Dairy processing turns Scottish farm produce into products that are sold in domestic and export markets. It is a sector that has a good record of compliance with Scotland’s environment protection laws. Opportunities exist to drive further significant reductions in energy, water and materials...More
The type of infrastructure a society chooses to build says a lot about the type of future it is choosing for itself. Does a society lock in a high-carbon and resource-wasteful future? Or does it build a future that is as low as possible in using natural resources in the construction of...More
Chemicals are used in a variety of products and activities in modern life. The manufacture of chemicals has taken place over many years in Scotland. During this time, much has been learnt about how to reduce the environmental impact of these manufacturing processes. As new learning develops...More
As the world’s population grows beyond seven billion people and the global and local stresses on our environment increase, the challenge of how humanity feeds itself will be a tough one. In growing crops, as in all agricultural production, we will need to continue to look for ways to minimise...More
Dairy production is an important sector in the Scottish economy. SEPA has developed a good working relationship with this sector over the past few years. Producers in this sector have made efforts to improve their environmental performance, but significant non-compliance challenges remain. ...More
In the future, only those cities, towns and villages that provide for prosperous, thriving lives within the resources of the planet will be successful and resilient. Getting our housing stock right is perhaps the most crucial part of this endeavour. Compared to most other sectors in which SEPA...More
Leather production has taken place in Scotland for many years. There are many improvements in the environmental performance of the sector that have been made and many more opportunities for further enhancements.
That’s why this draft sector plan is so important. It spells out ideas...More
The nuclear power generation and decommissioning sector is a tightly regulated sector. In Scotland, there are very high levels of compliance with environment protection laws. SEPA is determined that this compliance performance will continue. We are also keen to help the sector explore further...More
Water is essential to life itself as well as every aspect of our society and economy. The global pressures on our fresh water resources are enormous and will continue to grow. How a society manages the provision of its water supply and its waste water services will be a key determinant of how...More
Scotland’s finfish aquaculture sector relies on Scotland’s high quality environment and abundant freshwater resources. We have unveiled firm, evidence-based proposals for a revised regulatory regime and at its heart, a new sector plan that outlines how we propose to do this. ...More
We are now starting the process of updating the Scotland river basin district management plan.
The plan, along with the Solway Tweed river basin district management plan, describes the environmental objectives for all Scotland’s river, loch, groundwater, estuary and coastal water bodies...More
SEPA and the Environment Agency share responsibility for river basin management planning for the Solway Tweed river basin district. We are now starting the process of updating this plan.
The plan describes the environmental objectives for all the water bodies within the Solway Tweed...More
We're creating a world class environment protection agency by grounding our regulation and activities across whole sectors. Sector plans will be at the heart of everything we do and will shape our interactions with business.
The Tyre Sector Plan will encourage innovation and shape...More
We're creating a world class environment protection agency by grounding our regulation and activities across whole sectors. Sector plans will be at the heart of everything we do and will shape our interactions with business.
The sector plan for oil and gas decommissioning will...More
Your views count – have your say on Potentially Vulnerable Areas (PVAs) for Flood Risk Management in Scotland.
The consultation runs from 1 May to 31 July 2018, and we’d like your views.
What are Potentially Vulnerable Areas (PVAs)?
PVAs are where significant flood risk exists now...More
This consultation set out the proposed changes in the charging scheme to allow the implementation of the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations (EASR) for radioactive substances activities (RSA).
Background
In 2017, Scottish Government and SEPA consulted on the...More
Links to consultation documents are at the bottom of this page.
As part of the Better Environmental Regulation Programme, the Scottish Government and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) are working together to develop an integrated authorisation framework. The aim of the...More
We recognise that as a society, we are over-using our planet’s resources, and if everyone lived as we do in Scotland, we would need three planets to sustain ourselves. In the 21st century, only those businesses, societies and nations which have developed ways to prosper within the planet’s...More
This consultation seeks your views on charges in 2018/19 and beyond for the work undertaken by SEPA for the Reservoirs (Scotland) Act 2011 and the Reservoirs (Scotland) Regulations 2016 and how we intend to review these charges in 2018. More
This consultation is closed. It presented the details of the planned changes outlined in the 2015 Charging Scheme consultation (2015 Consultation) to further develop the Environmental Regulation (Scotland) Charging Scheme 2016 (the Scheme) which came into force on 1 April 2016. The revised...More
Globally, our oceans are under stress. This was powerfully emphasised at the recent United Nations Ocean Conference in New York. One of the many pressures on our marine environment is the harvesting of wild fish stocks. Aquaculture, including caged fish farming, represents one way to reduce this...More
This concerns all companies that have an interest in the use of gypsum for agricultural and ecological improvement. SEPA is planning to provide new guidance on the use of gypsum on land, but wishes to consult first to understand the impacts on business. More
This is a Scottish Government consultation that sets out proposals for a new integrated environmental authorisation framework for SEPA. The new framework plans to bring together the authorisation, procedural and enforcement arrangements for existing environmental protection regimes relating to...More
SEPA believes that there is scope for restoration projects in quarries utilising waste to be licensed as recovery operations. This consultation seeks views on the proposed factors that would be used to help make a determination on whether an operation would be seen as recovery or disposal.
...More
Variable Monetary Penalties (VMPs) are a new enforcement measure made available to SEPA under the Regulatory Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 through which fines up to £40,000 can be imposed for certain environmental offences.
The aim of VMPs is to help address a compliance gap that exists between...More
Reuse is increasingly recognised as an important activity which can extend the life of products, reduce extraction of virgin resources, reduce environmental impacts of waste management, keep value in the economy, create employment and provide products for low income households.
We are...More
SEPA is consulting on our proposed new ' Guidance on monitoring for heterogeneous Radium-226 sources resulting from historic luminising or waste disposal sites '.
We have produced this guidance to aid Local Authorities and contractors in undertaking what SEPA considers to be current best...More
SEPA is consulting on our proposed new guidance
SEPA’s requirements for activities related to geothermal energy
The extraction of geothermal energy can involve a number of activities which are regulated by SEPA under the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations...More
SEPA is consulting on our proposed new guidance
CAR Licences for Deep Boreholes - Information Requirements
The guidance is directed at anybody planning to drill and operate a deep borehole in Scotland. It is designed to help them with their application by setting out the minimum...More
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), the Environment Agency (EA) and Natural Resources Wales (NRW), together referred to as “the environment agencies”, are consulting on our proposed new guidance on “Requirements for Release of Nuclear Sites from Radioactive Substances...More