Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill Equality Impact Assessment

What might prevent the desired outcomes being achieved?

Payments Framework

The provisions in the Bill will enable to desired outcomes to be delivered Many details will be specified in secondary legislation, and separate impact assessments will be conducted during that period.

Food and Drink

The nature of the powers mean that the desired outcomes will be achievable, although the over-arching risk noted above regarding UK Government funding post-2025 applies here as it does to other policy areas.

Climate and Nature

The provisions in the Bill will allow delivery towards the outcomes of climate and nature. This will be subject to secondary legislation, budgets and the scale of what is required. For example, the overall level of emissions reductions will be established under separate plans and strategies such as the Climate Change Plan and Biodiversity Strategy.

Payments Administration & Data

The payment administration and data provisions in the Bill will enable Scottish Ministers to enforce, monitor and evaluate progress to achieving the objectives of the bill and the Vision. Secondary legislation will detail how this will be achieved and separate impact assessments will be undertaken at that time as appropriate.

Support for Rural Communities and Rural Networking

The nature of the broadly framed enabling powers mean that the desired outcomes will be achievable, although the over-arching risk noted above regarding UK Government funding post-2025 applies here as it does to other policy areas.

Animal Health, Welfare and Genetic Resources

The powers contained in the Bill will enable to desired outcomes to be delivered. This would include further consideration of equality during development of policies and legislation that may be required.

Plant Genetic Resources

The provisions in the bill will enable the desired outcomes to be achieved, noting the over-arching risk regarding overall funding.

Access

The provisions in the Bill will enable the desired outcomes to be achieved, noting the over-arching risk regarding overall funding.

Forestry

Enabling powers provided by this Bill will ensure that, as far as possible, the status-quo is retained and forestry grant payments can continue. As the Forestry Grant Scheme (FGS) is already well established it is unlikely that there would be any factors that prevent the continuation of forestry grant support, other than a loss of funding as outlined above.

Knowledge, innovation, education and training

The provisions in the Bill will directly allow delivery towards the outcomes relating to skills and knowledge and will also help to underpin the delivery of the other outcomes in the Vision of Agriculture. This will be subject to secondary legislation, budgets and the scale of what can be achieved with resources.