Measuring the impacts of Scotland's agricultural support – a national level monitoring framework
The monitoring framework for Scotland’s agricultural support
Strategic outcome 1: High Quality Food Production
High Quality Food Production means a resilient food production system which produces an increasingly diverse range of nutritious foods, whilst prioritising high standards for both the envir<onment and animal welfare.[[iii]] Four sub-outcomes, with associated indicators, sit under High Quality Food Production, as shown in the indicator map in Figure 2.
The indicator maps demonstrate the indicators used to show impact under each of the five Strategic Outcomes. The maps also depict the desired trend for indicators across the five year plan period. Green arrows show a desire for the indicator to increase, red arrows show a desire for the indicator to decrease, and yellow arrows show a desire for the indicator to remain stable.
Indicators for baseline
- Livestock health (increasing)
- Welfare incident rates (decreasing
- Land area used for vegetables and fruit for human consumption (increasing)
- Land area under organic land management (increasing)
- Total calories produced from agricultural land (increasing)
- Total calories produced for human consumption from agricultural land (increasing)
- Total annual value of agricultural production (increasing)
Sub-outcomes
- Animal health and welfare
- Diversity of output
- Environment impact
- Value produced
Strategic Outcome
- The primary food production sector, including crop and livestock systems, is a productive part of the economy that supports improved livestock health and helps meet more of our own food needs more sustainably
Sub-outcome 1a: Animal health and welfare
Continue to improve animal health and welfare standards
Two indicators have been selected for demonstrating improvements in animal health and welfare. Although the selected indicators for animal health and welfare focus on direct impacts, improving the health of Scotland’s livestock will also have an impact on many other sub-outcomes, including improving soil health through the role of livestock as natural fertilisers, and benefiting our environment by reducing livestock emissions.
|
Indicator (Source) |
Desired trend |
Data description |
Context and limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Livestock health (Scot EID) |
Improving across all metrics |
This indicator is made of multiple metrics, and tracks average mortality rate, replacement rate, and calving interval to assess trends in animal welfare across Scotland’s livestock sector. |
The indicator supports monitoring of sector-wide performance and helps identify whether Scotland is maintaining or improving animal health and welfare standards over time. This data is most robust for cattle, but less granular for sheep and largely unavailable for pigs and poultry. |
|
Welfare incident rates (Food Standard Scotland Scottish Livestock Welfare Group reports) |
Decreasing |
This tracks the number and percentage of welfare incidents scored as 3 or 4 (the most serious) across farm, transport, and abattoir stages in Scotland’s livestock sector. The data are provided on a quarterly basis. |
The indicator provides a direct signal of acute welfare breakdowns within the production system and enables identification of trends, pressure points (e.g. in transport or slaughter), and opportunities for targeted intervention. |
Sub-outcome 1b: Diversity of output
Increase the diversity of food produced to improve food system resilience, including increased domestic vegetable and fruit production, by building on existing strengths, adopting new technologies and supporting integrated land use approaches
Diversity of food production is tracked through land area being used for growing specific foods. It is important to note that food production is heavily influenced by external factors such as markets and consumer behaviours. These factors are considered to be outside of the Rural Support Plan’s remit, but are reflected in Scottish Government's National Good Food Nation Plan. The framework seeks to align with the National Good Food Nation Plan's aims (see annex for further contextual indicators). Suggestions for other indicators can be found in the final indicator development chapter.
|
Indicator |
Desired trend |
Data description |
Context and limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Land area used to grow vegetables and fruit for human consumption |
Increasing |
This indicator tracks the total land area in Scotland used for growing vegetables and fruit intended for human consumption. |
This should help reflect changes in terms of diversity of Scottish agricultural output, with reference to vegetable and fruit production. The data cannot distinguish between fruit grown for domestic consumption or export/processing. The data excludes Seed and Ware potatoes. |
Sub-outcome 1c: Environmental impact
Improve productivity whilst improving Scotland’s natural environment through regenerative and sustainable agricultural practices
The environmental impact of food production is a broad category which sits within the High Quality Food Production strategic outcome for the purposes of the framework, but its indicators will also be applicable to sub-outcomes under Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation, and Nature Restoration. Currently, only one indicator has been identified specifically for baselining, but further recommendations for the sub-outcome can be found later in this report, specifically on pesticides.
|
Indicator (Source) |
Desired trend |
Data description |
Context and limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Land area under organic land management |
Increasing |
This indicator tracks the number of hectares under organic farming taking place in Scotland. |
Organic farming is an accepted and regulated standard of alternative agriculture that has been shown to have positive impacts on biodiversity, water quality, and reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. Organic farming can lower yields, but this has been shown to be offset by reduced inputs and/or increased market values.[[iv]] Non-organic farms can also farm in nature friendly ways. |
Sub-outcome 1d: Value produced
Maintain the aggregate value of output produced
The value produced by Scotland’s agricultural sector is being tracked on both a monetary and production basis. These indicators can be viewed in combination with associated indicators for diversity of output to give a more complete picture on production.
|
Indicator (Source) |
Desired trend |
Data description |
Context and limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Total calories produced from agricultural land (Scottish Government Calorie and Nutrient Estimates from Scottish Agricultural Production) |
Stable or increasing |
This indicator tracks the estimated calorie production from agricultural land in Scotland over time. |
This data should reflect the potential energy output from crops and livestock at a national scale. This data set uses surveyed information about production, that is interpolated to produce calories. We have no way of understanding if the products are exported or consumed in Scotland. |
|
Total calories produced for human consumption from agricultural land (Scottish Government Calorie and Nutrient Estimates from Scottish Agricultural Production) |
Stable or increasing |
This indicator tracks the total caloric value of food produced in Scotland intended for human consumption. |
This data can be used to measure Scotland’s current calorie production from agricultural land and how this compares to overall calorie requirements of our population. In practice, calorie requirements can also be met through marine production and imports. This category does not include whisky or other alcohols (which is categorised under ‘Other’ in the Calorie Map, along with biofuels and animal feed). |
|
Total annual value of agricultural production |
Stable or increasing |
This indicator tracks the annual economic value of food-related agricultural output in Scotland. |
This should provide insight into the economic contribution of Scotland's agricultural food production sector. TIFF does not capture post-farmgate value, nutritional quality, or environmental impact of production. |
Contact
Email: socialresearch@gov.scot