Question reference: S6W-05015
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 10 December 2021
-
Current status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 7 January 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the cost of upgrading Scotland's agricultural slurry storage facilities.
Answer
Our assessment is that the costs of bringing stores up to the required standard may range from a minimal amount for small improvements to major investment to improve a store which is not fit for purpose. Due to the individuality and scale of any potential works required at each site, an assessment of every store in Scotland would be needed to identify accurate costs of bringing slurry stores up to the required regulatory standard. To take account of these differences in scale of potential works, we have built in reasonable timescales by which storage facilities must be brought up to standard.
Stores built since 1991 are already required to meet a set of regulatory standards and would be expected to continue to be maintained in compliance with these standards. Those farming in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones already have a regulatory obligation to meet both post 1991 build standards and a 22 week minimum quantity requirement. The onus is on the operator to maintain these essential business assets to the required standard.