Scottish Government

ENVIRONMENT AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

The aim of the Environment and Rural Development portfolio is to have all in Scotland acting for sustainable development. The delivery of Ministers' priorities is structured around key outcomes:

All in Scotland acting for sustainable development, with

1. Clean air
2. Safe, affordable drinking water
3. Communities protected from flooding, climate change and other environmental hazards
4. Waste minimised, recycled where possible and otherwise disposed of properly
5. Rivers, lochs and beaches free of unacceptable pollution
6. Well maintained landscapes and biodiversity benefiting people and business
7. Sustainable agriculture, forestry and fisheries, competitive in markets and contributing to local economies
8. Well treated and healthy domestic and farm animals
9. Rural development benefiting communities
10. Access to public services for people in rural areas; and

Science fully reflected in planning the future of Scotland's environment, marine and rural affairs.

Bathing Water Signage Project

Bathing waters are an important asset for the people of Scotland and it is therefore appropriate that we afford them proper protection, as reflected in the Scottish Executive's new bathing water strategy, "Better Bathing Waters: meeting the challenges of the revised Bathing Water Directive in Scotland" (March 2006).

Bathing waters are an important asset for the people of Scotland and it is therefore appropriate that we afford them proper protection, as reflected in the Scottish Executives new bathing water strategy, "Better Bathing Waters".

As part of the work to protect Scottish bathing waters, the Executive has undertaken a number of projects to pilot innovative approaches to tackle the health risks to bathers. This has included providing predictive information to allow bathers to make informed choices about whether to bathe or not. In 2003 to help inform the public about bathing water quality, a new signage project was piloted at selected Scottish beaches, and has since been adopted by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency ( SEPA). The results in 2006 indicated that correct or protective precautionary conditions were publicly provided for over 99% of the time.

SEPA provides daily real time information on predicted water quality at 10 bathing water sites across Scotland, which is displayed on electronic message signs. The sites are Ayr (South), Prestwick, Troon, Irvine, Saltcoats/Ardrossan and Ettrick Bay in south-west Scotland, Brighouse Bay and Sandyhills on the Solway coast, Portobello (Central) in Edinburgh and Aberdeen beach. Daily forecasts are also available on the SEPA website, through a dedicated message phone line number, 0845 2303098, and new for 2006, by text messaging service.

The electronic message signs allow SEPA to provide beach users with a daily forecast of predicted water quality - both good conditions and occasionally times predicting risk of failure against EU standards. This is based on relevant environmental (mainly rainfall) events from the previous two days. It does not describe an actual report of water quality testing, being predictive, rather than reactive. Risk decisions are made by accessing SEPA's extensive rainfall and hydrological information network, and making a daily sign message management decision.

The sign status is then updated via the computer control station, which "switches" to the relevant message.

In providing better public information, the system is not only user focused and a driver for quality and innovation, but also provides a useful platform for testing approaches to the new requirements for informing the public in the revised Bathing Water Directive, 2006/7/ EC.

Flood Warning and National Flood Risk Map

Scottish Executive is committed to helping authorities increase protection for communities affected by flooding and is working in partnership with various stakeholders, including the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency ( SEPA) to improve flood warning and response arrangements.

As part of a wider strategic approach to address flooding the Scottish Executive funded SEPA for two projects; support for the establishment of Floodline, and, to produce and deliver a second generation indicative river and coastal flood risk map for the whole of Scotland.

Floodline is a 24/7 call centre that coordinates and issues flood warnings. In areas where it is not possible to forecast flooding from river or the sea, SEPA provide a general early alert for possible flooding for all river, streams and watercourses across the whole of Scotland known as Flood Watch. Current flooding information is also available on the SEPA live flood warning page on their website. This coordinated approach provides an efficient and effective flood warning system across Scotland.

The flood risk maps were developed over a two year period and cost in the region of £2 million. The map provides an important strategic tool giving an overview of flooding in Scotland, and helping local authorities and others identify areas where further consideration of flood risk may be needed for proposed developments. It will also help raise general flood risk awareness. The map also shows flood defences completed under the Flood Prevention (S) Act 1961 and identified by the Scottish Flood Defence Asset Database project.

From 4 September 2006 external parties were able to request a licensed copy of the flood map for their own internal business use, non-commercial use and use associated with any statutory powers they may have. The final milestone of the project, to provide public online access to the map was completed on 1 November 2006.

The development of the second generation indicative flood map has the potential to improve efficiency in the Scottish public sector and offer a better quality and more focused service to users.

Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department ( SEERAD) Online

The Scottish Executive is committed to sustainable growth in communities and improving rural services. With more and more agriculture producers and their agents using computers and farm management software to manage their business the Scottish Executive, to answer to this trend, established an electronic platform for this client group called SEERAD Online.

The system allows producers and their agents to use the Internet to submit certain subsidy and grant returns electronically to the Scottish Executive, thus avoiding a paper based process. The system is currently being used by number of large and small producers, advisors and agents. Backing up the system is the SEERAD Online Uptake Strategy 2005, which aims to increase use of the system by improving agent access and targeting agent businesses to use the system.

Addition work in hand includes redesign of website to improve navigation, accessibility and aesthetics of the site as well move towards more "producer view" type features, allowing users to view personal business information securely online. Producers who now use the system return to use it again, thanks to improved performance and usability.

The benefits of the system include:

• increased productivity and efficiency as producers can do the work from home or farm;
• continuous availability of the system - including after office opening hours;
• get it right the first time with checks applied as electronic form is completed thus avoiding inaccuracies;
• availability of additional information that is not available in paper form;
• more personalisation;
• building on investment that producers have made in their IT and also farm management software; and
• Reduced admin staff checks due to built in validation for online claims.

SEERAD Online is driving quality and innovation in the Scottish Agriculture Industry and is improving efficiency and productivity both for the client and the public sector.

Electronic Livestock Tracing Systems

CTS Online (Cattle Tracing Systems) was developed as part of a SEERAD/Industry project aimed at introducing an advanced, interactive and highly efficient Electronic Cattle Traceability Scheme ( ECT). This allows cattle keepers to view and print their cattle records as held by the British Cattle Movement Service ( BCMS) who operate Cattle Tracing System ( CTS) database. They can also carry out a range of functions electronically e.g. registering births, cattle movements & downloading details to update on-farm records.

The benefits for the Scottish Farming Industry are:

• an opportunity to adopt more efficient management practices;
• reduced opportunity for making errors and thereby minimising subsidy penalties;
• reduction of paper burden;
• two-way access to central database; and
• greater consumer confidence in product traceability and the opportunity to achieve further marketing advantages for their product.

SEERAD encourage all cattle keepers to regularly view their cattle records online and inform BCMS of any required amendments as soon as they are identified. Work continues with industry to continue to improve e-business.

Following the Foot and Mouth outbreak a database was set up to record all the movements of sheep, goats and pigs. The foundation of the database was to ensure that all movements were recorded electronically and to date 85% of movements are now notified in this way.

In 1998 SEERAD introduced a Global Positioning System ( GPS) measuring system as part of a business solution to accurately verify land claimed for Common Agricultural Policy ( CAP) payments to farmers and crofters. This was a ground breaking initiative which is held up by the European Commission as best practice which should be adopted by other EU Member states.

Useful Links:

Scottish Environment Protection Agency
http://www.sepa.org.uk/

Bathing Waters Strategy
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Environment/Water/15561/15068

Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/Departments/ERAD

SERRAD Online
http://www.seeradonline.gov.uk

Cattle Tracing System Online
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Agriculture/Online-Services/18943/15868