Walking-the-Talk has been contracted by Scottish Natural Heritage to deliver a series of awareness-raising events and advisory visits for farmers in the Savoch burn / Loch of Strathbeg catchment area near Fraserburgh.

Many of Scotland’s rivers and burns have been affected by diffuse pollution – a series of very small pollution sources which individually might be quite insignificant, but which cause problems when combined across larger areas. 

Diffuse pollution can affect water quality and alter the mix of species found within a burn.  It can have negative impacts on species which are protected under European law, such as salmon and freshwater pearl mussels.  

Two Scottish government organisations (Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency) have decided to tackle diffuse pollution problems in two selected catchments:

• the Savoch burn; and
• the River South Esk.

These catchments were chosen because they have particularly important sites and species within them – in the Savoch burn that’s the Loch of Strathbeg whilst the South Esk contains important salmon and freshwater pearl mussel populations and the Montrose basin.

We were contracted to deliver a range of events and advisory visits for local farmers within these catchments.