The Bill allows the Scottish Government to provide assistance to farming and rural communities.
This is a Government bill
The Bill became an Act on 30 July 2024
This Bill was passed and is now an Act of the Scottish Parliament.
If the Bill is passed as introduced, Scottish Ministers will be required to prepare a five year Rural Support Plan. This plan will include details of farming, forestry, and rural development support. The Bill gives Scottish Ministers the power to form a new support framework and provide financial and other assistance. The framework would be brought into law by secondary legislation.
This Bill also makes changes to the Agriculture (Retained EU Law and Data) (Scotland) Act 2020. It allows Scottish Ministers to change, extend or end Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) legislation as it applies in Scotland.
The Bill would also allow the Scottish Government to introduce training requirements for farmers and other workers. The regulation of animal identification is also updated.
The Scottish Government introduced the Bill to support farming, forestry, and rural communities.
The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is a European scheme. It provides financial support for rural development and farming. These are sometimes known as ‘subsidies’, or agriculture payments. Following the UK’s exit from the EU, the Scottish Government will decide how to provide support and make payments. This Bill gives Scottish Ministers the powers to develop a new support framework.
The Scottish Government plans to use this new framework to deliver its Vision for Agriculture. That document outlines the Scottish Government's wider agriculture policy aims.
Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill as introduced (2MB, pdf) posted 28 September 2023
Explanatory Notes (297KB, pdf) posted 28 September 2023
Policy Memorandum (296KB, pdf) posted 28 September 2023
Financial Memorandum (256KB, pdf) posted 28 September 2023
Delegated Powers Memorandum (244KB, pdf) posted 28 September 2023
Statements on legislative competence (110KB, pdf) posted 28 September 2023
Explanatory Notes (334KB, pdf) posted 28 September 2023
Policy Memorandum (527KB, pdf) posted 28 September 2023
Financial Memorandum (351KB, pdf) posted 28 September 2023
Delegated Powers Memorandum (318KB, pdf) posted 28 September 2023
Statements on legislative competence (160KB, pdf) posted 28 September 2023
All Bills introduced in the Parliament must be accompanied by specific documents. For most Bills, this includes:
Explanatory Notes: this document provides an overview of what the Bill does, plus a more detailed explanation of individual provisions.
Policy Memorandum: this sets out the objectives of the Bill. It also lists any alternatives considered, details of consultations, and an assessment of the effects of the Bill on a range of areas.
Financial Memorandum: this sets out estimates of costs, savings, and any changes to revenues expected to result from the Bill.
Delegated Powers Memorandum: this is needed if a Bill gives powers to make subordinate legislation or allows Scottish Ministers to issue directions, guidance or codes of practice.
Statements on legislative competence: two short statements, one by the Presiding Officer and one by the Member introducing the Bill. “Legislative competence” means the powers the Parliament has to make law.
This Bill requires Crown consent. It is expected that this consent will be signified at Stage 3.
Crown consent is a process which requires Scottish Government ministers to seek the consent of the Crown in relation to certain Bills.  You can find out more in About Bills.
The Presiding Officer has decided under Rule 9.12 of Standing Orders that a financial resolution is required for this Bill.
For each Bill, the Presiding Officer must decide if a 'Financial Resolution' is required. The main reasons a Bill would need a Financial Resolution are that:
If a Bill requires a Financial Resolution:
The Scottish Parliament's Information Centre (SPICe) prepares impartial research and analysis to assist MSPs in their examination of Bills and other parliamentary business.
Research briefing on the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill
The Bill was introduced on 28 September 2023
At Stage 1, the Bill is given to a lead committee. This is usually the committee whose remit most closely relates to the subject of the Bill. The lead committee will consider and report on the Bill. Other committees may also examine the Bill and report to the lead committee. Finally, there is a debate and vote by all MSPs on the general principles of the Bill. If the general principles are not agreed to, then the Bill ‘falls’ and can’t become law.
Parliament agreed that consideration of the Bill at stage 1 be completed by 29 March 2024.
The lead committee for this Bill is the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee.
The lead committee will usually examine the Bill through evidence sessions. This will involve contributions from individuals and organisations, known as 'witnesses', with knowledge of the subject matter. The committee might also discuss the Bill in private sessions.
The Rural Affairs and Islands Committee held a call for views to help inform its examination of the Bill.
Read the Official Report of the meeting
Read the Official Report of the meeting
Read the Official Report of the meeting
Read the Official Report of the meeting
Read the Official Report of the meeting
Read the Official Report of the meeting
On the 19 February, the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee hosted 37 land managers and community representatives from across Scotland to help inform its scrutiny of the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill.
Read the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill Participation Workshop Report (950KB, pdf) posted 14 March 2024
Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, Mairi Gougeon, 3 June 2024
Letter to the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, Mairi Gougeon, 23 May 2024
Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, Mairi Gougeon, 26 March 2024
Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, Mairi Gougeon, 19 March 2024
Supplementary evidence from OneKind, 19 February 2024
See a full list of Stage 1 correspondence
The lead committee published its report on 18 March 2024.
Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill Stage 1 Report
The committee received the following response to its report:
Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands (305KB, pdf) posted 27 March 2024
If a Bill is relevant to more than one committee, 'secondary committees' may consider and report on the general principles of the Bill to the lead committee. Some Bills may also be considered by the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee or the Finance and Public Administration Committee.
Read the Official Report of the meeting
The Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee published its report on 26 January 2024.
Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands to the Convener, 12 February 2024
Letter from the Convener to the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, 20 December 2023
See a full list of Stage 1 correspondence
Scrutiny of the Financial Memorandum
Read the Official Report of the meeting
Letter from the Convener to the Convener of the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee of 19 February 2024
See a full list of Stage 1 correspondence
A Stage 1 debate took place on 27 March 2024 to consider and decide on the general principles of the Bill.
Result 89 for, 0 against, 31 abstained, 9 did not vote Vote Passed
See further details of the motion
See further details of the motion
The Bill ended Stage 1 on 27 March 2024
At Stage 2, MSPs can propose changes to a Bill. These are called 'amendments'. Any MSP can suggest amendments but only members of the Stage 2 committee can decide on them.
Documents with the amendments considered at the meeting held on 8 May 2024.
First Marshalled List of Amendments for Stage 2 (846KB, pdf) posted 02 May 2024
First Groupings of Amendments for Stage 2 (1MB, pdf) posted 02 May 2024
Read the agenda, papers and minutes for this meeting
Documents with the amendments considered at the meeting held on 15 May 2024.
Second Marshalled List of Amendments for Stage 2 (625KB, pdf) posted 10 May 2024
Second Groupings of Amendments for Stage 2 (306KB, pdf) posted 10 May 2024
Read the agenda, papers and minutes for this meeting
A Stage 2 'Marshalled List' is a list of all the amendments that have been lodged at Stage 2 (or, if the Stage is mid-way through, all those still to be dealt with). They are listed in the order in which they will be called by the convener and then decided on.
A 'Groupings' list shows how the amendments that are listed in the Marshalled List have been grouped together for debate. Each group contains amendments that are related to each other, even if they are at different places in the Marshalled List.
Revised Explanatory Notes (366KB, pdf) posted 11 June 2024
Supplementary Delegated Powers Memorandum (137KB, pdf) posted 03 June 2024
Revised Explanatory Notes (464KB, pdf) posted 10 June 2024
Supplementary Delegated Powers Memorandum (222KB, pdf) posted 31 May 2024
Sometimes an amendment at Stage 2 makes substantial changes to a bill. If this happens, the Accompanying Documents need to be updated to explain what these changes are.
The Bill ended Stage 2 on 15 May 2024
At Stage 3, MSPs can propose further amendments (changes) to the Bill. These are debated and decided on in the Debating Chamber. At this stage, all MSPs can vote on them. There is then a debate on whether to pass the Bill. If the Bill is not passed, it ‘falls’ and can't become law.
Documents with the amendments considered at the meeting held on 18 June 2024.
Marshalled List of Amendments for Stage 3 (713KB, pdf) posted 12 June 2024
Timed Groupings of Amendments for Stage 3 (786KB, pdf) posted 17 June 2024
Read the Official Report of the meeting
Watch the meeting on Scottish Parliament TV
A Stage 3 'Marshalled List' is a list of all the amendments that have been proposed at Stage 3 and that have been selected by the Presiding Officer. They are listed in the order in which they will be called by the Presiding Officer and then decided on.
A 'Groupings' list shows how the amendments that are listed in the Marshalled List have been grouped together for debate. Each group contains amendments that are related to each other, even if they are at different places in the Marshalled List.
Once MSPs have decided on the amendments, they debate whether to pass the Bill.
Result 115 for, 0 against, 0 abstained, 14 did not vote Vote Passed
See further details of the motion
Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill as passed (2MB, pdf) posted 18 June 2024
Printing changes are changes to the text of a Bill for which amendments are not required. It will not change the legal effect of the Bill.
Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill printing changes after the Bill as passed (83KB, pdf) posted 21 August 2024
The Bill ended Stage 3 on 18 June 2024
The Bill was passed on 18 June 2024 and became an Act on 30 July 2024.