A digest of some recent news and forthcoming events of interest to everyone in the landbased sector, or in rural Scotland.

Colleges celebrate sustainability

Staff and students from further education colleges from all over Scotland – including Oatridge - are to attend a major conference later this month, when they will share examples of best practice in Sustainable Development Education, which can be incorporated in the Curriculum for Excellence.

The event, organised and hosted by the sector’s umbrella body, Scotland’s Colleges, will be held at their headquarters in Stirling on March 17, just ahead of Climate Week, when literally thousands of businesses, charities, councils and other groups around the UK will be staging activities to increase awareness of the dangers of climate change and how to tackle it.

Many colleges are already working on submissions for the conference, which will be posted on the Scotland’s Colleges’ dedicated website to be promoted as an open access learning resource for the whole college sector.  Leading examples will be sent on to Greener Scotland for inclusion in the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development conference and website.

Submissions and enquiries can be emailed to the project consultant at john.salter@scotcol.ac.uk

More information is available at http://events.scotlandscolleges.ac.uk/events/show/3901 or at www.climateweek.com for details of what is happening around the UK.

Move to slash green energy red tape

The Scottish Government has announced that it is to relax the rules and allow some green energy technologies to be installed on public and business buildings, without the need for planning permission. The change, on March 18, will bring them into line with domestic properties.

Following a consultation last year, a Parliamentary Order, will make it easier for devices including solar thermal panels, solar photo voltaic panels, pipework for ground source heat pumps, pipework for water source hear pumps and biomass boilers to be installed in non-domestic buildings.
www.scotland.gov.uk

Green scheme opened up to farmers

Scotland’s farmers and land managers in rural Scotland are to be offered help in developing renewable energy projects. The Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead has announced an expansion of the existing Communities and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) Loan Fund from April this year will allow them access to up to £2.4 million, for the first time.

Last year alone the CARES scheme provided grants to 300 community-based projects, which are expected to general well over £20 million in the next 20 years.
www.scotland.gov.uk

Plans announced to safeguard crofting land

MSPs are to be asked to support plans to strengthen protection of crofting land, by giving the Crofters Commission a say on planning decisions, which could affect the long-term viability of crofting communities.

The Scottish Government is proposing the move where developments could lead to reduced quality and ultimately the loss of crofting land. If past the proposals would mean that planning authorities would have to take the views of the Commission into account.
www.crofterscommission.org.uk

£25 million for food companies

Twenty-two Scottish food and drink businesses are to share in £3 million in the latest round of investments from the Food Processing, Marketing and Co-operation Scheme (FPMC) awards.

The grants range from £647,347 to Borders vegetable producers R & K Drysdale for a new processing, packing and storage building, refrigeration equipment and a new grading line, to £6,971 to Highland Drovers, a small Perth-based meat processing company, to buy and install a vacuum filling and portioning machine.

So far the FPMC scheme has invested over £25 million in small and medium-sized companies around Scotland, creating or safeguarding 5,500 jobs.
www.scotland.gov.uk

Farmers and food and drink “success story”

Scotland’s farming industry has been central to the country’s food and drink “Success story”, according to Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead. Speaking to the National Farmers Union Scotland AGM he said that Scotland is now punching well above its weight in European agricultural development….and fact which he said, means that it is time the UK Government gave Scottish Ministers a seat at the table in EU negotiations. Scottish food and drink has shown record growth, pumping £11 billion into the economy each year.

The NFUS AGM also saw the appointment of a new top team with Borders farmer and vet Nigel Miller elected as President and Allan Bowie and John Picken, who are both from Fife, taking over as his vice-presidents.
www.nfus.org.uk