Farming and land management

Farming is the dominant land use activity in Scotland, with three-quarters of the country used for this purpose. While land managers can benefit our countryside by providing wildlife habitats and jobs, their activities can also negatively affect the environment. For example, fertilisers and slurry can cause land contamination and diffuse pollution.

SEPA monitors and regulates land use activity and promotes sustainable land management. We can help you adopt best practices, increase efficiency and reduce the operating costs of your business, as well as protecting the environment.

As of July 2008, there is also a new service for farmers and other rural land managers. Scotland’s Environmental and Rural Services (SEARS) is a partnership of nine public bodies, including SEPA, that will result in:

almost 2,000 fewer inspections to farms in the first year due to better co-ordination of visits between the nine public organisations
a reduction in the burden of information provision on land managers, as public bodies will share relevant data to avoid information having to be submitted more than once
a 24/7 contact centre and web portal to ensure easy access to information
Scotland's Environmental and Rural Services (SEARS)