Environment

As part of the Scottish Government’s consultation process to develop a new Agriculture Bill an online thematic workshop to address Rural Development and Forestry will take place on the 27 October (19:00-21:00).

The Scottish Government is committed to realising a Vision for Agriculture and transforming how farming and food production is supported across Scotland in order to become a global leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture.

Members of the public and stakeholders are being urged to take part in the consultation on the forthcoming Agriculture Bill. To support this the Scottish Government has announced a series of consultation events that will take place over the next few months. 

Following a hugely successful pilot with the Young Islanders Challenge, Youth Scotland will to continue their work with Scotland’s young people from island communities to build the Young Islanders Network.

The new online platform and youth network has been launched to help young people from all the Scottish islands share their voices, views and experiences.

The Scottish Rural and Island Transport Community (SRITC) are hosting a conference on September the 14th and 15^th to address the immediate challenges facing the users and operators of Scotland’s rural and islands transport services.

The next stage in making Scotland a global leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture has been launched.

People are being urged to take part in a consultation on the Scottish Government's forthcoming Agriculture Bill.

The Scottish Government climate change plan has committed to reducing agricultural emissions by 31% by 2032.

The consultation covers a range of key themes including:

This week sees the release of the latest edition of the OnFarm podcast supported by the Scottish Rural Network.

In the first of a two part special Lewis crofter and presenter of BBC Alba's An Lot (The Croft) Domhnall Macsween - known to most as 'Sweeny' - takes OnFARM producer Dave Howard on a tour of his community of Ness, on the island’s most northerly tip.

This is the first of two episodes featuring Sweeny and it’s a great listen. 

Longer-term projects that aim to transform Scotland’s natural environment can apply for a share of funding in the latest round of the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund.

Grants of over £250,000 are available to larger-scale initiatives that restore and protect habitats and species, including freshwater and coastal and marine areas, control invasive non-native species, and reverse the loss of lowland biodiversity in urban areas.

Testing Actions for Sustainable Farming (TSF) survey now open to farmers and crofters with a £50 participation fee payable. You can complete it here.