Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) carries out year-round avian influenza surveillance of dead wild birds on behalf of the Scottish Government to inform the disease risk for domestic poultry and captive birds.

Reports of dead wild birds are triaged and not all birds will be collected. The triage process allows the Scottish Government to understand the levels of risk to poultry, other captive birds and public health and what relevant mitigation measures may be adopted commensurate to the level of risk. It was not designed to help understand how the disease impacted wild bird populations from a conservation perspective.

The Scottish Government have consulted with NatureScot and they are not aware of any resource constraints affecting HPAI (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza) testing of dead wild birds in Moray. Since 16 November 2021, a total of 46 wild birds of nine species have tested positive for HPAI in Moray. Nearly all of these birds have been collected under APHA’s contract with UK Farmcare. NatureScot staff have only swabbed two birds in Moray, a pink-footed goose which was in a relatively inaccessible location and a cormorant, which NatureScot prioritised for testing and the test came back negative.

Wild bird surveillance is under review as part of the development of a Scottish HPAI wild bird response plan by NatureScot.

An appeal has been lodged with Scottish Ministers on behalf of Loch Long Salmon Limited against the decision by Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority to refuse planning permission for a marine fish farm and associated development at Beinn Reithe, Loch Long. A reporter has been appointed to consider this appeal and is currently assessing what if any further information is required to fully consider this appeal. The planning authority has been asked to submit its response to the appeal, which will include copies of all information submitted on the application. This will include any consultation responses, including those from Marine Scotland, submitted on the planning application. Given this is a live appeal it would not be appropriate to comment on the merits or otherwise of the proposal.

(a) The current outbreak season started on 1 October 2022. As of 17 February 2023, 12 wild birds in Moray were tested for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) under the GB dead wild bird surveillance scheme. Of these, 10 were positive and consisted of one Pink footed goose, four Herring gulls and five gulls for which the species could not be specified. The two birds that tested negative were a Kestrel and a Cormorant.

(b) HPAI was confirmed at a premises in Forres, Moray, on 14 December 2022. Within the Protection Zone around the infected premises near Forres two veterinary surveillance visits were made. Both were to the same premises and sampling was carried out. On each occasion, 14 ducks were sampled, giving a total of 28 samples which all tested negative for HPAI.

The Scottish Government’s Budget prioritises a just transition to a net zero, climate resilient and biodiverse Scotland, with over £2.2 billion of investment in 2023-24.

The Scottish Government’s public sector climate funding map , highlighting funding opportunities in a range of areas including transport, heat and waste, is available on the Sustainable Scotland Network Website.

On the specific question on Highland Council's Corran Ferry Infrastructure Improvement Scheme, I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-13974 on 31 January 2023. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

The Scottish Government is examining the risk assessment conclusion in detail given the serious impact of HPAI (High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza) on wild and kept birds and will monitor risk levels and carefully consider its response over coming months.

The release of game birds is prohibited within an avian influenza protection zone and surveillance zone.

When kept there is a legal requirement to report suspicion of notifiable avian disease in game birds.

Where Special Protected Area (SPA)/Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) are designated for vulnerable species consent from NatureScot is required for release of game birds.

To date nine mammals including four seals, four otters and one fox have tested positive for influenza of avian origin H5N1 in Scotland. APHA (Animals and Plant Health Agency) routinely undertakes diagnostic testing of wild animals found dead under the GB wildlife surveillance scheme. The detection of the virus does not mean that it was the cause of death of these animals. This is an unusual event and infection of mammals with influenza of avian origin remains an uncommon infection, including in humans. The risk of the H5N1 strain to non-avian UK wildlife remains low.

Of the nine mammals that have tested positive for influenza of avian origin, there are no known links to the release of non-native game birds. The Scottish Government continues to monitor the outputs the GB wildlife surveillance scheme and assess any future risks.

At the request of the Scottish Government, CMAL is providing assistance to The Highland Council through our Small Vessel Replacement Programme. CMAL engages regularly with The Highland Council and partners, and continues to provide assistance with the vessel concept design, feasibility and infrastructure studies, as well as exploring key areas such as low emissions technologies.

STPR 2 recommendation 24 relates only to the Clyde & Hebrides and Northern Isles ferry services networks that Scottish Ministers are directly responsible for.

Any proposals to decarbonise ferries are to be welcomed, however, decisions around procurement of these new ferries and funding are entirely a matter for The Highland Council.

There is ongoing work related to identifying and monitoring risks from PFAS.

The environmental regulator SEPA has been working with partners in recent years to understand the sources, environmental concentrations, and risks of perflourinated compounds in the environment.

A 2019 SEPA study looked at the potential for organic contaminants to be present in materials spread to land, and carried out a basic risk assessment using monitoring data for prioritised substances. This study included measurement of 1 PFA substance (PFOA) levels in sludges from two waste water treatment plants, and did not identify a risk for reasonable worst-case spreading scenarios. In 2018, SEPA carried out a limited monitoring exercise looking at several PFAS in a number of rivers across Scotland, though monitoring locations were not directly targeted to potential sources of these chemicals. 65% of the 550 datapoints reported were below limits of detection.

A Scottish Government commissioned report by the James Hutton Institute on the impact of sewage sludge spreading on human health was published in 2021 and indicated that risks to human health from the polyfluorinated compounds PFOS and PFOA in sewage sludge spread to land in Scotland are likely to be low.

However, scientific understanding of risks posed by PFAS in the environment continues to develop. For example :

• SEPA is reviewing its approach to evidence gathering to better characterise the current distribution of PFAS in Scotland’s environment. It is working with partner organisations to develop this understanding, and working across the regulatory landscape to support revisions to legislation, regulatory approaches, and support site operators or users of PFAS based substances to meet their legal obligations. This includes engagement with large research programmes such as ECORISC (Ecotoxicological Risk Assessment Towards Sustainable Chemical Use).
• UK environmental regulators have been engaged in the UK Water Industry Research Chemical Investigations Programme (CIP UK). Through this programme SEPA has been working in partnership with Scottish Water on various workstreams for a number of years, and this investigation has included evaluation of PFAS in waste water treatment works effluent and sludge, risks to the environment and effectiveness of treatment processes.

A licence to disturb European protected species (“EPS”) can only be granted if three licensing tests are met, including that there is no satisfactory alternative to the proposed action.

Marine Scotland has published a document that provides guidance and advice for any aquaculture production business that wishes to apply for a licence to disturb EPS as a result of ADD use –

faq_adds_and_eps_including_annex_1_and_annex_2_-_version_5_-october_2021_-_final.pdf (marine.gov.scot) . Applicants are required to provide an analysis of alternative methods of predator control tried or considered and if they have been discounted provide reasons for this. All EPS licence applications are considered on a cases by case basis and it would not be appropriate to pre-determine the outcome of the satisfactory alternative test without consideration of any justification provided by the applicant.