The Act Part 4: Miscellaneous Section 30 - Continuing professional development
146.This section enables the Scottish Ministers to make regulations that impose continuing professional development (CPD) requirements on farmers, crofters, land managers, those who work in agriculture (whether or not as employees) such as farm workers or family members or friends who assist with farming activities or other persons directly or indirectly connected with farming etc. or the wider rural economy.
147.Subsection (3) sets out a non-exhaustive list of various requirements and other rules that the Scottish Ministers may make provision about, from the imposition of the amount of CPD that a particular category of person (such as farmers) must carry out as well as exemptions, the types of activity that qualify, who may provide the activity, how it is to be monitored and enforced, and any circumstances in which someone ordinarily required to undertake particular CPD activities, or a particular amount of CPD, is not required to do so etc. Compliance with the relevant CPD requirements may be made a condition of certain support schemes.
148.Financial and other assistance for the completion of such CPD requirements is a supportable purpose contained in schedule 1.
149.It is open to the Scottish Ministers to provide for CPD schemes, or aspects of them, to be provided by other persons or organisations (such as agricultural colleges).
150.Before making regulations under this section, the Scottish Ministers must consult such persons as they consider appropriate.