The James Hutton Institute
This page is no longer updated. The Macaulay Land Use Research Institute joined forces with SCRI on 1 April 2011 to create The James Hutton Institute.
THE STATE OF SCOTLAND'S FARMED ENVIRONMENT 2005
30. VOLUNTARY INITIATIVE
THE VOLUNTARY INITIATIVE IN SCOTLAND
A separate implementation group, chaired by the National Farmers' Union Scotland (NFUS) with support from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and others, was established. SEPA is also represented on the VI project of implementing a national retrieval scheme for expired or unwanted pesticide products.
There had not been the same drive to establish surface water pesticides monitoring in Scotland , mainly because drinking water supplies are taken from upland areas that tend not to be widely impacted by pesticide use. Nevertheless, the risk of pesticide pollution exists in certain areas. For example, the River Ugie catchment in Grampian was chosen for inclusion in one of the VI projects. A local catchment management group, comprising Scottish Water, NFUS and the Crop Protection Association (CPA), is co-ordinating this work.
Over 2,000 individuals in Scotland have registered with the National Register of Sprayer Operators (NRoSO) (NFUS, 2005). CPMPs accounted for 121,300 ha in Scotland . The VI was promoted on a number of stands at the Royal Highland Show, at Scotgrass and at open days run by the Scottish Agricultural College .
Training and education in environmental best practice are key activities of the programme. 70 sprayer operator roadshows in Scotland have concentrated on the problems of where and how to fill sprayers and the use of biobeds (SEPA, 2002).
Information events have helped to keep field staff up to date on development from VI projects. Two BETA courses (Biodiversity and Environmental Training for Advisers) have been held in Scotland , which has resulted in about 40 agronomists gaining the BETA certificate (VI, 2005).
In Scotland,121,300 ha land were under a CPMP in 2005, and over 2,000 individuals had registered with the NRoSO. It is in some cases difficult to separate a regional figure for key indicators from the national statistics; however, the Scottish implementation group reports a good general awareness of the aims and purpose of the VI and willingness to work towards them.
VOLUNTARY INITIATIVE - THE FUTURE OF THE VOLUNTARY INITIATIVE >>