More than 2,000 farmers will find themselves removed from the shackles of Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) rules in February next year.
The Scottish Government confirmed it would adopt proposals, announced earlier this year, to change the boundaries of the country’s existing four NVZs, reducing the area of the country bound by these regulations by 24%. At present 14.2% of the country falls within this category.
The updated four zones – Moray, Aberdeenshire, Banff and Buchan; Strathmore and Fife; Lothian and Borders; and Lower Nithsdale – will fully or partially remove 2,212 farms from NVZ designated areas from February 2, 2015.
The other proposal set to be adopted by government is the creation of two new NVZs at Finavon in Angus and Pilanton in south-west Scotland.
The Scottish Government said the new designations, which will come into force in early 2016, will affect around 130 farms.
“Although water quality is improving across Scotland we cannot continue to rest on our laurels,” said farm minister Richard Lochhead.
“Every farmer must continue to do their best to minimise nitrate and diffuse pollution as we implement these new NVZ regulations in tandem with Scotland’s greenest ever Common Agricultural Policy.”
He said Scottish Government officials would be writing to farmers in due course to explain the changes to them.