My Beach, Your Beach, Keep Scotland Beautiful's latest campaign to improve bathing waters at three well known beaches has been launched.

The campaign, funded by Scottish Government, will aim to make a difference by tackling littering, dog fouling and feeding gulls by those visiting the beach.

The campaign will be focusing on three beaches in particular:

• South Beach, Ayr
• Portobello Beach, Edinburgh
• Fisherrow Sands, Musselburgh

All three of the beaches selected for this campaign trial have faced challenges in improving the quality of their seawater as measured by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), whose research confirms the strong link between behaviour on the land and the cleanliness of the local seawater.

Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said:

“This campaign is one of a number of measures to improve three of Scotland’s best loved beaches and bathing waters, which are enjoyed by thousands of people on a daily basis. Sadly, some of those users leave more than just footprints behind, with dog fouling and littering, which attracts gulls, impacting on water quality.

“Keeping our beaches and bathing waters clean is a priority for the Scottish Government, which is why we’re helping to fund Keep Scotland Beautiful’s campaign, and working closely with stakeholders to provide long term solutions to the problem.

“I know the people of Scotland will be keen to support the campaign, and I would encourage them to do so by carrying out some simple actions to help us all continue to enjoy Scotland’s amazing beaches and bathing waters.”

The campaign team were on Ayr South Beach at the launch to meet and inform local beach users of the importance of responsibly collecting and removing their rubbish from the beach at the end of their visit, not letting dogs foul the beach, and discouraging the feeding of gulls which then leads to further negative impact on the local environment.

Members of the public are urged to get involved in a #2MinuteCleanUp and share their successes on social media, and dog owners are encouraged to enter the ‘doggy portrait’ competition which could see their pets feature as the face of a dog fouling campaign  – reminding dog owners to ‘bag it and bin it’.

Nicola Turner, Community Projects Officer at Keep Scotland Beautiful, commented:

“We can all play a part in cleaning up our nation’s bathing waters, improving the experience at the seaside for locals and visitors alike. Whilst visitor behaviour is only part of the solution, by taking our litter home, bagging and binning dog poo, and not feeding the gulls, we can all be part of the solution and get cleaner water for us all to enjoy.

“The launch of our ‘My Beach, Your Beach’ campaign emphasises our shared responsibility, and we look forward to meeting lots more local beach users as the campaign period unfolds.”  

The pilot project covering the three beaches will trial a number of interventions, including:

• Business packs for local business including stickers, posters and information on how they can get involved,
• Colourful bin wraps with key campaign messaging,
• Signage around the beachfront raising awareness of the campaign,
• A series of community engagement events involving dogs, litter and gulls, communicating how these can seriously impact on water quality.

Councillor Ian Cochrane, South Ayrshire Council’s Portfolio Holder for Sustainability and the Environment, added:

“We’re extremely proud of our beaches in South Ayrshire and work incredibly hard throughout the year to keep them looking their best and to ensure   – as far as we can – that our bathing waters meet national standards.

“Where standards aren’t quite what we want them to be, we work closely with SEPA and other partners to address pollution issues – and visitor behaviour is one way to do that. By being responsible and picking up after ourselves and our dogs and making sure that we feed our bins, not the gulls, we can help reduce the amount of dog and bird poo and litter that makes its way into our waters.

“That’s even easier this year thanks to hundreds of new bins that are being put in place at our beaches in South Ayrshire. And, with tens of thousands of people flocking to our beaches during the summer, people power really can make a difference and allow us all to enjoy our stunning coastlines and My Beach, Your Beach.”  

The campaign is also designed to complement the range of work currently undertaken by SEPA on bathing water quality.

Terry A’Hearn, Chief Executive of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), said:

“Every day SEPA works to protect and enhance Scotland’s stunning environment, and we are committed to ensuring all of Scotland’s designated bathing waters meet water quality standards.

“By targeting behaviour on land that can affect bathing water quality Keep Scotland Beautiful’s ‘My Beach, Your Beach’ campaign will complement SEPA’s work. Recently Scotland has seen the best rates of compliance since the Bathing Water Directive began and by working in partnership we can further improve the quality of Scotland’s bathing waters including at Ayr South Beach, Portobello and Fisherrow Sands.

“Working with partners, we’re continuing our focus on bathing waters rated as ‘poor’, with tailored improvement plans prepared by SEPA. These projects will result in major improvements to bathing water quality in the future and should see improvements over the coming season.”

To watch as the campaign unfolds this summer, check out the My Beach, Your Beach pages and if you see any of the beach interventions tag with #MyBeachYourBeach.

Scottish Government funding will be made available to Local Authorities and Scottish Water to ensure that emergency supplies of drinking water are provided to communities where their private water supplies have run dry.

Although the vast majority of Scotland has access to public water supplies, nearly 4% of the population rely on private water supplies. The majority of these are from springs and burns which are vulnerable to lengthy periods of dry weather.

The recent Water Scarcity Report from The Scottish Environment Protection Agency shows that the river flows are low in many areas, increasing the risk that private supplies will run dry.

Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham, and Finance and Economy Secretary Derek Mackay have written to all local authorities to ask them to work with Scottish Water to ensure that affected communities are provided with emergency supplies.

Announcing the additional funding, Finance and Economy Secretary Derek Mackay said:

“An adequate supply of drinking water is something that most of us take for granted. However, for those who are not connected to the public supply, this is not the case particularly in prolonged dry periods.

“We are determined to ensure that no one goes without drinking water because of the current dry spell. For this reason, I have confirmed to Local Authorities and Scottish Water that the Scottish Government will cover the additional costs incurred where emergency supplies need to be provided.

“Where communities are experiencing difficulties, they should contact their Local Authority for advice and assistance.

“I would urge everyone across Scotland, whether connected to the public or a private supply to use water wisely in the coming weeks to ease the pressure facing the water network and to help conserve water supplies.”

A collaboration of East Lothian Council, Scottish Fire and Rescue and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) are to form a multi-agency Rural Crime Campaign which is due to launch soon.

Derek Oliver, Service Manager – Protective Services, East Lothian Council said “This campaign is bringing partners closer together in targeting and addressing a host of activities that affect our rural communities and landscape. We believe by working in collaboration and sharing intelligence, we can create a hostile environment for those seeking to commit crime in the rural East Lothian.

East Lothian Council Leader, Willie Innes, added: “This campaign and the use of quad bikes to access our more remote areas will go a considerable way to deter those contemplating criminal acts. From the council’s perspective, we want to help reduce crime and the fear of crime by involving all members of the community and protecting those who are most vulnerable. We will be liaising with other stakeholders and opening channels for members of the public to inform us of their concerns so that we can target areas and activities most effectively.”

Police Inspector Andy Hill said “our officers based across East Lothian Police are committed to the prevention, investigation and reporting of all crimes that impact negatively on our rural communities. We are pleased to be working closely in partnership with East Lothian Council and other agencies towards this aim.”

Further details of the Rural Crime Campaign will be launched in the coming weeks.

The effectiveness of legislation Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010 (the 2010 Act) is to be examined by a Holyrood committee.

The aim of the 2010 Act was to ensure that dogs which are out of control are brought and kept under control by tackling irresponsible dog ownership and by shifting the focus from “breed” to “deed”.

To do so the Act makes provision for local authorities to impose measures on an owner, or person in charge of a dog, who fails to keep their dog under control.

As part of its post-legislative scrutiny of the 2010 Act, the Public Audit and Post-Legislative Scrutiny Committee will examine the role of local authorities in fulfilling their duties, including the serving of Dog Control Notices as a deterrent to irresponsible dog ownership.

The inquiry was prompted following concerns at the number of dog attacks in Scotland, with the number of people receiving treatment for dog bites rising from 1,939 in 2015 to 2,027 in 2016.

Public Audit and Post-Legislative Scrutiny Committee convener, Jenny Marra MSP, said: “The Control of Dogs Act was right to recognise that responsibility rests with dog owners to ensure their pets pose no risk to the public.

“Our committee wants to hear a wide range of views on whether the act has been effective in reducing the number of out of control dogs.

“We want to know how well local authorities are carrying out their duties under the act, and whether the public believe legislation can and should be strengthened to prevent dog attacks in the future.”

More information is available here.

The Sheriff Court Judgement of South Lanarkshire Council against Errington Cheese Limited has been published. 

The case is regarding cheese made by Errington cheese which was seized by South Lanarkshire Council in 2017.

The cheese was seized following an outbreak of E.coli O157 in 2016 in which Dunsyre Blue cheese made by Errington Cheese was the named the most likely source of the outbreak. 

The case focused on sheep’s milk cheese made by Errrington Cheese- Corra Linn and Lanark Blue. Dunsyre Blue which is made from cow’s milk did not form part of the case. In total 83 batches of Lanark Blue were seized and 70 batches of Corra Linn. 

The Sheriff’s ruling was the cheeses seized were produced, processed or distributed in compliance with the Hygiene Regulations with the exception of four batches- one batch of Lanark Blue and three batches of Corra Linn.

Lanark Blue was shown to contain an unidentified shiga toxin E.coli (STEC) bacterium identical to that found in one batch of Dunsyre Blue. Three batches of Corra Linn, were shown to contain other unknown strains of E.coli. 

Ross Finnie, chairman of Food Standards Scotland said he was "disappointed" the Sheriff did not rule that all the sheep's milk cheeses should be destroyed.

He said: "Food Standards Scotland is content that the Sheriff's judgment in the case of South Lanarkshire Council v Errington Cheese Ltd concluded that some of the cheeses produced by Errington Cheese Ltd were unfit for human consumption. 

"However, we are disappointed this did not include all of the cheese involved in these proceedings.

"Food Standards Scotland was part of the incident management team which worked to contain the E.coli O157 outbreak in Scotland in 2016 and which gathered the large volume of evidence required in this complex case.

"South Lanarkshire Council's decision to bring condemnation proceedings, which Food Standard Scotland supported, was not taken lightly and all the organisations involved believed there was a strong case for taking such action."

He said Food Standards Scotland would "study the judgment fully to consider its implications."

Michael McGlynn, South Lanarkshire Council's executive director of community and enterprise resources, said: "The council acknowledges the sheriff's decision to confirm the destruction of some of the cheese that action was taken against, whilst noting the sheriff's decision on the remaining batches. 

"We are considering the implications of the decision."

Air pollution has been clearly linked to spikes in breathing problem-related admissions to hospitals and visits to GPs in a research project conducted at the University of Dundee.

Researchers studied nearly 15 years of data for air pollution levels in Dundee, Perth and the surrounding area and matched it to medical records of 450 patients who suffer from bronchiectasis, a long-term chronic condition similar to COPD which can cause a persistent cough and breathlessness as well as frequent chest infections.

They discovered that many had sought medical help on the days when pollution levels spiked.

Professor James Chalmers, GSK/British Lung Foundation Professor of Respiratory Research in the School of Medicine at Dundee, who helped lead the study, said that during period of high pollution there were large increases in admissions to Ninewells Hospital and Perth Royal Infirmary for those with breathing problems, which was also witnessed at GP surgeries.

He added: “We also found that the impact of air pollution was worst in the summer, where hot and less windy days raise the levels of air pollution. It is also when people are outside more and are being exposed to pollution, and we ultimately see more people having to attend hospital or see a doctor.”

Professor Chalmers explained it was the sophisticated medical record keeping in Tayside that provided key data for the study.

“It is only in Tayside we can get such a detailed look at the data because of the sophistication of the electronic health records that have been well established for many years,” he said.

“This is the first study in Scotland where we been able to look in detail at the relationship between medical data and air pollution data, but evidence from other countries has also suggested similar links. There is every reason to believe these results would be replicated elsewhere.”

Professor Chalmers said the problem was particularly acute in those areas where heavy traffic contributed to poor air quality.

Ian Jarrold, head of research at the British Lung Foundation, acknowledged that it was well-known that people with lung conditions were the first to become breathless when exposed to air pollution.

He added: “Thanks to this study, we now know that there is a clear link between high levels of air pollution and increased numbers of patients with breathing problems at hospitals and GP surgeries.

“The additional costs faced by the NHS in treating patients with lung conditions due to high exposure to air pollution can no longer be ignored.”

He called for tough measures to be introduced to cut vehicle emissions in towns and cities across the UK.

The Scottish government has committed to phasing out petrol and diesel cars. Ministers have also committed to introducing low emission zones into Scotland’s biggest cities by 2020.

The study was a collaboration between the research team at the University of Dundee and environmental health experts from Belgium. The study was funded by the British Lung Foundation and is published in the European Respiratory Journal.

Midsummer, a magical in time Scotland where we can expect to enjoy over 17 hours of glorious daylight each day. On the longest day (21 June this year if you’re curious), the sun will barely set at all in some places. In fact, in the North, on a good day, it’s possible to watch the sun rise before it goes below the horizon… or maybe that’s on a good two days? Can be hard to get your head around that marvel.

The long days don’t just mean more time to enjoy summer festivals, late night walks on the beach and extended day trips to appreciate our more remote beauty spots. The extra 10 hours of sunlight we get every day, when compared to mid-winter, is good for business too. 

That is, it’s good if your business takes advantage of all that extra daylight instead of leaving the lights burning. To make sure you don’t miss out, we’ve come up with our top six midsummer money saving ideas, including some handy no and low-cost things you can start doing today.

1. Make use of natural daylight

There’s no better light than natural light. It’s great in terms of colour and intensity, and that’s great for staff productivity. Best of all, it’s completely free.

To make sure your business is making the most of all the natural light it can, we recommend you start by keeping your workplace’s windows (and skylights if you have them) clean and free from obstructions. Yes, Dave from marketing may have to move his big box of brochures from the window ledge, but it could mean you can switch off your lighting until the autumn, creating a better working environment and saving a packet on your energy bill. Sorry Dave.

You could then also think about rearranging your office to ensure your desk-based workers are near to the windows where they can enjoy the natural light – rather than having them sitting in darker areas where artificial lighting will need to be turned on.

2. Check your timers

This tip relates specifically to any external lighting you may have – safety and security, company signage and car-park lighting for example. It can also apply to display lighting in shop window displays for retailers. 

If you have daylight sensors that control these lights, great, you’re sorted. But, if like many businesses you don’t have sensors fitted, it will pay dividends for you to take 5 minutes to adjust your timers for the summer. A quick check now will make sure you’re not wasting energy and money, all summer long – needlessly lighting up areas that are already bright enough.

3. Encourage staff to use lights only when needed

Question – with so much natural light available throughout the whole working day at this time of year, do you really need your lights on at all? Have you tried switching some, or even all, of them off? 

We are creatures of habit, so it may be that your lights are on across your workplace right now, not because they’re needed, but just because they always get switched on in the morning – every day, all year round.

A great way to save money on your energy bill is to encourage staff to use lighting only when it’s required, and to switch it off when it isn’t. These free posters, stickers and light switch labels will help you do just that.

4. Use technology to automate your lighting

Encouraging staff to use lighting only when it’s needed is a quick, no-cost way of reducing your lighting bill. But we are all human and lights do get left on by accident – in meeting rooms, toilets, corridors and many other places where they are not needed. It’s happening right now in countless buildings across Scotland, wasting energy and profits.

The good news is, there’s lots of technology now available that can automatically control your lighting for you. Infrared, microwave, ultrasonic and heat sensors are all available and can prevent lights being left on unnecessarily in your business. What’s more, many systems can be installed without having to do any rewiring of your current lighting. 

5. …and when you do need lighting on, make sure it’s efficient 

OK, it’s Scotland. Even in the height of summer, there’ll be rainy days where there won’t be enough natural light and you’ll need to reach for the light switch. Maybe more than the odd day to be fair. Over the course of a year, lighting costs can quickly rack up for Scottish businesses and will often make up 20% of total energy costs. 

Thankfully, lighting technology such as LEDs has progressed hugely in recent years and taking advantage of this technology provides a cracking opportunity to save energy and money.

At the same time, while new technology offers fantastic cost-saving opportunities, the rapid proliferation of new products on the market can sometimes be daunting. But that’s not a reason not to make cost-savings improvements. Just call our team of advisors and they can give you free advice on the type of system that would work best for you and your business – there’s no need to be left in the dark about your best options. What’s more, there’s lots of Government-funded support to help you make recommended improvements in your workplace – such as the Scottish Government’s interest-free SME loan.

6. Invest in solar panels

With over 17 hours of sunlight shining down on your workplace every day right now – have you considered turning some of it into free energy to cut your bills and boost profits? 

Solar panel electricity systems, also known as photovoltaics (PV), capture the sun's energy (even on a cloudy day) and convert it into electricity, which can be used to power your business. 

A well as benefitting from free energy, the UK Government’s Feed-in Tariff scheme also pays you for the electricity you generate, even if you use it. And the energy you don’t use? Well, you can sell it to the grid and receive another payment. What’s not to like? Plus, the Government’s SME Loan extends to renewables to help your business install solar panels.

There are hundreds of ways you can save resources to boost profits in your business, but the tips above are a great place to start. 

Just have a look at the businesses on the Green Network For Businesses that have acted already and see the kinds of savings that can be easily made. And, remember, if you would like to join them, all you have to do is call our helpline on 0808 808 2268 or email enquiries@resourceefficientscotland.com. 

Resource Efficient Scotland is a programme from Zero Waste Scotland. Free support to business is funded by the Scottish Government and by the European Regional Development Fund through the £73 million Resource Efficiency Circular Economy Accelerator Programme.

Frozen corn and possibly other frozen vegetables are the likely source of an outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes that has been affecting five EU Member States Austria, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom since 2015.

This is the conclusion of a rapid outbreak assessment by European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

Experts used whole genome sequencing to identify the food source, which initially was thought to be limited to frozen corn. As of 8 June 2018, 47 cases including nine deaths had been reported.

The same strains of L. monocytogenes have been detected in frozen vegetables produced by the same Hungarian company in 2016, 2017 and 2018. This suggests that the strains have persisted in the processing plant despite the cleaning and disinfection procedures that were carried out following an investigation in March.

The available information confirms the contamination at the Hungarian plant. However, further investigations, including thorough sampling and testing, are needed to identify the exact points of environmental contamination at the Hungarian plant. The same recommendation applies to other companies belonging to the same commercial group if environmental contamination is detected.

On 29 June 2018, the Hungarian Food Chain Safety Office banned the marketing of all frozen vegetable and frozen mixed vegetable products produced by the affected plant between August 2016 and June 2018, and ordered their immediate withdrawal and recall. This last measure is likely to significantly reduce the risk of human infections and contain the outbreak. All freezing activity at the plant has been stopped.

New cases could still emerge due to the long incubation period of listeriosis (up to 70 days); the long shelf-life of frozen corn products; and the consumption of frozen corn bought before the recalls and eaten without being cooked properly.

To reduce the risk of infection, consumers should thoroughly cook non ready-to-eat frozen vegetables, even though these products are commonly consumed without cooking (e.g. in salads and smoothies). This applies especially to consumers at highest risk of contracting listeriosis – such as the elderly, pregnant women, new-borns and adults with weakened immune systems.

What is a rapid outbreak assessment?

Coordination at EU level is crucial when there are multi-country foodborne outbreaks. One aspect of this coordination is the production of a rapid outbreak assessment (ROA) by EFSA and ECDC in close cooperation with affected countries.
The ROA gives an overview of the situation in terms of public health and identifies the cause of the infections. It also includes trace-back and trace-forward investigations to identify the origin of the outbreak and where contaminated products have been distributed. These help to identify measures that will prevent further spread of the outbreak.

The public is being asked to shape a deposit return scheme for drinks containers as a way of reducing plastic pollution.

People would pay a small deposit when they buy a drink in a single-use container and get that money back when it is returned empty.

A consultation on a Deposit Return Scheme for Scotland asks for views on questions including:
• How much the deposit should be
• where people could return items
• what sort of materials and products should be included

Around 2.5 billion single-use drinks containers are sold in Scotland every year. Some countries with deposit return schemes are achieving up to 95% recycling rates for drinks containers compared to 50% in Scotland.

The responses to the consultation will help to design an effective system. This will then go forward as regulations under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.

The consultation can be viewed at the following link- https://beta.gov.scot/news/tackling-plastic-pollution/

Charges brought against three out of five companies following an outbreak of Legionnaires Disease in the west of Edinburgh have been dropped.

The legal case against the North British Distillery Company Limited, Pera Services Limited and Chemtech Consultancy Limited ended on 29 June when not guilty pleas were accepted.

The five companies were originally charged under the Health and Safety at Work Act after allegedly exposing people to the legionnaires bacteria.

The charges were related to the maintenance and cleaning of cooling towers and are unconnected to the deaths of four people in the city during the outbreak.

The case against two firms continues. Ashland Industries UK Limited, and MacFarlan Smith Limited are both accused of health and safety breaches. They maintained their pleas of not guilty. A further First Diet hearing has been fixed for 30 July.

Four people died and a further 92 were infected in an outbreak of Legionnaires Disease in the area in 2012. The source was never traced and no prosecutions ever brought.

An Argyll and Bute hotel owner plans to serve burgers made with midges to his customers.

David Keat, who owns the Brander Lodge Hotel near Oban, said he would harvest the midges from the hotel’s midge exterminator machines. The burgers would be dipped in a coat of midges, like breadcrumbs, and a special secret ingredient added.

The plans are due to be considered by Environmental Health from Argyll and Bute Council.

Mr Keat, who admitted the idea started off as a joke, said he came up with it after creating a vegan “midge fodder burger” using leaves and herbs grown in the hotel’s garden, which attract the tiny insects.

He said: “If you are angry and you want to get your own back on the midges, you can eat them for a change, instead of them eating you.”
He insisted that the idea of eating insects was becoming more mainstream.

Mr Keat said: “We just thought that, with ants and grasshoppers on menus across the world, Scotland has a ready supply of protein-filled midges and, because of our location, we have an ample supply of the wee blighters.

“There is a huge plague of midges this year. We’re seeking advice via the health authorities and plan to send a midge burger to be tested, to see if it is fit for eating.”
The midges will be coated on to the outside of the burger, like breadcrumbs, said Mr Keat, adding: “I will cook one of the vegan patties and fry it up out of hours, in my own domestic kitchen, freeze it, and send it away for testing.

Iain MacKinnon, Environmental Health Manager for Argyll and Bute Council, said midge burgers were certainly “an unknown quantity.”

He added: “In principle we have no objection, but it would need to be thoroughly tested and checked before it was served up to humans.

“You would need to make sure that the cooking process is able to deal with any bacteria and it would need to go to a food science lab, to make sure it’s fit for human consumption.”

The Crown Office has decided not to carry out a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into the death of a three-year-old girl during an outbreak of E.coli O157 in 2016.

The Crown Office had previously said South Lanarkshire-based Errington Cheese would not face prosecution over the child’s death. The firm’s Dunsyre Blue was named the most likely source of the outbreak.

The Crown Office said it had considered “all the relevant matters” it decided this was not a case where an FAI was required.

A total of 26 cases of the same strain of E. coli O157 were identified between July and September 2016 as a result of the outbreak, which left 17 people requiring hospital treatment.

A report published by Health Protection Scotland on behalf of the Incident Management Team in March 2017 said that the likely source of the infection was consumption of an unpasteurised cows’ milk cheese. The multi-agency incident management team, consisting of Health Protection Scotland, South Lanarkshire Council, and Environmental Health teams from a further from 11 Local Authorities, found that potentially pathogenic E. coli were able to enter and survive the cheese production process at the food business.

However, Errington Cheese has repeatedly questioned the quality of the investigation and any suggestion that their product was responsible.

A Crown Office spokesman said: “The Crown Office has fully investigated the death of a three year-old Dunbartonshire girl who died on September 2, 2016 following a complication of an E.coli infection.

“Following a full and thorough investigation by the procurator fiscal, Crown counsel have concluded that there is insufficient evidence for a prosecution, and as a result no criminal proceedings are instructed.

“Should additional evidence come to light, that decision may be reconsidered.

“Having given careful consideration to all relevant matters, including the recommendations of the incident management team, Crown counsel were satisfied that the cause of the death had been clearly established and that in the circumstances this was not a case where a fatal accident inquiry was required.
“The family have been informed of this decision.”

Last year the company announced it had started making Dunsyre Blue using pasteurised, rather than unpasteurised milk, but that it hoped the move would be “only a short to medium term measure whilst we wait for resolution of the ongoing legal issues”.