Scottish Agriculture Bodies Unite to Launch Farmer-Led Data Partnership

Key organisations across Scotland’s agricultural sector have come together to progress plans for  farmer-governed, industry-owned data solutions, marking a major step towards giving Scottish farmers and crofters greater control and value from their data.

At a meeting convened by SAOS in May, representatives from NFU Scotland, Scottish Quality Crops, Scottish Crofting Federation, Scottish Land & Estates, Scottish Pigs, and the National Sheep Association (Scotland) agreed on the need to establish a Scottish Agri Data Partnership. Additional Partnership members include National Beef Association, Quality Meat Scotland, and AHDB Dairy.

The proposed initiative aims to tackle growing concerns around how farm data is collected, used, and shared, while addressing widespread inefficiencies caused by repeated data entry across multiple systems.

The partnership will benefit from SAOS’s trusted agri data track record with development and operation of ScotEID, MyHerdStats and pioneering data innovation initiatives being undertaken by its SmartRural subsidiary. The Partnership will explore the development of a centralised data co-operative model, governed by farmers and built on a permissions-based system. This would allow individual producers to control what data is shared, with whom, and for what purpose, ensuring data ownership remains firmly with those who generate it. This development builds on a pilot project exploring foundational infrastructure successfully completed in 2025 with funding support from SAOS, QMS and Scottish Pig Producers.

Tim Bailey, SAOS Chief Executive, said: “Farmers and crofters are increasingly being asked for data, but often they see no benefit from providing it. This initiative is about ensuring they retain ownership and receive value from that data, while reducing duplication and administrative burden.”

George Noble of SmartRural added: “The technology to deliver this already exists and we’ve seen similar partnerships working elsewhere in the world. The real challenge - and opportunity - is building trust, governance and collaboration across the sector.”

Participants expressed broad support for a co-ordinated, sector-wide approach, highlighting the importance of collective action and aligning around shared principles for data governance.

The group also discussed the importance of maintaining a distinct Scottish-focused model, ensuring interoperability with UK and international systems while safeguarding access and control over Scottish agricultural data.

A key focus of the partnership will be overcoming scepticism from farmers and crofters around data use. Industry leaders acknowledged concerns about how data might be used and stressed the need for transparency, clear benefits, and robust governance.

Plans are already in place to launch pilot projects and demonstration initiatives, working with early adopters to showcase real-world benefits and encourage wider participation.

Drawing on international best practice, draft terms of reference and a data charter have been prepared to be agreed by participating organisations.

The aim is to seek comprehensive sector-wide support, including from the Scottish Government and other interested stakeholders, to build momentum and pace behind this initiative.

Participating organisations so far include:

• SAOS
• NFU Scotland
• Scottish Quality Crops
• Scottish Crofting Federation
• Scottish Land & Estates
• Scottish Pigs
• National Sheep Association (Scotland)
• National Beef Association
• Quality Meat Scotland
• AHDB Dairy