Environment

As we welcome in the better weather, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is asking you to help us reduce your risk of fire by taking some very simple steps.

Whether you’re off camping in the countryside, barbecuing with friends or enjoying a picnic with the family, human behaviour can dramatically reduce your risk of fire.

A state-of-the-art shed which will use cattle waste products to power a methane capturing system and grow indoor crops has received nearly £3 million from the UK Government through its Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP).

New funding is now available from the Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES). The fund aims to support community organisations to reduce their building energy costs and carbon emissions.

The Let’s Do Net Zero Community Buildings Fund is open now and is planned to run until the end of March 2025, subject to funding availability.

You can now share your views on how the land in rural Scotland is owned, bought, sold, managed and used in the Land Reform consultation - access it directly here. 

Listen to the latest episode of OnFarm podcast where a beef farmer Giles Henry talks about the sustainable farming practices. 

You can now share your views on the government’s long-term vision of what our natural environment needs to look like in 2045 in order to reverse biodiversity decline and protect our environment for the future. 

The consultation contains a series of proposed outcomes setting out what needs to be done, and the conditions that must be in place, in order to achieve success.

Britain’s largest rewilding initiative has been earmarked by the UK and Scottish Governments as a globally-prestigious showcase project to help nature, people and climate, as the United Nations (UN) Decade of Ecosystem Restoration steps up action to halt climate breakdown before 2030.

Environment Minister Mairi McAllan has responded to the UK Government Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill in a letter to Mr George Eustice MP and Mr Alister Jack MP. You can read it in full here.