Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has appointed Professor Campbell Gemmell, Professor of Environment Research, Policy, Regulation and Governance at the University of Glasgow, to lead an independent examination of the issues and evidence surrounding underground coal gasification.

Professor Gemmell is currently working closely with stakeholders and communities while undertaking this independent examination of the issues and evidence. The review is expected to report its findings later in summer 2016

At present, the UK remains a member state of the European Union. The Scottish Government has been clear in its belief that European Union membership delivers many social, economic and cultural benefits for individuals, business and communities across Scotland. The Scottish Government’s priority is to protect Scotland’s interests and we are considering all possible options to ensure Scotland’s continuing relationship with Europe. There are no plans to revoke or amend domestic legislation giving effect to the requirements of the EU Birds and Habitats Directives in Scotland as a result of the outcome of the EU referendum.

The nutrient management plan requirement was introduced in order to ensure that common agricultural policy (CAP) greening rules in Scotland include at least one measure to help mitigate agriculture’s contribution to climate change, by encouraging efficient use of inorganic nitrogen fertilisers. It was introduced in 2016 under the ‘greening equivalence’ rules, which allow member states some flexibility to tailor EU greening requirements to national priorities.

Ensuring the efficient use of nitrogen-based fertilisers is an important part of the shift in farming practices needed for Scotland to meet its world-leading climate change targets. When too much nitrogen-based fertiliser is applied to soils, it creates a nitrogen excess which is either passed into the atmosphere in the form of nitrous oxide (a highly potent greenhouse gas with a global warming potential 298 times greater than that of carbon dioxide over 100 year life span) or into watercourses via runoff and leaching from the soil as nitrates.

The Scottish Greenhouse Gas Emissions 2014 report shows that agriculture and the related land use sector is Scotland’s main contributor to emissions of nitrous oxide. It indicates that of the 3.3 MtCO2e of nitrous oxide that Scotland emitted, 89% of this (2.7 MtCO2e) came from agriculture and related land use. These emissions are largely produced by agricultural practices on soils, and to a lesser extent by animal manures.

The nutrient management plan greening requirement is a light-touch measure designed to encourage efficient use of nitrogen-based fertilisers by requiring farmers in receipt of CAP direct payments to estimate the quantity of inorganic nitrogen fertiliser and lime they intend to apply on permanent grassland fields (excluding fields which also contain rough grazing or arable land) each year. This aims to drive behaviour change by encouraging farmers to consider whether they are using fertilisers efficiently.

Accompanying guidance also encourages farmers to test the pH of their soil. If the soil pH is too low, applying lime can help to improve the efficiency with which grass takes up the nitrogen applied in fertiliser. This, in turn, has the potential to improve the productivity of the grass sward and to reduce nitrous oxide emissions. The EU Regulation does not provide the scope to make soil pH testing a mandatory part of the requirement, since it requires greening rules to apply every year, whereas a more appropriate frequency for soil pH testing is every five to six years. However, the benefits of soil pH testing are promoted in guidance.

<>The current application is to review the operational conditions around peat extraction, not for the principle of peat extraction. The application is for Midlothian Council to determine in the first instance. The Scottish Government has sought updates from Midlothian Council on the status of the case. The Scottish Government has not discussed the case with Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) but has received information on SNH’s position with regard to the proposals.

The use of peat as a source horticultural compost is a global issue requiring action at the international level as peat sourced for horticultural use comes from a number of different countries. The Scottish Government has offered its support to the market-led initiatives to reduce the demand and use of peat in horticulture.

The National Peatland Group, set up by the Scottish Government and Scottish Natural Heritage to deliver the plan, has identified phasing out the horticultural use of peat as a priority in it work programme.

Scottish Planning Policy confirms that planning authorities should use their development plans to protect areas of peatland and only allow commercial extraction in very limited circumstances.

<>Planning applications are determined in accordance with the relevant development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Scottish Planning Policy (2014) paragraph 248 is clear that the review of mineral permissions every 15 years should be used to apply up-to-date operating and environmental standards. As a statement of ministers’ priorities the content of Scottish Planning Policy is a material consideration that carries significant weight.

Decisions on peat extraction are made by individual planning authorities and the number of extant but not fully exploited consents for peat extraction is not held centrally. No estimate of the total carbon emissions or loss of carbon sequestration potential from all existing consents has been undertaken.

However, peat extraction is counted in the Scottish Greenhouse Gas Emissions 2014 data. Whilst this includes peat extraction beyond that used for horticulture, the contribution of peat extraction to Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions was 0.1 MtCO2e; 0.2% of total Scottish emissions in 2014.

<>Scottish Ministers have a general power to intervene by calling in an application for their own determination. In practice though, ministers will exercise this power very sparingly, recognising and respecting the important role of local authorities in making decisions on the future development of their areas.

At this time it is not ministers’ intention to call in this application.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-01192 on 20 July 2016, planning applications are determined in accordance with the relevant development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Scottish Planning Policy (2014) paragraph 248 is clear that the review of mineral permissions every 15 years should be used to apply up-to-date operating and environmental standards. As a statement of ministers’ priorities the content of Scottish Planning Policy is a material consideration that carries significant weight.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-001195 on 20 July 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.