HUME - SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT FAILING FARMERS ON NITRATE VULNERABLE ZONES (Jim Hume)

HUME - SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT FAILING FARMERS ON NITRATE VULNERABLE ZONES

November 23, 2007 12:00 AM

Jim Hume, MSP for the South of Scotland and Shadow Environment Minister, has today called upon the Scottish Government to urgently review its flawed proposals for Scotland's Nitrate Vulnerable Zones.

Jim Hume said:-

"The increase in the length of the so called 'closed period' from the current 4 weeks to the government's proposed 26 weeks undoubtedly means that farmers will be required to increase their on farm slurry storage capacity. This will cost farmers tens of thousands of pounds and is simply not affordable for most.

"The extended closed period goes into middle or end of January, but the risk of any nitrate leaching is negligible after the middle of November so there isn't even the evidence to back up what the SNP are trying to do. And now they're saying that if the closed periods aren quote t agreed as part of the Action Programme the already long awaited SRDP can't be approved by the EU Commission.

"Quite frankly these plans are nonsensical and the SNP ought to think more about what they can do for a successful, sustainable farming industry and cutting red tape as they promised in their manifesto rather than place intolerable burdens on a sector that has already seen its share of difficulties this year."

Notes:

The EU Nitrates Directive 1991 (91/676/EEC) requires Member States to monitor nitrate levels in water and, where appropriate, designate areas as 'Nitrate Vulnerable' if their surface water or groundwater has, or is at risk of having, a high nitrate concentration (greater than 50mg/l).

Action Plans must be drawn up to reduce nitrate levels in surface and groundwater in these NVZs. There are four NVZs in Scotland, covering approximately 14% of Scotland quote s farmland, mostly along Scotland quote s East coast and in Dumfriesshire.