Agriculture Reform Implementation Oversight Board minutes: Interim ARIOB - Rural Support Plan (RSP): 5 November 2025

Attendees and apologies

Apologies received from Co-Chair for the meeting

Items and actions

Officials stated that the main objective of the meeting was to hear feedback on the draft RSP ahead of finalisation.

Officials provided some background, an overview of the Plan’s intentions, as well as proposed timescales before opening the floor for discussion.

Comments from members

• members welcomed the simple, clear way that the RSP has been presented, welcoming the monitoring and evaluation section as understandable in the context of next steps

• potential for unintended consequences highlighted from the final version of the Code of Practice on Sustainable and Regenerative Agriculture being published after the RSP
• concern expressed that RSP could be updated annually, which would not provide stability for the industry nor allow for businesses to plan;
• any changes, or notification of changes, need to be pre-harvest as farmers and crofters already have plans in place
• it was argued that this is not a document for farmers and crofters, it is a government plan that sets out intention and funding for the next 5 years – RSP fails to set out how ARC outcomes will be delivered
• more detail is required throughout the plan. It should include sections on the current state of play, problems Government is trying to address and how
• there needs to be a baseline to ensure Monitoring and Evaluation work is successful
• the RSP should be reflect that supply chain control is mapped across Tier 3 going forward and as an integral part of the overall picture
• scottish Government’s support of co-ops should be better highlighted
• the RSP must better link strategic outcomes, budget and tiers
• how funding will be targeted is too vague. The 70/30 split looks closer to 80/20 and another member noted that the 70:30 commitment from the First Minister excluded LFASS funding which was in addition
• the RSP in its current format does not provide sufficient evidence or detail to reassure industry on future direction of travel
• Government should be looking to improve Animal Welfare, this only maintains
• members sought clarification on whether, if and when amendments are made to policies in future (such as LFASS), the plan would be amended to reflect such changes. Officials confirmed this would be the case – that while the RSP is updated on a 5 year cycle, there is scope to do so as and when required during that cycle
• it was argued that the RSP co-development process has been left too late for meaningful change
• there was a request to share the forward planning of when future engagement sessions / co-development sessions will take place in 2026