The SEFARI Gateway Waste Emissions Science Advisory Group has undertaken a comprehensive review of methodologies used for estimating and forecasting greenhouse gas emissions across Scotland. This analysis spans various technologies including landfill, anaerobic digestion and composting, waste incineration, and wastewater treatment. As Scotland aims to meet stringent environmental targets, ensuring these methodologies are accurate, adaptable, and comprehensive is crucial. This report outlines current practices, assesses their effectiveness, identifies strengths, highlights weaknesses, and proposes enhancements aimed at improving precision and utility for policy applications.
The purpose of this guide is to outline options and considerations for businesses and organisations interested in developing controlled environment growing enterprises in the Highlands and Islands. It is intended for both existing growers looking to diversify their production systems and for businesses, community groups, SMEs, and enterprises with little or no background in horticulture. Drawing on existing horticultural resources and controlled environment agriculture technologies, this guide interprets and tailors the information specifically for the Highlands and Islands context, while signposting readers to more detailed resources where appropriate. It also incorporates insights from expert interviews to inform recommendations on energy supply, site selection, and potential routes to market.
As such, this guide is designed to serve as a flexible reference, adaptable to the varying needs and knowledge levels of its readers.
Agriculture is central to the economy, culture and heritage in Orkney and the successful adoption of new research and technology may bring significant benefits to the islands. Key challenges to the industry are to increase the efficiency of food production while protecting and enhancing the natural environment. The Orcadians have a strong history of being successful innovators and are also aware of the unique opportunities available within Orkney's landscapes and communities. Improving connectivity and trust between researchers and islanders will help to maximise the benefits from new research and increase uptake of useful technologies. This report summarisies recent (2015-2025) agricultural research projects relevant to Orkney in a research directory that can be used to help collate and raise awareness of current research projects. A workshop was held on Orkney with local stakeholders to discuss their views on future research directions, knowledge gaps, how to improve local involvement and input and the potential for setting up a "Living Lab" on Orkney. Recommendations to move forward are to establish a Research Hub on Orkney to help coordinate research activity, communicate outputs and encourage collaborations and new funding streams. Establishing key links with the SEFARI Research Institutes is a timely opportunity as the new Scottish Government Strategic Research Programme is currently out for consultation and there are opportunities for researchers and stakeholders to co-design agriculture research questions relevant and useful for Orkney. To help support moving research into practice, demonstration fields, farms or specific managment practices could be tried out using UHI facilities to de-risk the testing of new technologies. The project also identified new opportunities for education, both secondary and tertiary, and training to encourage more people to take up careers in agriculture and to create new skilled jobs and opportunities on the isands.
Scotland is facing many climate pressures, including increased risk of flooding, water scarcity and supply challenges. Remote coastal communities are at risk of these pressures but necessarily deal with them in ways different to more connected and larger settlements. This report presents the findings of an investigation into the perceptions of water-related issues, and the actions being taken by a number of case study remote coastal communities. Findings show resilience comes in the form of social capital, collaboration and community cohesion, while there are opportunities for related policy to support community endeavours.
Authors: Carly Maynard, Hannah Grist, Kate Lamont, Alexa Green, David Conneely, Jane Atterton.
Find out more about the project at: Vulnerability of remote coastal communities to water challenges: Perception, valuation and coping mechanisms | SEFARI.
Methane is the prominent GHG from agriculture, accounting for 59% of agricultural emissions. Enteric methane, produced by ruminants as they digest feed, is the major source of these emissions. There are several options to reduce enteric methane emissions, some of which could deliver reductions in the short to medium term (e.g. dietary), and some of which are considered longer-term strategies (e.g., breeding). This report identifies the options for reducing methane emissions from beef, sheep, and dairy livestock sectors and provides clarity on current readiness levels and the potential of each technology to reduce methane emissions, alongside costs and co-benefits.
Authors: Prof Carol-Anne Duthie, Prof Eileen Wall, Prof Rainer Roehe, Dr Gemma Miller, Dr Nicola Lambe, Prof John Newbold.
This brief outlines a policy analysis and literature review that were conducted to consider the pros and cons of Defra’s proposals for improving animal welfare. Defra and the devolved authorities consulted (March - May 2024) on introducing stricter rules around country of origin and expanding method of production labelling (5-tiers) to chicken and pork.
A report comparing the nutritional profile of several harvests of seed form NE Scottish farms growing hemp