River basin management plans - silage, slurry and anaerobic digestate – improving storage and application: consultation

Overview

This consultation invites stakeholders to respond to a range of proposed updates to The Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011 (“CAR”). This consultation serves several purposes:

• Proposed consolidation of The Water Resources (Control of Pollution) (Silage, Slurry and Agricultural Fuel Oil) (Scotland) Regulations 2003 into CAR as a set of general binding rules,
• Modernisation of those provisions to take account of recent changes in land use practice; and
• Miscellaneous revisions to various existing general binding rules within Schedule 3 of CAR.

The consultation proposals are in 2 parts.

Part 1 presents proposed updates to controls over the storage and application of organic materials, with the following key aims:

• to update existing controls for the storage of slurry and silage;
• to introduce controls over the storage of materials associated with energy production;
• to propose new requirements regarding more targeted and efficient application of slurry and liquid digestate.

Part 2 contains the proposals for minor revisions to various existing GBRs in the interests of clarity and transparency.

Why we are consulting

The consultation sets out a range of proposed updates to The Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011 (“CAR”).

We welcome respondents views and comment on the proposed updates to controls over the storage and application of organic materials, with the following key aims:

• to consolidate existing controls for the storage of slurry and silage into CAR;
• to introduce controls over the storage of materials associated with energy production;
• to propose new requirements regarding more targeted and efficient application of slurry and liquid digestate.

Respondents are also invited to comment on the proposals for minor revisions to various existing GBRs in the interests of clarity and transparency.

Read the consultation paper. 

What happens next

The Scottish Government considers that these proposals are consistent with its regulatory approach to protection of the water environment and have the potential to benefit farmers through better nutrient management. These will also contribute to Scotland’s climate change mitigation through better control over emissions.

Responses will be taken into consideration and it is anticipated that the revised legislation will be brought before the Scottish Parliament in September 2021 and come into force shortly afterwards.