This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Environment, fisheries, agriculture
28/03/2003
Several announcements on environmental, fisheries and
agricultural issues have been made today.
1. Practical guidance for the owners and operators of
mineral extraction sites to ensure that vulnerable groundwaters
are not threatened by mining and quarrying operations has been
published
The
code of practice promotes good practice for Scotland's
multi-million pound minerals extraction industry in order to
minimise the risk of pollution of the water environment from
chemicals used or pollutants that might arise as a result of
these operations.
The code has been produced in consultation with the Scottish
Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), representatives from the
mining and minerals industries and local authority
planners.
2. A consultation on the draft
Control of Pollution (Oil Storage) Regulations 2003 has
been announced.
The regulations set required standards for new and existing
above ground oil storage facilities, mainly affecting the
industrial, commercial and institutional sectors. They provide
practical measures to prevent oil spills and thereby protect
the water environment.
Comments on the consultation paper should reach the Scottish
Executive no later than Monday June 30.
3. New powers for local authorities to improve air quality
by taking action against polluting vehicles were announced
today
The Road Traffic (Vehicle Emissions)(Fixed
Penalty)(Scotland) Regulations 2003, will come into effect on
April 1. They will allow local authorities to enforce vehicle
exhaust emissions standards through roadside testing. The
regulations also allow local authorities to request drivers in
parked cars to switch off engines which are idling
unnecessarily.
Powers to carry out vehicle emissions testing and to request
drivers to instruct drivers to turn off engines in parked
vehicles have been available to Glasgow City Council on a trial
basis since 1998. The new regulations extend these powers to
all local authorities in Scotland.
The powers are optional and it will be for individual local
authorities to decide whether they are appropriate for their
particular circumstances.
The Executive will be providing financial support of
£500,000 in each of the next three financial years, as
announced in the Spending Review 2002. All local authorities in
Scotland are being asked whether they wish to bid for a share
of the money.
4. The latest round of funding under the Agricultural and
Farm Business Development Schemes has been announced.
Under the Agricultural and Farm Business Development
Schemes, funding of £1.24 million towards investment in
holdings, and new and expanding diversification projects will
be made available.
In addition to 42 diversification projects approved
throughout Scotland, a further 42 Investment in Holdings
projects have been approved in the Highlands and Islands
area.
5. The Executive has announced that guidance has been issued
to all farmers in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones to help them comply
with new rules introduced in January 2003.
6. New restrictions on fishing for shellfish will apply to
vessels over 10 metres overall length from January 1, 2004, and
to vessels of 10 metres and under from 1 April 2004. From these
dates the facility to fish freely for crabs and lobsters using
pots or nets will be restricted to those vessels holding a
shellfish entitlement. Where entitlements are not held, vessels
will be restricted to a limit on the quantities that may be
landed.
Vessel owners will be required to demonstrate that the
licence attached to their current vessel was attached to a
vessel which caught more than 200 kgs of lobsters or 750 kgs of
crabs using pots, or nets in any 12 month period
between January 1, 1998, and December 31, 2002.
It will be the responsibility of owners to provide
satisfactory and acceptable proof of their eligibility for a
shellfish entitlement. Provision will also be made for
fishermen who, at 31 December 2002, have an outstanding
enforceable financial commitment entered into on or
before January 4, 2001 to acquire a relevant vessel for
shellfishing, or had taken delivery of one but not used it.
7. The Executive has published a research report on the
development of a model that simulates the water quality around
the coasts of Scotland. The
European Regional
Seas Ecosystem Model can simulate the naturally occurring
variations in water quality and ecology that occur at a
regional level around Scotland.
The purpose of the model is to help determine the
significance of the effect that both natural and man made
influences have on the coasts and can help in estimating the
effectiveness of a range of proposed management
schemes.