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The Big Debates
This section is designed to encourage debate. If you would like to express your opinion on current debates please e-mail us - info@moorlandscotland.org.uk
Views expressed in this section do not necessarily represent the views of the Scottish Countryside Alliance (SCA) or the Scottish Countryside Alliance Educational Trust (SCAET) .
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- HALTING THE HILL LIVESTOCK EXODUS
- WIND FARMING FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY
- ARE BIRDS OF PREY A SERIOUS PROBLEM FOR OTHER BIRD SPECIES ?
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CLIMATE CHANGE AND MUIRBURN – should the permitted dates be changed?
The best introduction to this debate is contained in the Policy Memorandum to the Scottish Climate Change Bill on pages 13 – 16.
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/s3/bills/17-ClimateChange/b17s3-introd-pm.pdf
This sets out the importance of muirburn as a management tool and to prevent catastrophic wildfires. It then assesses the impact of climate change on muirburn and the consultation through which stakeholders could give their views. The report on that consultation has now been published and can be downloaded from:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/12/23105356/0
While the issue of changing prescribed dates for muirburn is buried away in a much larger Government Bill and may seem a minor detail, it is a very important factor for the people who have the responsibility of managing Scotland’s heather habitat – and the carbon stored in the peat soils below the heather. Already pushed for time to get the work done each winter, wetter winters could make it even more difficult, and thus any change to permitted dates could have far reaching consequences.
The consultation report comes to no neat conclusion, partly because there is no proposal for specific changes to the permitted dates – the question is merely whether Scottish Ministers should have the powers to vary them. Opinions vary according to people’s perceptions of what the Scottish Ministers might do if given those powers…
Much more will be heard of this issue over the next few months as the Climate Change Bill passes through the Scottish Parliament
If you would like to express your opinion on current debates please e-mail us - info@moorlandscotland.org.uk
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HALTING THE HILL LIVESTOCK EXODUS
NFU Scotland this week launched proposals which it hopes will halt the exodus of cattle and sheep from Scotland’s hills and uplands. The Union’s Manifesto for the Hills represents a three-part package of policy options which focuses on what it claim is “better use of existing public funds”.
The Scottish Countryside Alliance, like NFUS and other organisations is becoming increasingly concerned about the significant reductions in livestock numbers in upland Scotland in the past few years We are especially alarmed that the rate of reduction appears to be accelerating at present as farmers find it increasingly difficult to maintain profitable enterprises when faced with spiralling costs and low sale prices of stock. The situation has been locally exacerbated, for example in the south-west of the country by the removal of grazing livestock on huge tracts of land managed by conservationist organisations. Once hefted sheep flocks are gone, they are lost for good!
The SCA has long been an advocate of the need to achieve ‘balance’ in the countryside, especially in the management of fragile upland landscapes. It is true, that the grazing impact of sheep, and to a lesser extent deer and cattle, have had a detrimental impact on the habitat in some areas – heather loss being one example. Managed grazing of our uplands is however a maintenance tool, and it may even be worth more in this respect than it generates in income! Without upland farmers and their grazing livestock a scrubby wilderness of tick and bracken would quickly swamp many areas of upland Scotland.
The NFUS proposals seek to refocus rural support payments away from some of the agri-environment and community schemes and instead channel this money directly into supporting upland farmers. In the long term, the SCA believes that there should be support across the spectrum of the environment, economy, communities and cultures of rural Scotland, and that this will in turn deliver a viable and vibrant economy – able to stand on it’s own two feet! Short term however, we believe that the best way to maintain rural communities and the upland landscape is to support the existing businesses; after all without them there would be no one to deliver the environmental goods or hold together rural communities.
The recent report by the Scottish Agricultural College, Farming’s Retreat from the Hills, reported a 23% drop in sheep numbers in the last ten years and 11.7% reduction in the beef breeding herd over the same period. However, these figures mask huge regional variations with some parts of the North and West of the country seeing reductions in sheep numbers of between 35-60%. Not only are these reductions concerning from the environmental and economic angles, they also threaten the long term availability of Scottish meat. The SCA is very conscious of this fact as we currently celebrate Scottish Food Fortnight!
ross-montague@scottishcountrysidealliance.org
The NFUS manifesto document Manifesto for the Hills can be downloaded here-
Dan Buglass: Paying the price of farming on the margins
70 changes ‘needed to secure the future of our countryside
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Wind Farming for Renewable Energy
Pros and Cons Briefing Paper
Introduction:
Scotland and the rest of the UK has some of the best wind resources in Europe. The UK has committed to a 60% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050. The Scottish Government has committed to 80% reduction by 2050. Wind energy technology is central to realising this aim. Government and industry experts expect wind power to represent the majority of new renewables capacity in 2010 and 2020. Scottish and UK wind resources are more than enough to reach the targets by these dates; the controversy surrounds the scale and efficiency of the technology used to do this.
The windfarm debate is characterised by a high level of support at a national level and by contrast, local community opposition.
The landform and proximity to the national grid makes some areas in Scotland more suitable than others.The Scottish Borders* for example is a particularly suitable location for windfarms.
Pros |
Cons |
On-shore windpower is one of the cheapest forms of renewable energy per kwh, with potential for further reductions. The generation costs of onshore wind power are 3.2p/kwh (2005, Sustainable Development Commission), compared to a wholesale price of 3.0p/kwh |
Subsidies paid to electricity providers (Renewable Obligation Certificates), have increased electricity costs for h/holds and industry. There is also consumer levy on electricity bills. (A 2 megawatt wind turbine will produce £125,000 worth of electricity per year and get £250,000 subsidy – source OFGEM and NAO). “Without the renewable obligation certificates nobody would be building wind farms” (Paul Golby CEO, E-ON UK, Daily Telegraph 26/03/05).
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A carbon-free source of energy, wind power contributes positively to the UKs efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
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Industry research, on the carbon pay-back time is 6 – 30 months; but it is unclear if this includes the ongoing need for conventional power support for low wind conditions and maintenance. Depending on location, eg on peat rich soils research suggests that pay-back is not possible due to the continuous loss of carbon from peat (ref SNH – Windfarms and Carbon Savings). Depending on the efficiency figure used and the amount of infrastructure, some research goes as far as suggesting 19 years !
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Wind is accurately forecast over the time-frames relevant to network operators. Based on 30% capacity, 9.5 gwh of installed capacity will achieve the 2010 UK target. If 50% of the UK 2020 target is met from onshore wind using an average of 2 MW turbines, this would require around 6,500 turbines. Based on a land-take of around 0.18 ha/MW for the turbines, access roads and substation, total onshore land-take would equal around 2,340 ha (Sustainable Development Commission)
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Intermittent wind speeds limit generating capacity. Windspeed limitations for example on an average 2MW, 120m high turbine restrict generating capacity to average of 0.5MW. Crystal Rigg in the Scottish Borders is achieving 25-27% capacity (source: Ofgem). Latest DTI indications restrictions to 18% capacity. A typical wind farm of 20 turbines might extend over an area of 1 square kilometre, but only 1% of the land area would be taken out of use, the remainder can be used for other purposes, such as farming or as natural habitat. To obtain 10% of our electricity from the wind would require constructing around 12,000 MW of wind energy capacity. Depending on the size of the turbines, they would extend over 80,000 to 120,000 hectares (0.3% to 0.5% of the UK land area). Less than 1% of this (800 to 1,200 hectares) would be used for foundations and access roads, the other 99% could still be used for productive farming (British Wind Energy Association).
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Communities can benefit from awards given. Landowners can benefit considerably (eg 25 year lease, first 10yrs £15-25,000 per 2MW turbine; second 10 yrs £40-70,000 per 2MW turbine) |
Local community handouts can be inequitable and divisive. Concerns about impact on landscapes and the knock-on for rural tourism.
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General Comments:
- - Wind power is widely argued to be best suited to small scale, direct supply generation
- - The priority actions in addressing climate change are Energy Conservation and the reduction of carbon emmissions
- - Energy Conservation could significantly reduce energy consumption (upto 40%), and provide long-term employment and business opportunities (plumbers, builders, engineers etc), of greater significance to rural sustainability
- - Scotland needs a national renewable energy strategy
*Notes:
Windfarm status in the Borders and E.Lothian is as follows:
- - 92 operational turbines (installed capacity of 119.6MW)
- - 142 consented turbines (installed capacity of 344.25MW)
- - 115 turbines in planning (cap 321.6MW)
- - c.151 turbines being ‘scoped’ in various locations.
- There are some 27 windfarms in the Borders approved, in planning or being scoped.
(by Denise Daly Walton - Environmental Consultant)
For another view on Windfarms please see - 'Wind Chill; why wind energy will not fill the UK's Energy gap'
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Are birds of prey a serious problem for other bird species?
This is the question at the heart of a passionate debate about the growing number of birds of prey and their impact on other moorland birds, with media comment often concentrating on allegations of illegal “persecution”.
In 2004 a wide rangingreport was commissioned by Scotland’s Moorland Forum to assess the impact of predatory birds on waders, songbirds, gamebirds and fisheries interests
A suite of seven species was highlighted as priority for further data collection:
Buzzard, Goshawk, Raven, Tawny Owl, Short Eared Owl, Sparrowhawk and Peregrine.
At the end of this report, there are 35 pages of references to scientific research projects into raptors and their prey.
One particular bird of prey, the Hen harrier, has an especially high profile, particularly as to its impact on Red grouse. This was the subject of a five year study in the 1990’s – the Joint Raptor Study, more commonly referred to as the “Langholm” study. Following this research, ajoint statement was published by the two organisations most involved, the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and the RSPB
Many questions were still left unanswered and a new 10 yearproject has recently started with funding from Scottish Natural Heritage which will seek to demonstrate whether the needs of an economically viable grouse moor can be met alongside the conservation needs of protected raptors, especially the hen harrier.