Forth Priority Catchment Area: Doune – Event Summary

Diffuse Pollution Priority Catchment information meeting for those in the Doune area

The aim of the meeting was to raise awareness of the forthcoming priority catchment which is to come into place within the next two years.

The meeting focused on solutions to protect water quality and featured a demo of spring back fencing from Farming & Water Scotland.  The unique fence design allows a stock fence to be quickly lowered to prevent damage during flood events. The meeting also demonstrated an animal powered pasture pump. These alternative watering systems enable farmers to exclude livestock from open ditches, burn or rivers. This inturn reduces the incidence of animal poaching next to a watercourse, bankside erosion and faecal contamination which all impact on water quality down stream.

Advice on steps to reduce diffuse pollution was provided by our SEPA representative, Wull Dryburgh, who’s team will be undertaking the task of the farm visits.  Wull gave a presentation on how diffuse pollution from agriculture affects the water quality and how the priority catchment area aims to reduce it’s inmpact on the water courses in the Forth Catchment.  By setting up a mock farm visit at a water course, issues were identified as either a “breach” or “advisory” and as discussed by Wull.  Simple steps such as hotspot fencing and alternative watering systems can be enough to allow the breach area to recover reducing diffuse pollution significantly.

For more information about reducing the risks of diffuse pollution and Scotland’s Priority Catchments please see the Farming & Water Scotland website.