Nitrogen use efficiency in Scotland: annual report 2025

Progress towards implementing proposals and policies relevant to improving nitrogen use efficiency in Scotland

The Scottish Government has a range of strategies and policy initiatives in place, across sectors of the economy, to improve the use of nitrogen and thereby reduce the harms caused by losses into the environment. These measures include:

• policies to reduce nitrogen emissions from the agriculture sector through improved efficiencies and changes in practice, in particular in the storage and use of slurry and fertiliser. The Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act 2024 provides the powers required to deliver a support framework that enables high-quality food production, climate mitigation and adaptation, and nature restoration. We continue to provide guidance, advice and knowledge transfer as well as financial support for farmers and crofters to better understand and take action to improve their nitrogen use efficiency.
• policies to reduce dependence on fossil fuel combustion across the transport sector, for example by shifting to electric vehicles, which will help reduce nitrous oxide emissions, and increasing the uptake of active and sustainable travel through investment in high-quality active travel infrastructure and behaviour change initiatives.
• continuing to implement existing strategies, such as for our Cleaner Air For Scotland 2 (CAFS2) Strategy, as air pollutants (including ammonia and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂)) have impacts on human health and the natural environment within Scotland.
• policies to reduce the climate and environmental impacts of waste management processes and support a transition towards a more circular economy, with the Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024 setting out legislation how we will progress this policy, and Scotland’s Circular Economy and Waste Route Map to 2030, published December 2024, setting out priorities for delivery.