Livestock traceability and health services: equality impact assessment

Recommendations and Conclusion

Provided that Livestock Traceability and Health Services continue to be supported by a fully-trained, trusted and knowledgeable Helpline, there is no need for changes to the policy to safeguard groups with protected characteristics. The Public Sector Equality Duties to prevent unlawful discrimination and advance equality of opportunity will be met by maintaining the current high standards of both proactive and reactive communications to users. The quality of Helpline support depends upon recruitment, training and retention of staff with a deep understanding of the livestock sector in Scotland. They also need the ability to convey complex requirements clearly whilst respecting the cultural norms of Scottish agriculture. It is essential that Helpline staff understand rural Scottish accents, dialects and Scottish farming terminology, and that they can be readily understood by callers. The EQIA process has highlighted the importance of accurately capturing the role of the Helpline in all future contracts for Livestock Traceability and Health Services.

The contract will require monthly reporting by the successful provider. This will allow user satisfaction to be monitored and will highlight difficulties experienced by older and/or disabled users, which can then be addressed.