therefore only available to apply to for individuals already working for the Scottish Government.
55 were advertised externally.

Broken down by year:

2022 - Total: 28 (20 External, 8 Internal)
2023 - Total: 36 (21 External, 15 Internal)
2024 - Total: 47 (12 External, 35 Internal)
2025 - Total so far: 2 (2 External)

On average (how often vacancies come up over a period), based on the number of advertised ‘animal industry’ vacancies between 2022 and 2024:

An average of 37 total animal related posts per year.
An average of 18 externally advertised vacancies per year.

An average of 19 internally advertised vacancies per year.

Please be advised, the returned data shows the number of individual vacancies advertised but does not consider where multiple posts were recruited against one vacancy.

The two most recently advertised vacancies were as below:

(Trainee) Official Veterinarian Advertised on 10/01/25 Senior Marine Bioacoustician Advertised on 17/01/25

5. Will Scottish Government consider applications for the animal industries without qualifications?

Response provided under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA)

Applications can only be considered for roles that have been advertised, the criteria for these roles will be published in the adverts. This may or may not include qualifications, depending on the role. Scottish Government are required to follow the Civil Service Recruitment Principles which outline that we should only include a qualification as a requirement, if it is needed for the role.

Response provided under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA)

Recruitment of Civil Servants into Scottish Government is subject to the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment principles, meaning that we can only accept applications for roles that have been openly advertised and must offer roles to the candidates who have performed best in the recruitment process. More information on the recruitment principles can be accessed via this link Recruitment - Civil Service Commission.

Response provided under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA)

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide the information you have requested because an exemption under section 17(1) of FOISA applies to that information.

The reasons why that exemption applies are explained below.

The Scottish Government does not have the information you have asked for. As outlined above this is because recruitment of Civil Servants into Scottish Government is subject to the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment principles, meaning that we can only accept applications for roles that have been openly advertised and must offer roles to the candidates who have performed best in the recruitment process.

This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

However, in line with Regulation 9 which places a duty on public authorities to provide advice and assistance to requesters, I have compiled the below table which may be of interest to you. Although not specifically requested, the table outlines opportunities supporting new entrants into agricultural careers and learning and development opportunities for a range of careers, some related to your interest of ‘animal industries’.

Please see below for further details:

Opportunity	Detail
Women in agriculture	Research shows that women’s development in agriculture is vital to increasing the size of the skilled workforce, as well as unlocking talent to help drive the industry forward.
New entrants to farming	Attracting new entrants to Scottish farming is crucial to the ongoing vitality, resilience and competitiveness of the sector. Finding a way into farming can be a daunting prospect, particularly if the prospective new entrant does not come from a farming background. Even in farming families, the business might not be of sufficient scale to support a new entrant. We recognise there are considerable challenges to entering the sector. Access to finance, land, advice, training and skills are all potential barriers. We have, therefore, put in place a number of initiatives to help with entry.
New Entrant Support
Farming Opportunities to New Entrants Group	A collaborative group dedicated to supporting agricultural new entrants and the next generation of Scottish farmers and crofters. Each of the members looks to ensure that their organisation is giving due consideration to new entrant opportunities, further support they can provide and performance a governance function for the existing programmes.
Scottish Land Matching Service	A service connecting those in the agricultural sector, specifically those seeking or offering joint venture arrangements in relation to land and facilitates discussion with a view to parties progressing to successful arrangements.
Land Based Pre-Apprenticeship Programme	A programme administered by Skills Development Scotland and paid for by the Scottish Government.
Farm Advisory Service	An advisory service providing various means of advice to New Entrants, including bespoke specialist advice and mentoring.
Next Generation Practical Training Fund	The Fund aims to support new entrants to farming by providing the opportunity for skills development and training on the practicalities of agricultural practice as well as wider business and sustainability skills.
The Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund	The Fund is designed to support innovation, skills development and knowledge transfer within the agriculture, food and rural sectors. Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund Projects’ final report can be found on About us \| Helping farmers in Scotland \| Farm Advisory Service
Official veterinarians training support	Support for official veterinarians (OVs) undertaking statutory work on behalf of Scottish Ministers. Funding for new entrant vets and existing OVs to gain Official Control Qualifications (OCQ-V) through Improve International in essential skills, statutory surveillance and tuberculin testing.
Learning and Development Opportunities
Skills Development Scotland	Skills Development Scotland is the national skills body supporting the people and businesses of Scotland to develop and apply their skills.
Find out about training and learning opportunities	Visit the My World of Work website to find out about training and learning opportunities open to you. This includes: finding a course or voluntary opportunity studying for a qualification funding your learning your learning options
Apprenticeships	Apprenticeships are a great way to learn on the job and gain experience that employers are looking for. There are three different types of apprenticeship: Foundation Apprenticeship – get work experience and work towards an industry recognised qualification while still at school Modern Apprenticeship – a paid job which includes training towards a qualification Graduate Apprenticeship – a paid job which includes training towards a degree Visit the apprenticeships.scot website to learn how to become an apprentice.

Response provided under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs)

Yes, the Scottish Government have previously corresponded with staff from the British and Iris Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA). Large volumes of records were identified as being in scope of your request, please note the below list is a summary reflecting the correspondence purpose. Most correspondence was regarding zoo licencing policy and animal welfare, including involving them in consultations. We have provided details of some of topics and purposes discussed and, where available, of BIAZA staff involved below:

Purpose of communication	BIAZA Contacts
Discussions with the welfare team during Covid included zoo animal welfare issues, zoo financial issues and support requirements, public health issues, current and upcoming rules relating to Covid in the zoo setting, and liaising on the wording of their industry guidance on re-opening.	admin@biaza.org.uk

More generally BIAZA are the main UK zoo industry representative. Topics for discussion with the welfare team include discuss zoo licensing policy and zoo animal welfare, and they are invited to participate in relevant consultations.	admin@biaza.org.uk

Covid-19 Zoo sector recovery	Dr Jo Judge, BIAZA Chief Executive Officer and;
	Andrew Hall, BIAZA Communications and Public Affairs Manager
BIAZA 2021 virtual conference event	Dr Jo Judge, BIAZA Chief Executive Officer and;
	Andrew Hall, BIAZA Communications and Public Affairs Manager
Guidance on the keeping of non-native species by zoos and aquariums	Former BIAZA Chief Executive Officer

Contact details for BIAZA are: BIAZA - British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums | BIAZA.

I would also note that as part of the response to your request we have conducted a search of the Scottish Government’s main records filing system and have been unable to locate any records of correspondence between the Scottish Government and any similar and/or equivalent association to BIAZA.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.