• a grant scheme with rates of up to 40% for farmers in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones, to help them change their business practices to protect the water environment; and
  
  
• an extension of the deadline for the pig and poultry sectors, which will not be brought under the new regime for Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) until 2006/7.
  

In response to the announcement, SEPA's Director of Environmental Strategy, Tricia Henton, said:
"We are aware that parts of the farming industry are facing real financial difficulties at present. We firmly believe that a viable agricultural sector is a key part of society in Scotland.
"SEPA is broadly content with the measures announced today, but pollution from agricultural sources does need to be addressed, and we are anxious to foster sustainable development in Scotland's rural areas. This means balancing economic, social and environmental needs, and the Government's announcement seems to strike that balance quite well.
"We are pleased to see that grants are to be on offer for farmers in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones ,as these will help ensure that the required changes to farming practices are made. Whilst we believe that the new IPPC regime is important in delivering environmental improvements, extending the deadline to 2006/7 will still allow Scotland to meet its responsibilities under the EC Directive, and it will give pig and poultry farmers more time to prepare for this important new development."