Report published to help development of a New Rural Support Scheme for Scotland

A new report - 'Evidence to Support Development of a New Rural Support Scheme for Scotland: A summary of written outputs' - has been published.

The report covers twelve written separate reports. These provide evidence reviews, analysis, summaries and expert briefings on agriculture in Scotland, the purpose of which is to help shape future policy in order to deliver sustainable food production that tackles climate change and nature restoration.

In the UK the Devolved Administrations are evolving agricultural policies that reflect each administration's priorities for agriculture and the environment. This means that agricultural policy across the UK is starting to diverge.

The Scottish Government have committed to remaining aligned to EU policy where practicably possible. However, Scottish agriculture still operates in UK agri-food supply chains, where cross-border issues remain important. Budget allocations from Westminster for agriculture and land use sectors are also a critical factor.

To help progress its approach to agricultural policy, the Scottish Government commissioned work in 2021 to provide expert advice and analytical support to help consider future policy options available for Scotland.

Scotland's Rural College (SRUC), along with partners the James Hutton Institute, Pareto Consulting and ICF were commissioned by RESAS to provide Economic Advice and Related Services to Support Development of a New Rural Support Scheme for Scotland (ref: RESAS/005/21). The project ran from November 2021 to March 2023 and the core research team co-constructed the programme of work with Scottish Government analysists (RESAS), policy leads and delivery teams (RPID).

You can find the full report at the link: Evidence to Support Development of a New Rural Support Scheme for Scotland: A summary of written outputs - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)