Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act 2024

Part 4 Rural communities and economy

Venison supply chains and infrastructure

6 Assisting persons who work in, operate, or seek to establish venison supply chains and infrastructures, such as deer larders and access to carcass removal.

Rural communities

7 (1) Assisting persons—

(a) to live, work or operate in rural areas (or assist or encourage others to do so),

(b) to invest in infrastructure and services in and for rural areas.

(2) Assisting persons living, working or operating in a rural area to—

(a) produce and implement strategies for the development of the area, including identification of rural anchor institutions,

(b) co-operate or act jointly with other persons for or in connection with another purpose described in this schedule.

(3) Assisting persons to establish or maintain a network of persons involved in rural development.

(4) For the purpose of this paragraph, “rural anchor institution” means a body, or network of bodies, which—

(a) is situated in or near a particular rural community, and

(b) makes a significant contribution to the economic sustainability, resilience, or growth of, or culture in, that community.

Community benefits

8 Assisting persons to create community benefits, including—

(a) clean air,

(b) clean water,

(c) carbon sequestration,

(d) biodiversity gains,

(e) access to nature,

(f) wider economic and social benefits.

Investing in rural businesses and enterprises

9 (1) Assisting persons to—

(a) start a business or enterprise (whether or not for profit)—

(i) relating to agriculture, food production or processing, forestry, nature restoration or other rural land use activity, or

(ii) otherwise, in or for a rural area or community,

(b) develop, sustain or change such a business or enterprise (including improving productivity or diversifying into other activities),

(c) improve the resilience of such a business or enterprise,

(d) recover from or adapt to events which have (or may have) a negative impact (including exceptional adverse events such as a natural disaster or the outbreak of a disease or pests) on such a business or enterprise or the activities of such a business or enterprise.

(2) For the purposes of this paragraph, “enterprise” includes co-operative societies and similar organisations.

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.

Integrated land management

11 (1) Assisting persons to develop and implement integrated land management plans.

(2) An integrated land management plan is a plan—

(a) agreed between a person and a relevant authority,

(b) which provides for the management and use of land and natural resources in such manner and with a view to achieving such an outcome as the plan may specify.

(3) In this paragraph, “relevant authority” means the Scottish Ministers, a local authority, a national park authority or such other authority with functions relating to land management as the Scottish Ministers consider appropriate.

Quality schemes and producer groups

12 Assisting persons to establish or participate in—

(a) schemes or programmes which certify that a particular agricultural product, forestry product (or a by-product)—

(i) meets, or is produced according to, standards set by the organisers of the scheme or programme,

(ii) is produced in a particular place or in a particular way,

(b) groups of producers of particular agricultural or forestry products.

Preservation of historic and cultural sites

13 Assisting persons to protect or enhance the conditions of sites of historic or cultural interest.

Recreational access to land

14 Assisting persons to provide, maintain, facilitate and improve access for recreation to land (including land covered with water) in rural areas.

Nature-based economy

15 Assisting persons to invest in nature-based enterprises in rural areas.