Livestock traceability and health services: equality impact assessment

Background

The policy purpose of the Livestock Traceability and Health Services is twofold. It allows livestock farmers and others in Scotland’s livestock sector to meet their legal obligations to report livestock births, deaths and movements and cattle health data. It also allows Scottish Ministers to fulfil their statutory duty to maintain official records. These official activities enable trade, underpin food safety and maintain livestock health.

The Services meet the requirements of the following legislation:

Cattle Identification Regulations (Scotland) 2007 (as amended).

The Sheep and Goats (Records, Identification and Movement) (Scotland) Order 2009.

The Pigs (Records, Identification and Movement) (Scotland) Order 2011

The Equine Animal (Identification) (Scotland) Regulations 2019

The Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (Scotland) Order 2019

For a number of years, the Livestock Traceability and Health Services have been supplied on behalf of Scottish Ministers by an external provider. This EQIA is part of a periodic review that, on this occasion, coincides with a change to funding methodology, from annual grant funding to a procured contract. The review provides an opportunity to examine the current Services and ensure that the procurement process addresses the needs of those using the Services and avoids discrimination.

The Livestock Traceability and Health Services are used by Scotland’s livestock sector in routine trading, for herd/flock management and in disease control. The longstanding arrangement for supply of the Services has allowed the policy team to establish relationships with internal and external stakeholders, representing those who use the Services. Thanks to these relationships, the needs of users and the barriers to use are well understood. The main subgroup of users is livestock farmers, and this group is the focus of this EQIA.