Rural services

Improved controls on the storage and application of slurry and digestate.

Amendments have been made to the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011. These include improving controls on the storage of slurry and digestate to reduce leakage, and more targeted spreading to maximise the nutrient benefit and reduce emissions.

Looking for a new job? Check out some of the latest vacancies from across rural Scotland.

The Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) - Board Members 

Over 20 villages and towns across the region will be visited by South of Scotland Enterprise as part of their first ever engagement tour this winter.

‘Your South of Scotland’ is open to everyone in the region to meet SOSE’s Chair, Professor Russel Griggs OBE, and Chief Executive Jane Morrison-Ross at one of 24 dates between November 2021 and March 2022.

Measures to limit spread of the disease.

Following confirmation of avian influenza (H5N1) among a flock of kept birds in the Angus constituency, laboratory results have identified the strain as highly pathogenic in poultry.

The next steps in reforming the agriculture sector in Scotland

Supporting farmers and crofters to cut emissions and produce sustainable, high quality food have been set out by Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon. 

The National Lottery Community Fund is offering from £1,000 to £10,000 to support communities across the UK to take action on climate change.

Projects should reflect what matters to your community and can be small in scale. They could cover an area like:

The Connecting Scotland Programme  is now inviting ‘fast track’ applications from organisations working with people at risk of social isolation and loneliness, who can deliver devices in November and December.

The deadline for applications is 5pm on Friday 12th November.

Social enterprise, community enterprise and Third Sector organisations are increasingly viewed as an important source of economic growth, a vital source of support for vulnerable communities and a critical path of the reform of public services in Scotland. One area this was highlighted in during the pandemic was in the use of food banks throughout Scotland with some enterprises reporting a 10-fold increase in demand.