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Friday 30 Nov 2007 @ 15:57
Scottish Government
Scottish Government
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Rural Development Programme
The Scottish Government has submitted its final £1.6 billion Rural Development Programme, which will deliver record investment to rural communities to the European Commission for approval.
The Programme takes account of European regulations on protecting the environment from excess nitrate pollution, included requirements for farmers on slurry storage.
However, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment Richard Lochhead has confirmed that financial aid will be available for farmers to help deal with the new demands.
Measures will include:
* Grants of up to 40 per cent for new or expanded slurry storage for farmers, with priority in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs)
* Support for other measures that will improve slurry management and utilisation
* Encourage collaboration to tackle environmental issues of this sort
* An industry and government transition group to help farmers understand what they need to do to deliver improved water quality and the support that is available
A commitment, that if scientific evidence changes, a case will be made to the European Commission to take new advice into account
Mr Lochhead said:
"The Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP) will bring a record £1.6 billion investment to rural communities over the next seven years.
"Within the programme, are a number of measures to protect the environment, one of which is a European requirement to limit nitrate pollution.
"To allow the SRDP to proceed, it is necessary to include within it a Nitrates Action Programme that complies with EU requirements.
"It was confirmed at my meeting with the European Commission earlier this week any further delay in updating our existing programme to ensure it complies will result in our SRDP hitting the buffers and I am not prepared to allow that to happen.
"Current scientific evidence indicates that the current Nitrates Action Programme, introduced in 2003, is not fit for purpose. We must take the necessary steps to protect our water environment by reducing nitrate pollution and I know that farmers recognise their role in doing this.
"I fully appreciate that new requirements on slurry storage will be challenging for the farmers affected, but the Commission has made it clear that there is absolutely no room for negotiation.
"However, we are offering grant support to aid the 300 or so farm businesses that we believe may be most affected by these measures. Moreover, we are offering further measures to help those farmers affected make the transition to the proposed regime.
"It has taken us 16 years to get this far and previous delays have left us having to make a swift decision to protect our environment and to allow the SRDP to be given the green light by Europe.
"I plan to implement a revised Nitrates Action Programme in 2008 and hope to secure a reasonable period of time for land managers to prepare for its implementation."
The consultation on NVZs in November 2006 presented evidence that losses of nitrate from slurry spreading are a risk over much of the autumn and early winter. The risk is critically dependent on rainfall. In wet weather slurry spreading is liable to result in pollution of surface waters as well as of groundwater.
Nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZs) covering 14 per cent of Scotland were designated in 2002, and a Scottish Action Programme introduced in 2003. The Nitrates Directive (1991) requires designation where nitrates in either surface waters or groundwater have reached or are liable to reach 50 milligrams per litre (50 mg/l), the international standard. It requires protective measures to be applied in the NVZs.
In dry conditions there may be very little leaching of nitrate after spreading in January. For this reason the Scottish Government has responded to the views expressed in the consultation that the closed period for slurry spreading should end at an earlier date.
Rainfall is often greater than average, and sometimes much greater. Slurry storage needs to be in place to guard against such conditions, as well as to enable farmers to apply slurry when grass or a crop will make good use of it. For these reasons the Government considers that proper protection of waters requires farmers in the NVZs to have 26 weeks slurry storage for pig farms and 22 weeks for cattle.
In the current Scottish Action Programme, farmers are required to have enough slurry storage to cover the closed period, which for most farmers is just one month (October). This compares to four months in Northern Ireland and two in England.
Related Information
The Programme takes account of European regulations on protecting the environment from excess nitrate pollution, included requirements for farmers on slurry storage.
However, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment Richard Lochhead has confirmed that financial aid will be available for farmers to help deal with the new demands.
Measures will include:
* Grants of up to 40 per cent for new or expanded slurry storage for farmers, with priority in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs)
* Support for other measures that will improve slurry management and utilisation
* Encourage collaboration to tackle environmental issues of this sort
* An industry and government transition group to help farmers understand what they need to do to deliver improved water quality and the support that is available
A commitment, that if scientific evidence changes, a case will be made to the European Commission to take new advice into account
Mr Lochhead said:
"The Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP) will bring a record £1.6 billion investment to rural communities over the next seven years.
"Within the programme, are a number of measures to protect the environment, one of which is a European requirement to limit nitrate pollution.
"To allow the SRDP to proceed, it is necessary to include within it a Nitrates Action Programme that complies with EU requirements.
"It was confirmed at my meeting with the European Commission earlier this week any further delay in updating our existing programme to ensure it complies will result in our SRDP hitting the buffers and I am not prepared to allow that to happen.
"Current scientific evidence indicates that the current Nitrates Action Programme, introduced in 2003, is not fit for purpose. We must take the necessary steps to protect our water environment by reducing nitrate pollution and I know that farmers recognise their role in doing this.
"I fully appreciate that new requirements on slurry storage will be challenging for the farmers affected, but the Commission has made it clear that there is absolutely no room for negotiation.
"However, we are offering grant support to aid the 300 or so farm businesses that we believe may be most affected by these measures. Moreover, we are offering further measures to help those farmers affected make the transition to the proposed regime.
"It has taken us 16 years to get this far and previous delays have left us having to make a swift decision to protect our environment and to allow the SRDP to be given the green light by Europe.
"I plan to implement a revised Nitrates Action Programme in 2008 and hope to secure a reasonable period of time for land managers to prepare for its implementation."
The consultation on NVZs in November 2006 presented evidence that losses of nitrate from slurry spreading are a risk over much of the autumn and early winter. The risk is critically dependent on rainfall. In wet weather slurry spreading is liable to result in pollution of surface waters as well as of groundwater.
Nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZs) covering 14 per cent of Scotland were designated in 2002, and a Scottish Action Programme introduced in 2003. The Nitrates Directive (1991) requires designation where nitrates in either surface waters or groundwater have reached or are liable to reach 50 milligrams per litre (50 mg/l), the international standard. It requires protective measures to be applied in the NVZs.
In dry conditions there may be very little leaching of nitrate after spreading in January. For this reason the Scottish Government has responded to the views expressed in the consultation that the closed period for slurry spreading should end at an earlier date.
Rainfall is often greater than average, and sometimes much greater. Slurry storage needs to be in place to guard against such conditions, as well as to enable farmers to apply slurry when grass or a crop will make good use of it. For these reasons the Government considers that proper protection of waters requires farmers in the NVZs to have 26 weeks slurry storage for pig farms and 22 weeks for cattle.
In the current Scottish Action Programme, farmers are required to have enough slurry storage to cover the closed period, which for most farmers is just one month (October). This compares to four months in Northern Ireland and two in England.
Related Information
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