National Council of Rural Advisers minutes: January 2018

Attendees and apologies

NCRA

• Alison Milne
• Henry Graham
• Lynn Mann
• Sarah Allison
• David Sulman
• Jackie Brierton
• Marion MacCormick
• Jim McLaren
• Archie Gibson
• John Kinnaird

Scottish Government

• Amanda Fox
• Pamela Berry
• Lorraine Macrae
• Eva Kleinert

Apologies

• Lorne Crerar
• Willie Cameron
• Sarah Simpson
• Alan Laidlaw

Items and actions

Agenda

09:30 – 10.00 Tea and coffee
10:00 – 10.30 Welcome and introduction
10.30 – 11.30 Stakeholder engagement – How? Discussion on the methods of engagement, including regional workshops
11.30 - 12.30 Stakeholder engagement – Who? Discussion on representatives for workshops and targets for a desk-based survey
1230 – 13.00 Lunch
13.00 – 14.00 Stakeholder engagement – What? Use the NCRA themes to produce relevant questions for stakeholder discussion (break-out groups)
1400 – 14.15 Tea and coffee
14.15 – 15.15 Stakeholder engagement – Summary session and final agreement on outputs.
15.15 – 15.30 Conclusions and next steps
15.30 – 16.00 AOB
16:00 Close

Action Point Log

No	Topic	Action	Lead	Deadline / Update
1	OECD	Explore what input the NCRA can have into the OECD conference and what spaces they have available for delegates	NCRA secretariat	All members of the NCRA should have received an invitation to the OECD conference. Registration closes 30th March.
2	Rural Economy	Through a rural lens picture to be circulated	Secretariat to circulate	Completed (attached) http://www.ruralnetworkni.org.uk/download/files/More%20than%20Minutes.jpg
3	People and Skills	Work of the NCRA should build on the work taken forward by the Agricultural Champions with land based skill requirements to represent the whole of the rural economy	NCRA members/ NCRA Secretariat	Ongoing
4	Consultation responses	Circulate responses to the Agricultural Champions consultation which relate to the rural economy	NCRA secretariat	Completed
5	SG consultations / policies	A paper to be produced that outlines key consultations / policies that affect rural Scotland to include socio environmental work	RESAS	Completed
6	Next meeting presentations	To invite SG policy officials from the Land Use Strategy and wider land reform agenda and Regional Economic Partnerships to present to the NCRA at the February meeting	NCRA secretariat	Completed. Presentations on 28th Feb.
7	Communications	A skeletal communications plan to be drafted and circulated	Marion	Completed
8	Communications	Marion to be the Communications subgroup point of contact and to liaise with Alison to ensure activities are aligned.	Marion / Alison	Ongoing
9	Communications	A whatsapp group to be set up between the NCRA members	Sarah	Members to confirm
10	Communications	Use pre-existing communications activities to highlight NCRA activity e.g. video clips on different skills / roles	NCRA members to identify and engage with Comms sub group	Outstanding
11	Regional workshops	Finalise package for stakeholder engagement focus groups which will include: facilitator brief including prompts, NCRA overview, key messaging etc. Wording for invitations with requests.	Alison	Completed
12	Regional workshops	Locations for focus groups to be finalised	Alison	Completed
13	Regional workshops	Invite list to be complied (12 – 14 people per event)	NCRA members to send in suggestions with contact details & which location they would be best suited to.	Completed
14	Regional workshops	Logistics of the events i.e. booking venues, sending out invitations, arranging facilitators etc	NCRA Secretariat / SRN / RESAS	Completed
15	Regional workshops	Use pre-existing events to engage with stakeholders e.g. LEADER /LAGS co-ordinator meeting (30 – 31st Jan)	NCRA members and Secretariat to suggest events	Outstanding
16	Regional workshops	Explore the cost and availability of a graphic illustrator	NCRA secretariat	Completed
17	Regional workshops	Explore people attending the events can claim for their travel	NCRA secretariat	Completed
18	Brexit report	NCRA want to chase for a response from Mr Ewing on their Brexit report	NCRA secretariat	On going (ASAP)