Scottish Ministers have made the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022 (Commencement No. 4) Revocation Regulations 2025 (S.S.I. 2025/395) using the power in section 28(2) of the 2022 Act. According to legislation.gov.uk, the instrument was made on 11 December 2025, laid before the Scottish Parliament on 12 December, and comes into force on 15 December 2025.
The Regulations revoke the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022 (Commencement No. 4) Regulations 2025 (S.S.I. 2025/291). That earlier commencement order would have brought section 6 of the Act into force on 16 December 2025. As a result of the revocation, section 6 will no longer commence on that date.
Section 6 provides that the Scottish Ministers must have regard to the national Good Food Nation Plan when exercising specified functions or functions of a specified description. Once commenced, the provision would place a statutory obligation on ministers to take the national plan into account in relevant decision‑making.
In practical terms, there will be no new statutory “have regard” duty arising on 16 December 2025. Ministerial decisions taken on and after that date will not be subject to section 6 until a fresh commencement regulation sets a new date.
The timing is precise. S.S.I. 2025/395 takes effect on 15 December 2025, one day before the previously scheduled commencement. This prevents any period in which section 6 would briefly apply and then be withdrawn. The revocation instrument sets out no transitional or saving provisions.
Directorates and agencies that had prepared templates, training or assurance checks for a 16 December start date should update internal materials accordingly. Any ongoing non‑statutory policies or programmes related to food outcomes remain unaffected by this legal change, but they are separate from the statutory duty that section 6 would create.
No replacement commencement date is specified. Bringing section 6 into force will require a further Scottish Statutory Instrument to appoint a new date. Stakeholders should monitor the official S.S.I. feed for any subsequent commencement regulations concerning the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022.
S.S.I. 2025/395 is signed by Mairi Gougeon, a member of the Scottish Government, at St Andrew’s House, Edinburgh. The measure is presented on legislation.gov.uk with the standard explanatory note confirming that the revocation is intended to stop section 6 from coming into force on 16 December 2025.