Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act 2024

Knowledge, innovation, education and training

10 (1) Assisting persons—

(a) to establish, develop, deliver or undertake—

(i) courses of training or professional development relating to agriculture, forestry, food production or processing, animal health and welfare or genetic resources, land use or related sectors (such as sectors providing services to agriculture),

(ii) other forms of learning and sharing information relating to those sectors,

(b) to provide or obtain advice—

(i) relating to agriculture, food production or processing, forestry, animal health and welfare or genetic resources or other land use, or

(ii) otherwise, relevant to persons living, working or operating in rural communities,

(c) to research, develop, introduce or test new or improved (whether in terms of efficiency, productivity, sustainability or otherwise)—

(i) crops and other agricultural products,

(ii) forestry products,

(iii) animal health and welfare or genetic resources, methods or systems,

(iv) agricultural or forestry activities, methods or systems,

(v) methods or systems of food production and processing,

(d) to undertake other research or development activities which may—

(i) support those living, working or operating in rural areas,

(ii) improve or support rural land (or land use), or

(iii) improve or support the environment,

(e) to undertake ancillary activities.

(2) In this paragraph, “ancillary activities” include developing and maintaining resources, digital tools or databases for or in connection with the purposes described in sub-paragraph (1)(a) to (d).

(3) For the purposes of this paragraph, “animal” means a vertebrate (other than a human) or invertebrate.