Continuing Professional Development (CPD) system in Tier 4 of the Vision for Agriculture Reform Programme: Fairer Scotland Duty – assessment

Step 1 – policy objectives

What is the aim of your policy/strategy/plan?

• Who will it affect (particular groups/businesses/geographies etc)?
• What outcomes do you expect the policy/strategy/plan to deliver?

The CPD (Continuing Professional Development) system would provide specific occupational groups within agriculture and crofting across Scotland with a framework to undertake CPD and participate in a range of CPD activities. CPD relates to any type of learning that is undertaken that increases knowledge, understanding and experiences of a subject area or role.

The need for enhanced fit-for-purpose training, education and skills to enable farmers to improve their profitability and to become greener was highlighted by the national discussion on the future of Scottish agriculture in 2015-16. A future strategy for Scottish agriculture of May 2018, recommended that “new policies must include a major increase in knowledge transfer effort, to help the industry reap the benefits of both existing and new research and development on, for example, reducing animal diseases or improving soil organic matter.” It also recommended that “there should be more advice and training, and in particular greater emphasis on business skills, as well as technical farming and land management skills.

The responses to the Scottish Government’s consultation Agriculture Transition in Scotland: first steps towards our national policy of August 2021, continued to show the importance attached to knowledge exchange, skills development and innovation in agriculture, with most respondents attaching a high level of importance to them. Many respondents described them as vital, critical, salient, fundamental and essential for the future of the agricultural industry.

The consultation asked the question “Should continuing professional development be mandatory for businesses receiving public support funding?”. There were mixed responses over whether CPD should be mandatory for businesses receiving public support. However, half of the respondents to the consultation (49%) agreed that Continuing Professional Development (CPD) should be a mandatory condition for businesses to receive publicly-funded support. Just over a quarter (27%) disagreed, and the remaining ones were unsure (18%) or did not answer (5%). Similar levels of agreement for mandatory CPD were recorded by individuals (50%) and organisations (46%).

The Scottish Government’s Vision for Agriculture, published in March 2022, outlined our long-term vision to transform how we support farming and food production in Scotland to become a global leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture. It states that the government will work with and alongside farmers, crofters and land managers to ensure that they have the right support to identify and develop the skills needed for regenerative and sustainable farming, changes of land use and adaptation to the changing climate and encourage co-operative approaches to optimise collaboration and knowledge exchange.

In August 2022, the Scottish Government ran a public consultation: Delivering our Vision for Scottish Agriculture: Proposals for a new Agriculture Bill. This set out proposals to deliver the Scottish Government’s Vision for Agriculture. This included proposals for skills, knowledge transfer and innovation.

The resulting Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill was laid before the Scottish Parliament in September 2023. The Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act 2024 was passed by parliament on 18 June 2024 and received Royal Assent on 30 July 2024. It provides the legal framework to deliver a number of policies including, alongside other objectives, the Scottish Government’s Vision for Agriculture.

The Act sets out that Scottish Ministers may make regulations that impose CPD requirements on farmers, crofters, land managers, those who work in agriculture (whether or not as employees) such as farm workers or family members or friends who assist with farming activities or other persons directly or indirectly connected with farming etc or the wider rural economy.

The CPD system is, in essence, a framework to support personal and professional development. It comprises two parts: a portal to record CPD activities that have been undertaken; and activities that can help contribute to CPD. While a CPD system has requirements that are to be met by an individual, they also have some flexibility in how they can undertake aspects of their personal and professional development to meet their own needs.

The Scottish Government does not currently provide a CPD system for farmers, crofters and land manager or others involved in Scottish agriculture, though a number of industry bodies, including AHDB do. However, it does provide a range of support through the Farm Advisory Service, and its range of knowledge activities. There are also opportunities through KTIF – Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund. Skills support is provided for example through the Practical Training Funds, including the Next Generation Practical Training Fund. All of these can be used to contribute to an individual’s CPD. Other organisations across the sector provide a range of activities – including seminars, meetings, farm visits - that can also count towards CPD.

The immediate objective of establishing a CPD system would be to encourage and facilitate personal and professional development, and improvement in practices, in agriculture, land management and other associated vocational fields.

The CPD system could help to support the Agriculture Reform Programme. While it is included in Tier 4, or “Complementary”, which also provides support for new skills, knowledge, training, advisory services, business support and measurement support, it could support Tier 1, “Base”, Tier 2, “Enhanced”, and Tier 3 “Elective” of the Agricultural Reform Programme.

It could help to contribute to the five strategic outcomes of the Agricultural Reform Programme. It could help to support a Just Transition in respect of skills, knowledge exchange, wellbeing and mental health and access to services. It could have downstream benefits for the four outcomes in the Programme:

• High Quality Food Production
• Thriving Agricultural Businesses
• Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation
• Nature Restoration.

It could also help meet short, medium and long-term outcomes of the Agricultural Reform Programme. The short-term outcomes include the following:

• Knowledge and skills - farmers / crofters / land managers have improved knowledge of and skills in regenerative, sustainable and efficient practices
• Behaviour change – farmers / crofters / land managers have implemented regenerative and sustainable practices on farms / crofts / land
• Relationships – there could be improved connections / networks between farmers / crofters / land managers
• Workforce – women could have improved opportunities in the sector; there could be improved work readiness and employability of young farmers / new entrants.

It could help to contribute towards the outcomes in the Vision for Scottish Agriculture. In particular this relates to skills and co-operative approaches to optimise collaboration and knowledge exchange.

The policy could contribute to the following national outcomes:

• we have a globally competitive, entrepreneurial, inclusive and sustainable economy;
• we live in communities that are inclusive, empowered, resilient and safe;
• we have thriving and innovative businesses, with quality jobs and fair work for everyone;
• we are well educated, skilled and able to contribute to society;
• we respect, protect and fulfil human rights and live free from discrimination.

In the autumn of 2026 the Scottish Government is consulting on a CPD system as part of Tier 4 of the Agricultural Reform Programme. The consultation asks a series of questions about proposals for a system, including approaches that could be undertaken and policies. Scottish Ministers have not taken any decisions on the introduction of the CPD system, its approach and policies. The consultation will provide further evidence to inform any decisions that they make on such a system in due course.

Who will it affect?

As noted, Scottish Ministers have not made any decisions on the CPD system.

The CPD system would apply to both individuals and particular groups of people, including farmers, crofters, land managers, persons who provide relevant advice to them, as well as others who provide advice or services in or for rural communities throughout Scotland.

All of these groups would be directly affected by the CPD system. So too would businesses and organisations that employ these individuals. Also affected would be other businesses and organisations that provide a range of activities that can count towards and/or contribute to CPD.

The CPD system is not aimed at any particular socio-economic group within these broader occupational groups. It is intended that this would provide fairness of opportunity throughout the whole sector.

What is your timeframe for completing the Fairer Scotland Duty assessment?

There is no mandatory completion date. The Duty would be drafted before the publication of a consultation into the CPD system which is expected to issue as part of the development of the CPD system in Tier 4 of the Agricultural Reform Programme.

Who else will be involved in the assessment and what roles will they play?

Officials working on the development of the CPD system, as well as colleagues in RESAS. There would be opportunities to develop the CPD system and its impacts, including the Fairer Scotland Duty assessment during the consultation on the CPD system.

Existing evidence

The Scottish Government has access to relevant data, both quantitative and qualitative. This includes administrative data and data about local neighbourhoods.

There is also new experimental data on combined low income and material deprivation (now available at a local level), and health, education and employment data.

The Equality Evidence Finder provides evidence by subject and by protected characteristic. It includes socio-economic disadvantage as a new category. However, it states that information is not currently available on Rural and Urban Areas relating to socio-economic status.

Rural areas vary across the categories of SIMD (Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation). This includes neighbouring areas, including those adjacent to and in the cities, where some land is used for agriculture and food production.

The Rural Scotland Data Dashboard presents data on a range of issues that impact rural Scotland. The Scottish Islands Data Dashboard has published separately giving a detailed picture of evidence on the Scottish Islands. These reports provide a picture of successes, challenges and trends in rural Scotland.

Scottish Farm Business Income provides annual estimates of average incomes from commercial farms in Scotland. The income of all farms varies depending on what is produced, the land use, local, national, and international circumstances, level of grant support, or if they achieve additional income through wider diversification activity. Thus, some may make higher profits year on year; others could break-even, fluctuate from profit to loss year on year or make losses.

The Scottish Agriculture Census (June Returns) provides an overview of land use, crop areas, livestock and the number of people working on agricultural holdings.

There is, in general, a lack of data on the effects of socio-economic disadvantages on the provision of CPD (including extent of provision and activities undertaken) as well as knowledge and skills provision in agriculture and crofting in Scotland. The lack of detail in the data on specific sectors of the land-based industries was noted by the Commission for the Land-Based Learning Review. It recommended improving data collection to inform skills needs more effectively. It noted that there are career opportunities across the sector, but that the perception that the sector is poorly paid, is not unfounded. It concluded that increasing training opportunities, attracting more entrants to the sector and widening the workforce pool is needed for the sector to continue its role in producing food and to contribute to addressing the nature and climate crises.

The Just Transition Commission, of March 2021 noted that relatively low proportions of those working in agriculture have formal qualifications or engage in regular Continuing Professional Development.