Academic Advisory Panel minutes: 3 February 2025

Items and actions

Potential Delivery Models for Agricultural Payments, and Review of Weightings Applied to Potential New Arable Ecological Focus Area (EFA) options

1. Introduction 

 The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and provided update on the draft 2025 Academic Advisory Panel (AAP) workplan, and actions outstanding from the 5 August 2024 meeting.

Workplan - AAP suggested that the Just Transition discussion scheduled for Q3, 2025 should be brought forward to Q2 meeting. The workplan will be circulated to ARIOB for further feedback

Actions from 5 August 2024 meeting:

• publication of advisory notes – it has been agreed that AAP Advisory Notes will be published on ARIOB website – action closed
• feedback on AAP advice from ARIOB – feedback has been received and circulated to AAP for information - action closed

2. Potential delivery models for agricultural payments

The Agriculture Reform Programme (ARP) aims to achieve the outcomes of the Vision for Agriculture on high-quality food production, biodiversity, climate change, thriving rural communities and Just Transition. An update on a range of possible delivery mechanisms aligned with these outcomes was presented to the panel. The discussion focussed on extent to which each of the potential delivery options could support the ARP strategic outcomes.

An advisory note capturing key discussion points will be presented to Agriculture Reform Implementation Oversight Board (ARIOB), and subsequently published on the ARIOB website.

3. Enhanced Greening - Review of weightings applied to potential new arable Ecological Focus Area (EFA) options.

Greening was introduced to improve the environmental performance of farming. The Greening payment for agricultural practices beneficial for the climate and environment is paid in addition to the Basic Payment Scheme.

Recently, the government officials determined that the number of EFA options available to customers should be expanded to broaden the policy outcomes that Greening could achieve. The process of assinging weightings - alternative values used to calaculate support payments - to four potential new EFA options for arable land was presented to the panel. The panel was invited to provide feedback on the weighting methodology developed by SG officials.

An Advisory Note capturing key discussion points will be presented to Agriculture Reform Implementation Oversight Board (ARIOB), and subsequently published on the ARIOB website.

4. Any other business

The panel discussed feedback received from ARIOB on the AAP performance.

A suggestion was made to invite the Director for Agriculture and Rural Economy to future AAP meetings to ensure they are aware of policy advice provided by the panel.

The next AAP meeting is scheduled for 12 May 2025.

Summary of actions:

• The AAP secretariat will consider moving Just Transition discussion to the Q2 meeting.
• The AAP secretariat will issue an invitation to AAP meetings to the Director of Agriculture and Rural Economy.