Author: Peacock Carter

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published a report on the public health risk posed by Listeria monocytogenes in frozen fruit and vegetables that have been blanched during processing. Blanching before freezing is often carried out by food business operators to prevent enzyme actions which can cause loss of flavour, colour and texture.

The EFSA identifies relevant control activities that food business operators can implement to lower the risks of contamination in frozen vegetables. These range from the cleaning and disinfection of the food producing environment, to water, time and temperature control at different processing steps, and accurate labelling. The report concludes that the risks associated with the consumption of these products is lower than for ready-to-eat foods such as smoked fish, cooked meat, sausages, pâté and soft cheese, which are more often associated with Listeria contamination.

The EFSA also makes recommendations on how to reduce risks at home, including maintaining good hygiene practices such as storing frozen or thawed vegetables in a clean freezer or refrigerator at the appropriate temperature and following the instructions on labelling for safe preparation. In general, risks are much lower if vegetables are cooked properly after defrosting.

This work was triggered by a multi-country outbreak that affected 53 people and caused 10 deaths between 2015 and 2018.

Health Protection Scotland has produced guidance to support those working in non-healthcare settings give advice to their staff and users of their services about COVID-19.

This guidance covers:

• what COVID-19 is and how it is spread
• advice on how to prevent spread of all respiratory infections including COVID-19
• advice on what to do if someone is ill in a work​​place or other non-healthcare setting
• advice on what will happen if an individual is being investigated as a possible case or is confirmed as a case of COVID-19

Where relevant, additional setting-specific information and advice is also included in, or is linked to from, this guidance. ​

The guidance is regularly updated and can be accessed here.

The Scottish Government has published a paper outlining their “test, trace, isolate, support” strategy for COVID-19, within which the Environmental Health profession plays a key role. It is expected to be in place end of May.

The strategy is part of a range public health measures to be deployed to ensure low levels of community transmission of the disease while easing lockdown. The strategy follows the Scottish Government’s COVID-19: A Framework for Decision-Making which sets out the steps required for a managed transition out of lockdown. 

The “test, trace, isolate, support” approach is a well-established public health intervention, designed to help us interrupt chains of community transmission by identifying cases of COVID-19, tracing the people who may have become infected by being in close contact with them, and then supporting those close contacts to self-isolate, so that if they have the disease, they are less likely transmit to it to others.

In order for this approach to work, the levels of disease need to be sufficiently low and stay low. 

Work is continuing to increase the capacity for coronavirus testing, with the paper estimating the need to provide sufficient tests for around 2% of the population and will therefore need to be able to deliver up to 15,500 tests per day when ‘test, trace, isolate, support’ is fully rolled out.

For contract tracing services, NHS boards are leading collaborative work with environmental health included to put in place local teams, that will be supported nationally for COVID-19 contact tracing. The local teams will require around 2,000 additional staff to increase capacity to respond. This is a skilled job and through their discussions with cases and contacts they must conduct careful risk assessment and provide active support. Environmental Health Officers (EHO) already have wide experience in contact tracing and the paper states EHO’s as already been drafted in for this work. 

Digital infrastructure that already exists for this type of work for other infections with Public Health Scotland is also being improved so that is can be delivered as efficiently as possible. 

In addition to the digital platform being developed, the UK government is also leading the development of a proximity-tracing app which people could download to their smartphones, which is being trialled on the Isle of Wight. This app uses Bluetooth technology to identify close contacts among other app users, and may be particularly useful for identifying people who have been in close physical proximity but who are unknown, such as a stranger on public transport. This app however will not replace the need for the contact tracing detailed above but will be used as an important enhancement.  

It will be important that everyone living in Scotland understands the symptoms to look out for in themselves and their household, and what to do if they do get those symptoms. It will also require us all to be ready to self-isolate on each occasion someone we have been in close contact with is diagnosed, in order to protect the people, we would otherwise have come into contact with. 

The strategy will not be effective on its own and it must be used alongside other public health measures to reduce transmission, such as physical distancing, good hand and respiratory hygiene, including appropriate use of face coverings, and disease surveillance. 

Food Standards Scotland has published guidance intended for Food Businesses in the Take Away Sector. This guidance is aimed to supplement the current published Covid-19 guidance for Food Business Operators and their Employees. 

Scottish Government requirements to close restaurants, cafes and public houses to prevent the spread of COVID-19 has led many of these businesses to offer new take-away or delivery services to their customers. The closure of many catering businesses has also resulted in increased demand for existing take-away businesses.  

In recognition of the challenges faced by small businesses in the food take-away sector Food Standards Scotland have produced a practical guide to help them communicate consistently to their customers. The guidance is structured across eight key areas aimed at providing simple and easily understood key messages for a sector that is composed of many very small businesses. In addition, the guidance is supplemented with model posters that businesses can use to display on their premises. The model posters will allow a common approach to be adopted to protect consumers using their service and the business staff.

The guidance developed by FSS in partnership with the Scottish Food Enforcement Liaison Committee and it has been shared with industry representatives, Scottish Government and Ministers who have welcomed the guide.

Through social media and the website, members will have read that the work of the Institute is continuing, with progress on the education and qualification route to being an EHO, flexible training opportunities in relation to the various Community Training courses, regular meetings continuing by virtual means and responses to questions and queries being made.

In Scotland, the response to COVID-19 is being led by the Scottish Government and Public Health teams across the country. The significant differences in population, social habits and environment across Scotland mean that a locally led response is the right way to go.

The Institute and its Council members have been engaged with Scottish Government representatives on numerous occasions over the years and have fully participated in Scotland’s Public Health Reform programme, always promoting the role of Environmental Health, leading to the profession being firmly in the minds of senior Scottish Government representatives and NHS Scotland Directors of Public Health.

Environmental Health Officers are core public health professionals and Local Authority Environmental Health Services across Scotland are fully engaged with Public Health Teams, through the excellent networks in place, not least through the Society of Chief Officers of Environmental Health in Scotland, the very successful Scottish Health Protection Networks and the various regional networks which regularly meet in normal times. These established networks have proved invaluable in the current pandemic and are allowing for a coordinated response to COVID-19 across Scotland.

The skills and expertise of EHOs are currently being utilised in these networks on a daily basis, with contributions being made shown in the REHIS e-newsletter.

The Institute offers its support in any way it can, in relation to the response to COVID-19 and would lead on any work necessary to identify additional EHOs who may be required to support the work of the current local authority environmental health teams, particularly as the nation progresses to a contact tracing situation.

With many members of the Council working as EHOs within LA sector, the Institute’s support and assistance can be based on local knowledge and intelligence.

Should individuals be able and wish to volunteer to assist the national response, the website readyscotland.org gives this opportunity and your time can be put to the place of most need in your local area.

Tuesday 28 April marks International Workers’ Memorial Day (#IWMD20) which is commemorated around the world.

The day marks to remember those who have lost their lives at work, or from work-related injury and diseases. 

The theme for 2020 is coronavirus. The coronavirus pandemic affects every worker regardless of sector or locality. Tens of thousands of workers worldwide have died. More have fallen ill or continue to go to work risking their lives. Many workers are still attending work ill-equipped and without necessary safety measures in place.

Trade Unions across the UK are asking the country to observe a minute’s silence at 11am on 28 April, to remember all the health, care and other key workers who have already lost their lives to COVID-19.

It will be a moment to pay tribute to the sacrifice made of so many workers during the pandemic, to remember those who've sadly lost their lives, and to thank all those who continue to do vital work at great risk.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon earlier confirmed the Scottish Government will join in the minute’s silence at 11am on Tuesday.

She said: “The silence will provide an opportunity to pay tribute to those who have died as a result of their work to serve, care for and save others, and it will be a further reminder that of all the duties Government bears during a situation like this, the most vital is our obligation to keep care and health workers safe.

“I and the Scottish Government are acutely aware of that responsibility and will work each and every day to do everything we can to fulfil that obligation.”

In the March newsletter we asked the Environmental Health community how they were responding to the Coronavirus pandemic and to share any best practice, the following have got in touch and responding with how their work has adapted.

Glasgow City Council

Environmental Health has been identified as an essential service in dealing with coronavirus pandemic and staff from other areas have been drafted in. Billy Hamilton has returned from retirement for 2 days per week to help with Glasgow City Council (GCC) response to the pandemic. Most officers have been working from home and food inspections have been suspended unless there is a potential serious health risk. There have been a few key areas of work undertaken in response to the COVID- 19 pandemic by Environmental Health at Glasgow City Council as follows:

• Covid-19 Cross Infection Surveys- this has involved volunteer Environmental health officers going to key department locations to identify cross- infection “hotspots” and make recommendations and to report back to management.  This has been carried out using necessary precautions to ensure social distancing measures are being applied and that relevant PPE was used. This task was undertaken from a public health perspective and not in a health and safety at work context.
• Procurement Prioritisation. GCC Corporate Procurement, Corporate Health and Safety and Environmental Health have developed a streamlined, centralised procurement process for Covid-related PPE requests across the Council. Environmental Health staff apply a prioritisation tool in order to triage incoming requests.
• Tracing of cases and suspected cases. Environmental Health has prepared materials and guidance to enable staff to contact Service colleagues who have declared themselves to be suffering from coronavirus (or to at least have symptoms). A questionnaire has been developed which would be completed while interviewing the ‘case’ over the phone or by email. Information will be collected on the person’s working location and upon any colleagues within which they’ve been in contact over the past 7 days. (This won’t be required if the person has been working from home during this period). Details of the specified contacts will be recorded and those ‘contacts’ then contacted by the ‘relevant case officer’ who contacted the actual case/suspected case.
• Mass Fatalities Resilience. This has been led by Registration, Emergency Planning and Bereavement services however Environmental Health has a role in this area and will involve carrying out daily inspections at the temporary mortuary along with Renfrewshire Council colleagues.
• Coronavirus Regulations. The recently-produced Regulations empower Local Authorities to take enforcement action where businesses are found to be trading unlawfully. Both Environmental Health and Trading Standards staff have been deployed to respond to enquiries and allegations from the public and Police.
• Communications. There is an ongoing need to maintain Covid-related communications with businesses and Council colleagues. Work has included updating website information, creating social media content, creating information posters for depots and other locations, contacting food businesses with information regarding measures to take for takeaways, and contacting care homes to ensure correct waste control measures are in place.

Fife Council

Environmental Health Teams in Fife were identified as business critical, both in terms of the COVID-19 Pandemic response and the day to day public health functions undertaken by the Teams.

Officers are working mainly from home, with routine inspections and interventions suspended at this time. Visits and inspection can only be carried out where there is a significant risk to public health, safety and wellbeing, with Officers first obtaining permission from their Line Manager.

Fife Council’s Environmental Health have and continue to play their part in the response to the Covid-19 Pandemic in the Kingdom, including:  

• Active involvement in Fife Council’s corporate response and are represented on the Corporate and Directorate level Incident Management Teams.
• Are members of the STAC (Scientific Technical Advisory Cell) supporting the work of both Fife Council’s and NHS Fife Incident Management Teams.
• An integral part of the Mass Fatalities preparation work and will have a key role going forward.
• Port Health work continues along with liaison with City of Edinburgh Council Environmental Health colleagues. As the Firth of Forth is providing moorage to five cruise ships (at current count), with servicing of the ships being undertaken at local ports. 
• Provision of information and guidance to businesses through Fife Council’s dedicated Covid-19 webpages.
• Proactive (non-visit) interventions of food business currently trading and those who have or could adapt to collection/delivery service.  This covers a range of food safety practices including for examples cross contamination and allergen management, along with social distancing measures.
• Responding to requests for advice and concerns from other council departments, Businesses, the voluntary sector, partner agencies and members of the public.
• Working with our Trading Standards colleagues of as relevant persons under the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions) (Scotland) Regulation 2020. Liaison with our local Division of Police Scotland is also underway.

Aberdeenshire Council

Being a rural authority with officers usually spread over a variety of 7 offices and home locations, the move to everyone working from home has been reasonably smooth given the existing familiarity with the technology required to support remote working. We had to make the best use of the technology to bid our farewells to a well known friend and colleague John Bell, Lead Food Officer and Examiner who retired on Tuesday 31^st March, the promise of an Indian Buffet remains for when restrictions are to be lifted. In the meantime, we have been kept busy: 

Our team were quick off the mark producing guidance for business who were having to adapt their food offering to deliver/ collection only, we got this guidance on to our social media channels and linked to special COVID advice pages on our website. We continue to review and update our web pages on a daily basis to reflect the changing landscape for residents and business as best as possible. 

A diving support vessel arrived at Peterhead on the 27th March. On board and amongst a crew of 101 were individuals reporting symptoms associated with Covid-19. These crew members were in isolation as per government "household" guidelines. The vessel was directed to a secure berth in Peterhead Harbour and directions given that no crew member leave the vessel and that no 3rd party could board without the permission on Aberdeenshire Council (as Port Health Authority) and Public Health Scotland. An informal "incident team" was formed comprising representatives from Aberdeenshire Council, the Acting Consultant in Public Health from NHS Grampian, and the operator (both onshore and on board the vessel).The Council served a Notice under Section 73 (3)(a) of the Public Health (Scotland) Act 2008 on the owners and operators of the vessel. The Notice contained conditions aimed at preventing the spread of infectious disease from the ship. After careful monitoring of the health status of individual crew members in the following days disembarkation was permitted when deemed appropriate by the incident team. The vessel was then deep cleaned before a fresh crew returned it to service.

With our Household Waste Recycling Centres closed, people have been unable to dispose of their garden waste and some unfortunately have taken to having garden bonfires. We have seen a gradual rise on complaints compared to the same period last year, a trend that will likely be mirrored across other Authorities. To combat any further increase in complaints, we have taken to social media, in conjunction with our Waste colleagues, to encourage people to home compost any garden waste and refrain from burning. 

Although based from home our Animal Health & Welfare Officers are still responding to concerns and visiting small holdings, farms and livestock markets. Stray dogs and dog fouling don’t stop during a pandemic! It has been disappointing to hear of the number of incidents of bagged poo being left on our paths, especially when our 1 hour a day to enjoy the outdoors is confined to these paths. 

As if a global pandemic wasn’t enough to get our heads around, we convened an IMT just over a fortnight ago when we received confirmation from SEPA and the DWQR that Aberdeenshire was at an increased risk of drought and our private water supplies may begin to experience difficulty within the next 2 to 4 weeks. The Cabinet Secretary has confirmed financial assistance will be made available and we currently hold a stockpile of Scottish Water bottled water that I expect we will begin to distribute in the coming days. 

In this fast-moving time, there is real opportunity for our profession to demonstrate more than ever why we are at the core of public health within Scotland. 

East Lothian Council

East Lothian Council have authorised Environmental Health and Trading Standards Officers under the Coronavirus Regulations. Each Officer has been assigned responsibility for premises social distancing monitoring within a specific part of the County. We have adopted the four E’s approach – engage, explain, encourage and enforce.

The team devised some guidance material to assist businesses operating during these times such as food deliveries, commercial dog walkers and pool plant operators. We have also handed signage to businesses. Feedback from businesses has been very positive and appreciative. There has also been good general adoption of social distancing measures by the public.

We have received an increased number of public health nuisance complaints, most likely due to restrictions keeping people at home. Particular problems include an increase in fly tipping, domestic bonfires, an increase in sightings of rats during the day due to lack of their normal food source and also noise complaints.

We have also participated in East Lothian Council’s inter-departmental Mass Fatalities Working Group to ensure that a plan and protocol/procedure was put in place for temporary body storage provision should this be required. 

A few matters raised for address following lockdown include caravan site occupancy. At least one of our holiday licensed sites appears, unawares to the site owner, to have residents with no other formal address.

West Lothian Council

West Lothian Council’s environmental health team are working from home at the current time. The pandemic, and government advice on controlling its spread, have made significant changes to the way we work. The team remain focussed on carrying out essential work in relation to public health protection and enforcement of emergency legislation.

The most obvious change in our work load is enforcement of the relevant parts of the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 where we have had good engagement with the public and businesses.

We are working with NHS Lothian and partner environmental health departments to prepare for any assistance we can give with coronavirus contact tracing strategies.

Our commercial team are proactively contacting food businesses which may be open at the moment to reinforce essential food safety procedures and to discuss controls in place to prevent Coronavirus transmission amongst staff and customers.

We are continuing to handle reactive work such as RIDDOR notifications, food complaints, business advice requests, communicable disease investigations and production of food export certificates.

Public Health and Environmental Protection workload continues at substantial, but 6% reduced levels relative to mid-March – mid April 2019.

An increased proportion of work relates to refuse accumulations and burning of garden and household waste. There has been an increase in domestic bonfires for a number of reasons:

• Additional household rubbish being generated (~20%) due to eating etc at home which would normally take place elsewhere;
• Good weather during lockdown providing residents time to tidy gardens, but unable to dispose of excess waste whilst the Community recycling centres are closed;
• Lockdown providing residents time to carry out DIY, but unable to dispose of excess waste whilst the Community recycling centres are closed; and
• Some small traders who had continued to surreptitiously use the Community Recycling Centres for business waste have had this option removed.

West Lothian retains a full normal household waste collection service during the Covid-19 Pandemic. There is therefore no shortage of capacity for routine household waste, particularly if householders do all they can to segregate out recycling for disposal in the blue bin and garden and food waste to the brown bin.

We have also emphasised the need to minimise burning / carry out responsible burning using social media.

Please keep in touch and let us know how you are getting on during this pandemic and how your work is adapting to the COVID 19 pandemic. 

It will be great to share any best practice with the Environmental Health community in Scotland and recognise those who are going above beyond. 

The feedback will be published in April's Newsletter at the end of the month.

Please email sg@.

This decision has been taken by representatives of the COP Bureau of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), with the UK and its Italian partners.

Dates for a rescheduled conference in 2021, hosted in Glasgow by the UK in partnership with Italy, will be set out in due course following further discussion with parties.

In light of the ongoing, worldwide effects of COVID-19, holding an ambitious, inclusive COP26 in November 2020 is no longer possible.

Rescheduling will ensure all parties can focus on the issues to be discussed at this vital conference and allow more time for the necessary preparations to take place. We will continue to work with all involved to increase climate ambition, build resilience and lower emissions.

COP26 President-Designate and Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Alok Sharma said:

“The world is currently facing an unprecedented global challenge and countries are rightly focusing their efforts on saving lives and fighting COVID-19. That is why we have decided to reschedule COP26.

We will continue working tirelessly with our partners to deliver the ambition needed to tackle the climate crisis and I look forward to agreeing a new date for the conference.”

UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa said:

“COVID-19 is the most urgent threat facing humanity today, but we cannot forget that climate change is the biggest threat facing humanity over the long term.

Soon, economies will restart. This is a chance for nations to recover better, to include the most vulnerable in those plans, and a chance to shape the 21st century economy in ways that are clean, green, healthy, just, safe and more resilient.

In the meantime, we continue to support and to urge nations to significantly boost climate ambition in line with the Paris Agreement.”

In light of recent events with COVID-19, Global Action Plan who run Clean Air Day have made the difficult decision to postpone Clean Air Day 2020 to 8 October.

The success of our Clean Air Day campaign relies heavily on multiple organisations and communities coming together to demonstrate the difference we can all make to the air that we breathe. Whilst many activities can be undertaken digitally, the number one priority is the health and wellbeing of the UK public so postponing is the safest option.

The 8 October has been selected as the new Clean Air Day for 2020 when it is hoped mass gatherings can resume. This will give enough time for Global Action Plan to team up with schools, workplaces and local communities once everyone is back up and running.

The new date will bring new opportunities such as building on Car Free Day on 22 September and working in tandem with Walk to School Month in October. This time of year, will also allow extension to the campaign to new areas such as domestic burning and indoor air quality as well as continuing to build on the core campaign theme around leaving the car at home.

REHIS look forward to supporting Clean Air Day 2020 on 8 October.

REHIS past president, Bernard Forteath has brought to our attention the coronavirus coverage from The South China Morning Post (SCMP). 

They have been providing very comprehensive coverage on coronavirus, since Chinese officials first reported cases of the novel coronavirus to the World Health Organisation on 31 December and were also one of the first English-language publications to report to do so. 

Since that day, they have been chronicling in detail on its website how the COVID-19 pandemic profoundly changed and disrupted the world. The microsite offers a daily rundown of essential stories, including explainers, infographics and FAQs. 

Since that first story in December, SCMP has uncovered many crucial truths about the virus and its spread, elevating thought and understanding amongst our readers around the globe. These stories include: 

• an exclusive tracing of the first recorded case of COVID-19 as far back as November 17
• a scoop from classified Chinese data that revealed one-third of coronavirus cases may be “silent carriers”, and a follow-up story on China's reversal of policies that previously excluded asymptomatic cases from official numbers
• an early explainer using the World Health Organisation’s prediction in 2018 about ‘Disease X’s’ arrival to provide insights on how COVID-19 descended on Wuhan 
• China’s mask-making dominance and its potential of sparking a new geopolitical storm because of the world’s over-reliance on Chinese manufacturing
• an inside look during Wuhan’s lockdown, as well as this week’s focus on the city’s cautious approach to the end of its containment

In addition, their CEO Gary Liu provided an overview on China’s response to the coronavirus with TED and the Aspen Institute, and their editorial team co-produced Facebook’s “Covid Frontline”, a cross-newsroom collaboration with Australia’s 7NEWS and The Straits Times in Singapore. This special program shed light on the global coronavirus battle through frontline reporting and interviews with prominent medical experts, including a WHO advisor and preeminent COVID-19 researcher.  

You can sign up to SCMP updates here.

The Guardian newspaper has produced an interesting article on a missed opportunity for coronavirus contact tracing being carried out by Environmental Health Officers. 

As you know, Environmental health workers in local government have wide experience in contact tracing, a process used to prevent infections spreading and routinely carried out in outbreaks such as of norovirus, salmonella or legionnaires’ disease. 

However, a spokesperson for Public Health England (PHE), which leads on significant outbreaks, said the organisation did not call upon environmental health workers to carry out contact tracing for coronavirus, instead using its own local health protection teams.

PHE’s contact tracing response team was increased to just under 300 staff and was deemed adequate for the containment phase of handling the COVID-19 virus up to mid-March. In that time the team, working around the clock, traced 3,500 people and supported the 3% of contacts found to be infected to self-isolate. Tracing was scaled back when the UK moved to the delay phase of tackling coronavirus in mid-March. It is now carried out in limited form, mainly for vulnerable communities.

Scotland’s leading rural and environmental organisations have issued a statement in relation to the rise in fly-tipping during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scottish Land and Estates, the National Farmers’ Union of Scotland, the Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime, Keep Scotland Beautiful and Zero Waste Scotland all urged the public to report any examples of flytipping.

In a heartfelt statement, they highlighted the impact on farmers – including huge financial costs – at a time when many are already stretched. The statement reads as follows:

“Over the past few weeks, we have seen Scotland’s beautiful countryside being blighted even more with people’s junk. Farmers’ fields, laybys and lanes have become hot spots for DIY remnants, unwanted furniture and garden waste.

“At a time when farmers are working around the clock to provide food for the nation and trying to keep their businesses running despite being short staffed, it is heart breaking to see their land being used as a giant tip. Additionally, local authorities have been forced to temporarily reduce or suspend some services due to the crisis, they are prioritising essential services to protect public health, therefore dealing with flytipping at this time puts added pressure on this limited resource.

“We are pleading with people not to be selfish. Now is not the time to try and get rid of items following a spring clean or DIY project, we are urging you to keep them at home until recycling centres re-open and charities begin to collect furniture and clothing again. Please don’t be taken in by offers of cheap disposal – that’s likely to lead to others fly-tipping your items. Keeping items on your own property for a few weeks is better than taking part in a criminal act that could have longer term consequences, not to mention a fine of up to £40,000.

“Flytipping is illegal, ugly and dangerous. It can be harmful to lambs, calves and other animals and wildlife too. But for farmers and other landowners, it is also costly to clean up. Dealing with litter and flytipping costs an eye watering £53 million of public money in Scotland every year, and that’s only in relation to public land. This money could be better spent elsewhere, particularly at this time.

“When litter and flytipping occurs on private land such as farmers’ fields, it is down to the owner to have it removed – and to foot the bill for doing so. The costs involved are huge. The effects are not all financial either. Flytipping takes time to clear responsibly, can block access, and can cause issues around health and safety.

“The public can also help by acting as the eyes and ears of their community – we urge anyone who notices flytipping to report it, so it can be dealt with by the appropriate authority. This can be done in a number of ways, including through the online Dumb Dumpers website or reporting directly to the relevant local authority.

“As rural and environmental organisations, we are working together to stop flytipping – but we can only do it with the public’s support.”

Signed

Sarah-Jane Laing, Chief Executive, Scottish Land & Estates

Andrew McCornick, President, NFUS

Alan Dron, Rural Crime Coordinator, Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime

Barry Fisher, Chief Executive, Keep Scotland Beautiful

Iain Gulland, Chief executive, Zero Waste Scotland