Improving and protecting health and wellbeing in Scotland through education, training and qualifications in Environmental Health
The Institute was sad to learn of the death of Peter Archer on 7 October 2025. Peter was a distinguished veteran and a dedicated advocate for environmental health. He made substantial contributions to the profession over many years, serving as the President of the International Federation of Environmental Health from 2016 to 2018.
Here is a Memorial Board https://thesolace.com/memorials/0444d34bd3dd-peter-archer
Our deepest condolences are extended to his family.
HSE has launched a Call for Evidence (CfE) as part of our review of:
The RAP seeks to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy, enhance regulatory efficiency, and ensure legislation keeps pace with technological advancements and modern working practices.
HSE’s review of PSSR and LOLER forms part of a broader initiative to explore opportunities to reduce regulatory burdens on businesses, while continuing to uphold high standards of workplace health and safety.
The CfE seeks to build a robust evidence base to inform targeted amendments that enhance clarity, simplify requirements, and modernise regulatory processes. It is important to note that this is not a comprehensive overhaul of the regulations, but a focused effort to ensure that they remain proportionate, effective, and aligned with current and emerging technologies.
Your perspectives and expertise will be invaluable in considering the future of these regulations. We encourage you to contribute to the CfE and to share this opportunity with relevant colleagues and networks.
There are 2 separate CfE’s. Follow the links to find out more and participate:
Please note: both CfE’s will close on 11 November 2025.
REHIS 150 Anniversary Forum and Dinner
The President extends sincere thanks to all speakers, exhibitors, members, staff, and delegates who attended the 150th Anniversary Forum and Dinner. It was a remarkable day of learning, discussion, and celebration.
He would also like to thank everyone who attended the Public Health Walking Tour the following day. He thoroughly enjoyed hearing all about it upon their return to the Institute’s office, where everyone appreciated viewing the historical artifacts from the past 150 years.
Full coverage of the event will be featured in the special 150th edition of the Journal.
World Environmental Health Day – 26th September 2025
This year’s theme is: Clean Air, Healthy People
World Environmental Health Day (ifeh.org)
REHIS Diploma in Environmental Health and SFSORB Higher Certificate in Food Practice – Professional Examinations
The Professional Examinations (Interviews) are taking place on Tuesday 30 and Wednesday 1 October at the Carnegie Conference Centre, Dunfermline. The Institute wishes the best of luck to all 18 candidates.
Southern Centre AGM
The Southern Centre is hosting training event along with the centre AGM on Thursday 2 October 2025. The programme and booking form is available here: Southern Centre AGM and Training Day – REHIS
Diary Date – REHIS Environmental Health Update and Annual General Meeting
The free to members Environmental Health Update is being held as a hybrid event on the morning of Friday 21 November from the REHIS Office in Edinburgh. The programme and booking form will be available soon.
This event will be followed by the Institute’s 25th Annual General Meeting.
On 23 September Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie chaired a summit in Inverness bringing together local councillors, housing associations, business representatives, waste management organisations and community groups, scientific experts and NatureScot.
The summit was called to address growing concerns about gull behaviour in urban areas, where populations are increasing, even as coastal numbers decline.
He will also confirm that NatureScot will be investing £100,000 in councils to support efforts to limit the damage caused by gulls, ahead of next year’s breeding season. Deterrents can include measures such as the use of lasers, noise, roof spikes and netting to prevent nesting.
Mr Fairlie said:
“The summit allows us to share practical solutions, learn from real-world examples and identify gaps in current policies to develop a coordinated approach. We know that effective gull management often requires a range of solutions, particularly around litter management which provides food sources.
“Where public safety is at risk, NatureScot can issue control licences. Our focus now is on how we can prevent these issues from arising next year, with extra support provided and I look forward to seeing the projects that this additional funding will help.
“By working directly with affected communities and expert advisors we can ensure solutions are tailored to local circumstances with effective deterrents that make urban areas less attractive to gulls.”
Professor Colin Galbraith, NatureScot Chair, said:
“The evidence is clear that our gull populations are in decline. In some areas, gulls have adapted to the pressures they face – from climate change to food shortages and avian flu – by moving into our towns and cities in search of easier food and safe nest sites. We understand that some urban areas are experiencing issues with gulls and that this can have an impact on people’s lives, especially during the nesting season.
“While the debate on urban gulls has long centred on control through licensing, and that will undoubtably remain part of the picture, it is important at the same time to look at the underlying reasons for any problems, including the availability of food and nest sites for the gulls in urban settings.
“This funding will support local authorities to develop proactive and collaborative plans to manage gulls in a way that balances their conservation with any control activities.”
From 29 September to 5 October, Scotland’s Climate Week will spotlight how organisations and communities across Scotland are working together to build a climate ready future. Whether it’s through local partnerships, staff engagement, or implementing sustainable practices — your organisation can play a key role in driving action.
Here’s How Your Organisation Can Get Involved
Find out more about Scotland’s Climate Week by visiting netzeronation.scot.
Researchers said they hope the plan can turn worry into action amid rising climate risks.
Glasgow Caledonian University has received almost £100,000 to lead a national project aimed at helping households across Scotland better prepare for flooding – one of the country’s most pressing climate challenges.
The seven-month initiative, funded by the Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW), is set to run until spring 2026 and aims to develop a practical, easy-to-use household flood plan which can be adopted by families across the country. It comes as new research suggests a worrying lack of preparedness among the public despite increasingly frequent and severe weather events linked to climate change.
According to data from Glasgow Caledonian, only 28% of Scottish households feel ready for a flood, while just 3% have taken practical steps such as installing resilience measures. Fewer than one in three receive flood alerts or weather warnings.
‘Flooding is one of Scotland’s biggest climate challenges, but too few people feel prepared,’ Dr Fiona Henderson, leader of the project in collaboration with the University of Glasgow and the James Hutton Institute, said. ‘By using insights from behavioural science, we want to help households take small, practical steps that could make a big difference when disaster strikes.’
At the centre of the project is a Household Flood Plan template, which offers a checklist of protective actions. These include guidance on how to how to safely switch off power and water, where to store key documents, and what to pack if evacuation is necessary. What’s more, the document is set to be professionally designed to ensure it is clear and accessible.
Going forward, Henderson said the project, which has been commissioned by the Scottish Government, SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency) and the Scottish Flood Forum, will eventually become more than just a checklist.
‘This research explores whether filling out a household flood plan can be a powerful first step – boosting awareness, encouraging responsibility and leading to further protective actions such as fitting flood barriers,’ Henderson explained.
‘This work brings together research, community voices, and government support – not just to build Scotland’s resilience, but to share lessons internationally on how households can adapt to climate change.’
A final version of the Household Flood Plan template and guidance will be free toaccess on the CREW website in 2026, alongside a full report on the project’s findings.
Air pollution across the UK dropped between 2015 and 2024, but dangerous levels are still reached too often, shows new research published in Environmental Science: Atmospheres.
Scientists from the University of Reading studied pollution at more than 500 monitoring sites around the UK. They looked at three main types of air pollution which harm people’s health. Two types of pollution got better over the decade. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which is mainly produced by traffic, fell by 35% on average at monitoring sites. Fine particles called PM2.5, which are small enough to get deep into lungs, dropped by 30%.
Despite these improvements, pollution still breaks safety limits too often. The average number of days each year when NO2 exceeded World Health Organization targets fell from 136 to 40 days, while for PM2.5 particles exceedances decreased from 60 to 22 days per year.
In contrast to NO2 and PM2.5, another pollutant, surface ozone (O3) increased by 17% on average over the decade. The number of days when O3, which is formed when sunlight interacts with NO2 and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by traffic and industry, exceeded targets doubled from 7 to 14 per year.
Dr James Weber, lead author at the University of Reading, said: “The UK has made progress on air quality, but there is still a long way to go. Pollution from traffic is getting better, but we need both local action and international cooperation to improve all types of air pollution. The fact that O3 is getting worse while other pollution improves shows we need to think carefully about how we tackle this problem and not focus on pollutants in isolation.”
The research highlight that different pollution types come from different sources. NO2 pollution is mainly driven by local traffic, while PM2.5 particles often blow in from other parts of the UK and continental Europe. Ozone pollution comes from both local and distant sources.
These findings mean different approaches are needed to tackle each type of pollution. Cleaner vehicles can help reduce NO2 from traffic, but cutting PM2.5 pollution needs national and international efforts because it can travel long distances across borders from continental Europe. O3 presents a complex challenge as its formation depends on the balance of certain gases in the atmosphere, their interaction with sunlight and temperature. In particular, as NO2 decreases, O3 will increase in most urban areas unless simultaneous efforts are made to reduce the VOCs which fuel its production, highlighting the need for multi-pollutant policies which span multiple sectors and countries.
Legislation to restrict supermarket sales of foods high in fat, sugar or salt (HFSS) has led to a marked reduction in purchases, according to the first ever independent analysis.
The research, which was carried out in England by the University of Leeds, estimates that two million fewer in-scope HFSS products were sold per day after the new law took effect.
Before the legislation was implemented, 20 out of every 100 items sold were in-scope HFSS products. Following legislation this number dropped to 19.
For the evaluation, researchers used store level sales and product data from Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco, alongside the Priority Places for Food Index , an online tool which identifies neighbourhoods most in need of support to access affordable, healthy and sustainable foods.
They also conducted surveys and interviews with representatives from the four UK supermarkets, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and enforcement officers.
Nearly 2,000 shoppers were also surveyed to find out how the legislation was perceived and how it impacted shopping behaviours.
The legislation, which restricts the location of products that are high in fat, sugar or salt (HFSS), was introduced in England in October 2022 as part of the UK Government’s Childhood Obesity Strategy.
Data were analysed by researchers in the Nutrition and Lifestyle Analytics team at the University of Leeds, led by Professor Michelle Morris. She said: “Our research shows that the HFSS legislation was a force for good, leading to significant reduction in sales of in-scope HFSS products.
“But more now needs to be done to make healthy and sustainable diets the easy choice for our population, so that we can shift more people’s eating habits towards the national recommendations of the Eatwell Guide.”
The research is part of a broader UK Research and Innovation Transforming UK Food Systems-funded academic collaboration entitled Diet and Health Inequalities (DIO-Food), which is led by Professor Alexandra Johnstone at the Rowett Institute, University of Aberdeen. She said: “It is critical that any new legislation does not widen dietary inequalities for vulnerable groups, like people living with food insecurity.
“We are reassured to see from our research that the impact of the HFSS legislation was equitable in stores located in areas with different levels of priority according to the Priority Places for Food Index.”
Dr Alison Fildes, of the University of Leeds School of Psychology, was a co-investigator on the project. She added: “Our findings suggested shoppers were in favour of the HFSS legislation. However, they also expressed their support for greater promotion and affordability of healthy foods.
“Tightening the current legislating to ensure HFSS products are replaced in prominent locations with healthier foods, would go further towards helping shoppers make healthier purchases”
Soil Association Scotland and Moray Council are collaborating on a pilot project to get organic peas into school meals, thanks to extended funding from Sustain’s Bridging the Gap Programme.
The Give Peas a Chance! pilot project aims to open up a new route to market for this local and organic plant protein, allowing pupils to access healthy and sustainable food. It is a partnership between Soil Association Scotland, Moray Council and other councils in the north east of Scotland, pea producer Phil Swire of Balmakewan Farm, the Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) and the Royal Northern Countryside Initiative (RNCI).
The organic dried split peas are grown in Laurencekirk, Aberdeenshire. The roots of the pea plants have a symbiotic relationship with rhizobium bacteria, which fixes nitrogen in the soil, making it a climate-friendly protein that also has huge nutritional benefits for Moray’s school pupils. The Council’s school meals menu, launched for the start of the new school year, includes delicious pea-based dishes, such as pea soup and even choc-pea brownies, which have already been a huge hit with pupils.
Sarah Gowanlock, Partnerships Manager, Soil Association Scotland, said: “We’re delighted to bring this exciting pilot project to Moray, and to bring organic split peas to even more pupils in Scotland’s northeast. We’ve seen through the first 12 months of the pilot project that school meals that include this plant protein are a win-win: locally sourced, sustainable and nutritious. In collaboration with Moray Council, we want to show the power of public procurement for getting more of these types of high-quality Scottish ingredients on to school meal plates.”
Cllr Kathleen Robertson, Chair of Moray Council’s Education, Children’s and Leisure Services Committee, said: “We’re always looking for ways to make school meals more engaging, nutritious and sustainable. This project is a fantastic example of how we can do all three, while giving pupils the opportunity to understand where their food comes from.”
Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland says “Scotland’s tap water quality is impressive, but more needs to be done to reduce risk”.
The Drinking Water Quality Regulator (DWQR) for Scotland’s latest annual report shows that Scottish Water’s compliance with the stringent standards for drinking water remains very high, however there are too many avoidable incidents.
David Reynolds, the Drinking Water Quality Regulator said: “Our drinking water in Scotland is amongst the finest in the world, however we need to invest to ensure this remains true. Scottish Water is managing a number of risks, and I would like to see these greatly reduced by ensuring assets fail-safe when things go wrong.”
“Consumers expect their tap water to look and taste good. I am disappointed in the number of incidents where consumers received discoloured water and Scottish Water needs to do more to prevent these situations.”
A full copy of Drinking Water Quality in Scotland 2024 is available at www.dwqr.org.uk
It is with great shock and sadness that we heard of the untimely death of a dear friend of the Institute and of the worldwide environmental health community, Ray Ellard.
Ray was a former Principal EHO in the Eastern Health Board , Ireland before he joined the Department of Health as Chief EHO and upon the establishment of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland he became its first Director of Regulation and Compliance, where he remained until his retirement in April 2021.
Ray was a highly esteemed and popular member of the Environmental Health profession nationally and internationally and was a Life Fellow of the Environmental Health Association Ireland, having been its former Honorary Secretary. He was Honorary Secretary of the International Federation for Environmental Health from 2006 until 2011. In the past he was a regular speaker at REHIS conferences.
A true subject matter expert Ray held three MSc Degrees and various post graduate qualifications. He carried his ability, expertise and experience lightly and shared it readily with all, usually in very entertaining presentations. Ray was a natural public speaker and raconteur and was adept at building relationships across all stakeholders, whether that was across rooms or across continents. He will be greatly missed by us all.
Our deepest condolences are extended to his wife Nora, daughter Ruth and extended family.
