SEFARI Gateway is delighted to provide support for a new co-funded Fellowship with Scotch Whisky Association. We are seeking an individual researcher or small team of researchers to undertake an assessment and recommendation for best practice in licensed peat extraction and restoration.

Background

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) is the trade body representing over 90 companies from the Scotch Whisky Industry. Its mission is to secure the sustainable future for the industry in which whisky is produced sustainably, traded globally and enjoyed responsibly. In 2023, SWA published the first edition of its Commitment to Responsible Peat Use (CRPU) in collaboration with their supply chain partners in the Maltsters Association of Great Britain (MAGB) and the Scotch Whisky Research Institute (SWRI). Launched with the support of third parties such as RPSB and the IUCN Peatlands Programme and following engagement with the Scottish Government, this commitment outlined the ways in which the Scotch Whisky industry is striving to achieve its ambition to be responsible users of peat. The CRPU is split into three pillars: Responsible extraction, optimising the malting process and peatland restoration.  

The industry is working to achieve success in each of these pillars.

In the National Planning Framework (NPF) 4, published in 2023, specific guidance and protections were set out for the industry to allow it to continue to extract peat: such that  “development proposals for new commercial peat extraction, including extensions to existing sites, will only be supported where: the extracted peat is supporting the Scottish whisky industry; there is no reasonable substitute; the area of extraction is the minimum necessary and the proposal retains an in-situ residual depth of peat of at least 1 metre across the whole site, including drainage features; the time period for extraction is the minimum necessary; and there is an agreed comprehensive site restoration plan which will progressively restore, over a reasonable timescale, the area of extraction to a functioning peatland system capable of achieving carbon sequestration.”

The reason for this allowance is in recognition of the considerable economic benefit that peated scotch whisky brings to the Scottish economy. In 2022, 75% of the total GVA of the Scotch Whisky industry (equalling to £5.3bn of a total £7.7bn) was generated in Scotland and peat is highly influential in a number of the most popular and highest selling single malts in the world. Furthermore, it has been estimated by master blenders and other industry professionals that a majority of blended malts, which consists of nearly 90% of the market by volume, also includes some peated influence. As a consequence, the economic impact of peat within scotch whisky is even more extensive than it first appears.

The second reason for this allowance for the industry within NPF4 is that of scale, as the amount of peat extracted to produce scotch remains very small compared to other permitted extraction. Whilst variations in weight caused by water content make calculations difficult, it has been estimated that roughly 8,130 tonnes of peat was used in the production of Scotch Whisky in 2023 in comparison to the many thousands of tonnes of peat that is extracted annually in Scotland for other purposes, primarily horticulture and infrastructure.  Whilst research into alternatives to peat is ongoing and continues to offer interesting possibilities for the future, there are significant legal and reputational challenges which need to be overcome should it ever look to adapt its use of peat. Furthermore, there remains no acceptable alternative that meets expectations in terms of flavour profile and bond to Scotland that serves to make it so appealing to consumers worldwide.

Current extraction practices used in sites that provide for the Scotch Whisky Industry are varied. Many sites use tractor-pulled ‘sausage’ or ‘screw’ extruders whilst other, often smaller-scale sites still employ traditional cutting methods. Larger full depth extraction sites may employ ‘deep-dug’ methods using heavy machinery to dig increased volumes of peat, although many of those that still employ this method express a strong desire to transition to less invasive techniques. This highlights the importance of site restoration plans and their early enactment to ensure effective restoration and a timely reduction in emissions.

The potential impact that different methods have on the surface flora and the peat are also varied, with certain methods of extraction known to cause more disturbance and greenhouse gas emissions than others.  In addition, some sites cannot employ particular techniques due to the nature of the bog itself. Not all of the bogs extracted from by the industry are uniform in type and depth with certain sites favouring certain methods over others.

A study that frames all of these issues in context and considers the relative impacts of different extraction techniques would be highly useful. Although many methods are known to the industry, no study has ever formally collated and appraised these approaches. There is a shared aspiration by the industry to improve and a desire for a best practise guide to be developed which would inform future editions of the SWA’s Commitment to Responsible Peat Use.

Fellowship

The Fellow or Fellowship team (max 3) will:

• Collate peat extraction methods that are employed both in Scotland and around the world. They will assess these methods in terms of; their impact on the environment, their cost to employ, the type of bogs/extraction sites they can be employed on, and the scale at which they can be used.
• Review restoration methods to determine which are best employed specifically to restore a peatland which has been degraded through extraction activity.
• Engage with leaders in existing best practise in peatland restoration, including those involved in international projects, and stakeholders within the scotch whisky peat supply chain through one-to-one sessions to understand the unique challenges inherent to restoring industry-specific peat sources and identify gaps in understanding that best practise guidance could resolve.

Outputs

• A best practise in peat extraction document aimed at supporting the scotch whisky industry to deliver on its commitment to be a responsible user of peat. Most crucially, this guidance will recommend the most responsible way for a site to be selected and extracted to ensure for the most successful delivery of its restoration plan when extraction activity ceases. Also, it should make recommendations for the best restoration techniques employed on such an extraction site.
• A feedback workshop with stakeholders discussing the developed guidance and to sense check findings.
• A SEFARI Case Study.

Practicalities

The details including any refinement of scope of the final Fellowship work plan will be developed, and agreed, between the Fellow(s) and a project support team from SEFARI and SWA. This team will assist with access to existing information and as well as oversee the delivery of the Fellowship.

There is a maximum of 28 days available for delivery; the exact number of days, their timing, and their pattern through the working week will be agreed with the successful applicant(s) as set within the allocated budget.

Funding (maximum of £20,000 for upto a maximum of 28 days FTE) will be available to cover all salary costs. This will be comprised of £10,000 from SEFARI Gateway and £10,000 from SWA. Please note that costs should be submitted net of VAT recovered by the applicant. Applicants should seek advice on appropriate VAT treatment of the proposed funding. Travel and subsistence and any workshop costs will be funded separately by SEFARI Gateway, and up to a maximum of £5,000.

The Deadline for reporting is 28^th March 2025, though some flexibility may be afforded subject to core budget approvals.

 
Further Details

The Fellowship is open to applicants from staff:

• from any SEFARI Organisation
• ENRA Portfolio Centres of Expertise
• Staff within any UK Higher Education Institution (or Research Institute)
• Please note, you do not need to have been previously funded by Scottish Government via the Portfolio to qualify for SEFARI Gateway funding
• Applicants must have the support of their organisation. Sign-off should be at the level deemed appropriate for each organisation (please talk to your line manager), but Directors/Chief Executives of your Institute (or University school as appropriate) should be made aware.
• The taking of such an opportunity should not result in a candidate going beyond the end of any agreed contract they may have with their employer.
• It is recognised that individual circumstances are different and support levels will vary depending on salary, distance from the opportunity and so on – the support level will be kept under review to try and maintain a fair and equitable competition and process. The organisation of the successful fellow(s) should not expect to meet any costs beyond that paid for by SEFARI Gateway.
• The successful candidate(s) will be expected to contribute to relevant meetings or outputs for the project partners as the Fellowship progresses and to generate knowledge exchange related content for SEFARI Gateway (support will be offered on this).

Applications

Applications should be made to: info@sefari.scot and should include a cover letter (two pages of detail on your suitability or that of the team) and a two-page CV (or up to 6 pages for a team). Decisions on who to interview will be based solely on this letter and CV(s).

The cover letter should include:

• Why are you interested in this opportunity and what you would hope to get from it?
• What skills and experience would you bring to this role?
• How would you use your current work to underpin the project?
• What would you do to take the learning back into your organisation?

Team-based applications should demonstrate how they propose to manage individual contributions to satisfy the degree of multi-disciplinary integration required and clearly identify a Fellowship Team Lead.
The deadline for applications is 5pm on Wednesday 22^nd January 2025, interviews will be held before the end of January 2025. We appreciate this deadline is very tight, therefore, please do contact us if this is a major issue for your application.

If you have any questions on this, or any general aspect of the SEFARI Fellowship scheme, please contact Michelle Wilson Chalmers, Manager, SEFARI Gateway at: michelle.wilson@sefari.scot