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The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS) welcomes the opportunity to engage with the The Scottish Government  as it announces its proposed changes to the NHS, Local Authorities, and wider public services.

Environmental Health is a core part of Scotland’s public health workforce, with a vital role in prevention, health protection and addressing the wider determinants of health. Environmental Health professionals work at the heart of communities, helping to prevent ill health and protect the public from a wide range of environmental and public health risks. Through its training and qualifications programmes, REHIS also supports businesses, communities and public sector organisations across Scotland to build knowledge and capacity in areas that contribute to healthier, safer environments, and as Scotland’s only Environmental Health awarding body, plays an important role in developing the skills and capacity needed to support these objectives.

Furthermore, REHIS believes that now is the right time to consider the appointment of a Chief Environmental Health Officer to provide strategic professional leadership for Environmental Health and support the transformation of public services in Scotland.

REHIS would welcome early and constructive engagement with the Scottish Government to ensure that the contribution of Environmental Health is fully recognised, supported and strengthened as part of these changes.

Investing in prevention and the Environmental Health workforce is essential to improving population health, reducing inequalities, and supporting sustainable public services across Scotland.

Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland has published their Public Supplies Annual Report for 2025

Annual Report

Thurrock Council has successfully convicted a former contractor after she admitted thirteen fraud offences and one offence of misconduct in a public office, relating to food safety inspections carried out while engaged by the council.

Lily Yirenkyi was appointed as a temporary Environmental Health Officer in 2020. Within weeks of her appointment, concerns about her work were identified by members of the council’s Environmental Health Team and immediately referred to the council’s Counter Fraud Team for investigation.

An extensive investigation found that Ms Yirenkyi had falsely claimed to have carried out thirteen food hygiene inspections at food businesses in Thurrock. Ms Yirenkyi issued inspection reports and awarded ratings despite inspections not taking place.

The investigation established that documents submitted as evidence of inspections contained forged signatures. Further enquiries also revealed that a reference provided in support of her application had been fraudulently created by Ms Yirenkyi using Southend Council headed paper.

Following the referral, Thurrock Council began to investigate the matter, gather evidence and subsequently prepared the case for prosecution. Ms Yirenkyi’s engagement as a temporary Environmental Health Officer with the council ended immediately following an interview under caution.

All 13 inspections connected to the investigation were subsequently revisited by council officers to ensure that authentic food hygiene inspections were carried out.

Court proceedings were delayed after Ms Yirenkyi failed to attend a plea hearing in 2020 and a warrant was issued for her arrest. On 17 April 2026,  Ms Yirenkyi appeared before the court and pleaded guilty to all offences.

The offences included 13 counts of Using a False Instrument, contrary to Section 3 of the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981, and one count of Misconduct in a Public Office.

On 13 August 2026 at Basildon Crown Court, Ms Yirenkyi was sentenced to:

• A 16-month custodial sentence, reduced from 24 months after credit for guilty pleas, suspended for 24 months
• Compensation of £5,979.50 to Thurrock Council, payable within 18 months
• Costs of £2,500, payable within 18 months
• A victim surcharge of £149

Councillor Richard Bingley, Leader of Thurrock Council and Portfolio Holder for Public Protection, Community Safety and Veterans, said: “The council takes its responsibility to carry out food safety inspections extremely seriously, which is why Yirenkyi was stopped quickly and decisively by other members of staff.

“Importantly, all inspections linked to the investigation were revisited to ensure appropriate oversight and maintain confidence in the food safety inspection process.

“We are committed to protecting residents and supporting legitimate businesses. We will continue to take robust action wherever wrongdoing is identified.

“The council has reviewed and strengthened its processes to mitigate the risk of this happening again.”

Food and drink businesses will be able to boost production, create jobs and grow their companies thanks to almost £6 million of support from the Scottish Government.

The Food and Drink Processing Scheme Scotland will award almost £6 million of capital funding to 28 businesses. Recipients include a Highland egg producer, a Borders potato processor, a Western Isles whisky malting facility and a Fife cheese company. Successful projects include new automated packing lines, cold storage facilities and equipment to increase capacity and improve efficiency.

Economy Secretary Stephen Flynn visited Simon Howie Foods in Dunning which has been awarded over £295,000 to invest in automated slicing, tray filling and labelling technology.

Mr Flynn said:

“Our food and drink sector is a vital part of Scotland’s economy, and this funding will help businesses right across the country invest in the future.

“These grants will support innovation, boost productivity and help create sustainable jobs in communities from North Uist and Moray to Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders.”

Simon Howie of Simon Howie Foods, said:

“We’re delighted to receive this funding, which will allow us to invest in new machinery and increase our production capacity. Continued investment is essential to help us meet growing demand, improve efficiency and remain competitive in a challenging food manufacturing environment. As a family-owned Scottish food business, this investment will help us continue to grow and produce great food here in Perthshire for customers across Scotland and beyond.”

Scotland Food and Drink Chief Executive Iain Baxter said:

“From small family-run enterprises to larger producers of household staples, it’s fantastic to see so many businesses receiving vital investment, which will only strengthen their growth ambitions.

“With a record turnover value of £19 billion, our food and drink sector is one of Scotland’s biggest success stories, and we’re delighted to help the Scottish Government deliver this investment into the industry.”

Full list of Food and Drink Processing Scheme Scotland recipients:

Duncan Farms Ltd, Aberdeenshire – Expansion of egg production through digital traceability, automation and reusable logistics systems. £231,831.20

Highland Game Ltd, Dundee City – Installation of CO₂ blast freezer to increase capacity, quality and environmental performance. £150,947.99

Clever Kombucha Ltd (You + I), Glasgow City – Installation of automated bottling line and fermentation tanks to significantly increase kombucha production. £89,660.80

Mackintosh of Glendaveny Ltd, Aberdeenshire – Development of rapeseed oil refinery, laboratory and circular processing hub. £400,000.00

What’s Fresh Ltd, South Lanarkshire – Expansion of milk processing capacity and improve dairy production efficiency. £88,918.03

Wolds Produce Ltd, Scottish Borders – Establishment of new potato processing operation with optical grading and packing technology. £400,000.00

Hemp It Up Ltd, Angus – Bringing of hemp seed cleaning, dehulling and oil pressing fully in-house. £24,376.40

North Uist Distillery, Na h-Eileanan Siar – Creation of local malting facility to support a field-to-bottle whisky supply chain. £362,387.60

Organic Potato Growers (Scotland) Ltd,  Highland – Investment in automated potato sizing and sorting equipment to increase capacity. £250,604.87

Sootywells Farms, Aberdeenshire – Installation of an AI-enabled optical grading system to improve potato processing. £376,000.00

Stirling Potatoes Ltd, Angus – Expansion of flavoured mash production using extended shelf-life processing technology. £400,000.00

Lindertis Farms Ltd, Angus – Development of a solar-powered egg packing and processing facility. £92,635.60

Benzies Partnership , Aberdeenshire – Installation of an advanced vegetable washing and processing line to increase throughput. £397,732.40

Yester Estate Ltd, East Lothian – Establishment of an on-site game processing facility for venison and game birds. £19,897.20

A & J McDowall Ltd, East Lothian – Addition of a second flour milling line to double production capacity. £171,428.60

St Andrews Farmhouse Cheese Company, Fife – Expansion of cheese production capacity and access to new retail and export markets. £98,398.00

Rowan Glen, Dumfries & Galloway – Diversification into cottage cheese and bulk cream production. £400,000.00

Brackla Eggs, Highland – Building of egg packing facility and automation of loading and conveyor operations. £43,470.00

Simon Howie Butchers Ltd, Perth & Kinross – Investment in automated slicing, tray filling and labelling technology. £295,455.60

John Bryden Potatoes, Perth & Kinross – Installation of an advanced AI based optical potato grader. £169,900.00

Messrs C Smeaton & Sons, Angus – Introduction of robotic palletisation and optical potato sorting technology. £315,660.00

BASH’D (Company Bakery), East Lothian – Establishment of a commercial flour milling operation using Scottish grain. £65,848.86

Alexander Bayne & Son, Perth & Kinross – Installation of an optical sorting system and additional potato cold storage. £370,536.80

Finzean Estate Partnership, Aberdeenshire – Increase to venison processing capacity through new processing facility. £31,448.85

Loch Ness Honey Company, Highland – Automation of honey extraction, filtering and jarring processes. £8,329.60

Messrs WD Stephen & Co, Moray – Investment in advanced automated egg grading and packing equipment. £234,872.50

Dornoch Distillery Company, Highland – Construction of a whisky maturation warehouse and cask handling infrastructure. £366,045.92

Highland Eggs (Scotland) Ltd, Moray – Expansion of organic egg production with automated grading and packing systems. £126,927.83

*This article was amended on 20 August 2026 to correct the funding awarded to Clever Kombucha Ltd (You + I) to £89,660.80.

Scottish Water has become the first utility in the world to adopt an innovative technology aimed at substantially reducing plastic laboratory waste and making the handling process more efficient, lower carbon and easier to track.

Scottish Water and Envetec Sustainable Technologies Limited (Envetec), a clean technology company focused on the treatment and recovery of laboratory plastic waste, have announced the utility has adopted Envetec’s GENERATIONS® technology to improve how high-volume laboratory plastics are handled after use.

While Scottish Water already recycled non-contaminated sample bottles, the new technology provides a more efficient route for processing them and, crucially, enables single-use plastics that may be contaminated with microbiological waste to be disinfected, shredded and prepared for recycling for the first time.

Scottish Water completes around three million analytical tests each year across its laboratories in Edinburgh, Inverness and other locations throughout Scotland to protect public health, maintain water quality and safeguard the environment.

To ensure compliance with stringent regulatory standards, Scottish Water must use large quantities of single-use plastics in its laboratories, including sample bottles, petri dishes and pipette tips, to support safe, sterile and accurate testing, making its Scientific Services team the largest producer of plastic waste across the company.

Elise Cartmel, General Manager for Net Zero at Scottish Water, said: “We carry out millions of tests in our labs every year to protect public health and the environment, and that relies on single-use plastics. “We’re really pleased to be working with Envetec to lead the way with this innovative technology. It is allowing us to handle these waste streams in a more environmentally friendly way and reducing what goes to landfill or incineration, while maintaining the high standards our customers expect.”

Since January, Scottish Water’s Scientific Services team has processed approximately 72,000 sample bottles through the new Envetec technology, reducing the time staff spend manually handling bottles and creating a more streamlined, traceable process for one of its highest-volume laboratory plastic streams.

The team is now extending the technology to microbiological plastic waste that has traditionally required autoclaving – a sterilisation process used in labs and healthcare settings to make equipment or samples completely free of micro-organisms – before being sent to landfill or for incineration because it could not previously be recycled.

By enabling these previously unrecyclable plastics to be treated for recycling, the new process supports a more circular approach while helping reduce energy demand, water use and carbon associated with traditional treatment processes.

GENERATIONS uses simultaneous chemical disinfection and shredding to treat laboratory plastic waste on site, including non-hazardous sample bottles and microbiological plastic waste such as petri dishes and pipette tips. The process produces treated material suitable for recycling, helping Scottish Water bring previously non-recyclable contaminated plastics into a recycling pathway while reducing reliance on autoclaving, landfill and incineration for selected waste streams.

Here’s Scottish Water film, showing how the new process works – Envetec to Reduce Plastic Waste in Labs – Scottish Water

The Scottish Government and Historic Environment Scotland have produced landmark guidance designed to protect the future of almost half a million traditional buildings across Scotland has been published.

The Guide to Conversion of Traditional Buildings will help ensure traditional buildings are adapted safely for modern use – ensuring that they meet fire safety, accessibility and energy efficiency needs, while supporting the sustainable reuse of historic buildings.

It is the first guidance of its kind in almost two decades and is part of the response to lessons learned from the fatal Cameron House Hotel fire in 2017.

The Scottish Government introduced Simon and Richard’s Law, which was passed by Parliament last year. This has resulted in sprinklers becoming a mandatory requirement for traditional buildings that are newly converted into hotels. The law was named in honour of the victims of the Cameron House hotel fire.

Public Finance Minister Hannah Mary Goodlad said:

“The safety of everyone who lives in, works in or visits a traditional building must always come first. The Fatal Accident Inquiry into the Cameron House fire showed clearly how hidden risks in older buildings, like concealed voids and outdated fire protection, can have devastating consequences. This guidance is our direct response, ensuring that anyone converting a traditional building has the tools and understanding they need to protect lives.

“It also reflects our wider ambitions to support sustainable, low-carbon development by making the most of our existing building stock rather than defaulting to demolition and new build.

“I want to thank everyone who contributed their expertise to this guidance. By working together, government, industry and heritage specialists can ensure Scotland’s traditional buildings remain safe, sustainable and fit for the future.”

Colin Tennant, Interim Director of Cultural Assets at Historic Environment Scotland, said:

“Scotland’s traditional buildings are some of our most valuable national assets. They shape the character of our towns, cities and rural communities and embody centuries of craftsmanship, cultural heritage and local identity.

“Reusing and adapting these buildings is vital to protecting our historic environment, while also supporting economic prosperity and community wellbeing through regeneration.

“This guidance will help support the safe, sustainable and informed conversion of traditional buildings across Scotland. It is the product of a truly collaborative approach which reflects the collective expertise of professionals from across the building standards, fire safety, engineering and conservation sectors.

“By learning from past events, understanding the unique risks associated with historic construction, and applying proportionate and informed solutions, we can protect people, retain cultural significance and ensure that these remarkable buildings continue to serve future generations.”

A case of classical Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) has been confirmed in a cow on a farm in Dumfries and Galloway.

Precautionary movement restrictions have been put in place on the offspring of the animal and its ‘cohort’ at the impacted premises.  Further investigations to identify the origin of the disease are ongoing. This is standard procedure for a confirmed case of classical BSE.

The case was identified as a result of our routine though intensive BSE surveillance and stringent control measures that are in place. The animal did not enter the human food chain and Food Standards Scotland have confirmed there is no risk to human health as a result of this isolated case.

The owners of the affected animals are working with authorities on next steps.

Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie said:

“Following confirmation of a case of classical BSE in Dumfries and Galloway, the Scottish Government and other agencies acted swiftly and decisively to protect the agriculture sector.

“The fact we identified this isolated case so quickly is clear proof that our surveillance system for detecting this type of disease is working effectively.

“I want to thank the animal’s owner for their diligence. Their swift action allowed us to identify and isolate the case immediately, minimising its impact on the wider industry.”

The Animal Plant and Health Agency (APHA) is investigating the source of the disease.

All animals over four years of age that die on farm are routinely tested for BSE under Scotland’s comprehensive surveillance system.  While the disease is not directly transmitted from animal to animal, its cohorts including offspring, have been traced and isolated, and will be destroyed in line with legal requirements.

In addition to the measures in place for fallen stock and animal feed, there is a strict control regime to protect consumers. This includes the removal of specified risk material such as the spinal column, brain and skull from carcasses destined for human consumption.

Planning authorities will be required to notify Scottish Ministers of new data centre applications within seven days of validation.

A new direction, issued by Public Finance Minister Hannah Mary Goodlad, applies to data centre developments exceeding 50 Megawatts (MW) power capacity. It will support strategic monitoring of the pipeline of such planning applications and of the implications for wider infrastructure.

Ms Goodlad has also recalled a planning appeal for Ministerial decision relating to a proposed green data centre in Edinburgh, and has issued directions requiring Environmental Impact Assessments at locations in Fife and Edinburgh.

She said:

“Data centres is a rapidly emerging sector, and planning has an important role to play in considering applications, harnessing economic opportunities, and finding solutions which align with our climate goals.

“We must balance the economic and employment interests in developing data centres with national energy, climate and community wealth building ambitions, which are vital to our future prosperity, as well as the potential impact on local communities.

“It is essential to secure public benefits from this type of development, and I am clear that voices of communities that will be affected will be central to any considerations on data centres.”

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has identified an increase in the number of cases of Salmonella Enteritidis.

UKHSA has initiated an outbreak investigation, working with public health and food safety agencies in the UK and Devolved Administrations, and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to identify additional cases, and consider potential sources of the outbreak to enable control measures to be implemented. Cases were interviewed with an outbreak questionnaire to gather information on severity of illness and risk factors for infection.

As of 13 August 2026, 207 confirmed cases between 11 August 2025 and 1 August 2026 have been detected within this outbreak, all within the same 5-single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) single linkage cluster based on WGS, indicating a common source of contamination. The majority of cases (206 out of 207) in this cluster were reported in 2026.

Cases were resident in England (n=199), Scotland (n=6), Wales (n=1) and Northern Ireland (n=1). For cases resident in England, the regions with the highest number of cases to date were London (n=47) and Yorkshire and Humber (n=38).

Cases range in age from 0 years to 90 years with a median age of 30. Across all age groups, 51% (n=105) were female.

Evidence gathered to date suggest that this outbreak is not associated with international travel, as only 6 out of 207 cases (3%) reported travel to countries outside of the UK.

Most people affected in this outbreak experienced self-limiting gastrointestinal illness; however, 38% of people with information available were admitted to hospital due to their salmonellosis symptoms and two people had a blood stream infection. There has been one death associated with this outbreak.

The Outbreak Control Team utilised the ECDC EpiPulse platform to notify member countries of the outbreak, and to understand whether other countries had identified genetically related Salmonella Enteritidis cases.

Extensive epidemiological and food chain investigations are ongoing to identify the source and origin of the contamination responsible for illness. To date, 114 cases have been interviewed and have a completed regional questionnaire or an outbreak questionnaire. Of those cases with a completed questionnaire, 95 (83%) report eating food prepared outside of the home in the week prior to symptom onset. Case interviews identified 5 food businesses where two or more independent cases reported attending in the week prior to symptom onset. These food businesses link 24 cases in total. Eleven of these cases report eating dishes made with eggs. The signal for egg consumption remains the strongest in this investigation to date. Food chain investigations to date have identified that these premises are supplied by eggs from multiple sources, including egg importers. Local investigations have also identified possible cross-contamination risk events within two of these settings. At this time there is no identified link to UK-produced eggs or poultry. The Food Standards Agency is liaising with local authority environmental health teams who have provided advice on food safety management to food businesses where issues have been identified.

This outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis is phylogenetically linked to a previous outbreak from 2025 which was also linked to imported eggs. UKHSA, alongside APHA, FSA and Devolved Administrations are working to collate the information gathered in these outbreaks to explore any potential risks posed from imported eggs and implement preventative measures if necessary.

S. Enteritidis is the most common Salmonella serovar in England and the leading cause of salmonellosis in people. Like all non-typhoidal Salmonella, it is spread via consumption of contaminated food (including eggs, poultry, meat, unpasteurised dairy and fresh produce), contact with the environment, or person-to-person transmission. Symptoms of salmonella infection include diarrhoea, stomach cramps and sometimes vomiting and fever. Salmonella generally causes a self-limiting gastroenteritis, although immunocompromised individuals and those in vulnerable groups (young children and older adults) may experience more severe illness such as blood stream infections, infection of metastatic sites, sepsis and multiorgan failure.

The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS) is proud to have pioneered this initiative, and supported schools across Scotland in delivering food hygiene and nutrition qualifications to their secondary school pupils for more than 30 years.

With continued co-funding from our partners in the Scottish Government, REHIS currently supports more than 200 schools across the country, from Shetland and Orkney to the Borders, including the Western Isles. Schools Participating in the REHIS Schools Initiative continues to grow, with over 10,000 pupils achieving a REHIS qualification in 2025 alone.

The REHIS Elementary Food Hygiene course has been available to schools since 1993. Building on its success, an additional course “Elementary Food and Health” was introduced in 2015, which was in response to increasing demand from schools and learners.

The initiative provides pupils with nationally recognised qualifications that enhance employability, develop practical life skills, and support future education and career opportunities. The programme also assists schools in delivering Curriculum for Excellence outcomes, particularly within the Health and Wellbeing and Food and Health sectors.

For many young people, these qualifications offer a valuable introduction to food safety and public health principles, while providing employers with confidence that pupils entering the workplace have a recognised understanding of food hygiene practices.

Through the continued success of the Schools Initiative, REHIS remains committed to supporting food education and helping young people across Scotland develop knowledge and skills that will benefit them throughout their lives and careers.

For more information about this initiative, contact the Director of Training  Contact REHIS – REHIS

Great Britain continues to be one of the safest places in the world to work, according to new analysis published  by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

The analysis comes alongside the annual release of HSE’s statistics for work-related fatalities for 2025/26, which show that 126 workers were killed in work-related incidents in Great Britain (GB).

HSE has this year developed new analysis comparing the level and trend of fatal injuries to workers in GB with a selection of 35 other countries from around the world, meaning for the first time the results can be compared with countries outside Europe. This analysis provides further supporting evidence that GB is maintaining its position as one of the safest places to work.

Excluding the years affected by the coronavirus pandemic (2019/20-2021/22), the number of worker deaths in 2025/26 is provisionally the lowest number recorded in a single year, comparing to 217 fatalities twenty years ago (2005/06) and 495 in 1981.

The industries with the highest number of deaths continue to be construction (25) and agriculture, forestry and fishing (22). Of all main industry sectors, agriculture, forestry and fishing continues to have the highest rate of fatal injury per 100,000  workers (8.09) followed by waste and recycling (5.47). This compares to an average 0.37 fatal injuries per 100,000 workers across all industries combined.

The most common cause of fatal injuries continues to be falls from a height (31), representing around a quarter of worker deaths in 2025/26.

Workers aged 60 and over accounted for around a third of all fatalities during the year (40) despite that age group accounting for just 12 per cent of the workforce.

A further 104 people who were not at work were killed as a result of work-related incidents in 2025/26. This refers to members of the public who were not directly working themselves at the time of the incident.

HSE’s Chief Executive Sarah Albon said:

“Every one of these numbers represents a loved one lost; serving as a powerful reminder of the importance of the work we do.

“We can be proud that Great Britain remains one of the safest places in the world to work, and the new analysis we have developed this year, for the first time, allows us to compare our safety record with a wide range of other advanced economies.”

The figures relate to work-related accidents and do not include deaths arising from occupational diseases or diseases which arise from certain occupational exposures.

The HSE has also published the annual figures for mesothelioma, a cancer caused by past exposure to asbestos. These show that 2,146 people died from the disease in Great Britain in 2024, representing a fall of 109 compared with 2023 and substantially lower than the average of 2,508 deaths per year over the ten-year period 2011-2020.

Many current mesothelioma deaths still reflect exposure to asbestos that often occurred before the 1980s and annual deaths are expected to continue declining during the next decade.