What's new in legislation, policy and strategy: August 2026 round-up

30 September 2026

The regular NetRegs round-ups list and summarise new legislation, policy and strategy documents that:
- apply in Northern Ireland and/or Scotland;
- were published recently; and
- are related to: pollution prevention, environment, nature conservation, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, energy, sustainability, planning, built heritage, and health and safety.

This month, the round up:
- covers the period from 23 July 2026 to 24 August 2026.
- includes two sections: 1. Legislation, and 2. UK Government policy and strategy.

You can also check the previous round-up: What's new in legislation, policy and strategy round-up July 2026.

1. LEGISLATION

1.1 Agriculture and managing land

The Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024 (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2026 (SSI 2026/240)
Background
Muirburn (or ‘controlled burning’) is the burning, in a planned and controlled way, of heather, grass, gorse and other moorland vegetation - for example for farming, conservation and to manage grouse moors.
The Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024 created new rules for carrying out muirburn in Scotland. You now can only carry out muirburn with a licence. The licences are issued by NatureScot.
What the new regulations do
The Regulations update older Scottish environmental laws and guidance that cover muirburn. This way, they continue to work correctly with the new rules.
Which businesses and occupations are affected
The businesses and occupations affected by these regulations are those dealing with land where muirbuir can be carried out:
Land managers and estate managers - who oversee land where muirburn is carried out.
- Farmers and crofters- operating on land where muirburn may be used for land management purposes.
- Game and wildlife management businesses, including grouse moor managers and gamekeepers involved in muirburn activities.
- Conservation and environmental organisations managing habitats where muirburn takes place.
- Public bodies and regulators responsible for nature conservation and licensing.

1.2 Health and Safety

Changes in health and safety regulations for machinery

Background
Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 (the EU Machinery Regulation) is an EU law about health and safety rules for machinery. It was published in 2023 and it will start to apply in the EU and Northern Ireland on 20 January 2027. To make it work in practice in Northern Ireland, and to make clear how that affects businesses in the rest of the UK, a new UK regulation on machinery safety was needed. As a result, a new UK regulation, the Supply of Machinery (Safety) (Amendment etc.) and the EU Machinery Regulation (Enforcement etc. in Northern Ireland) Regulations 2026, was now published.

Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 (the EU Machinery Regulation)
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02023R1230-20260727
The Regulation applies in Northern Ireland and in the EU. It does not apply in England, Scotland or Wales. It applies from 20 January 2027.
What the Regulation does
- It keeps many health and safety rules from past law for machinery
- It adds rules for machinery that has modern technologies - such as software, AI, connectivity and cybersecurity
Businesses affected and what they must do
- Businesses that manufacture, import, distribute, place on the market or sell machinery in Northern Ireland, and businesses that represent the manufacturers, must follow rules in this regulation.
- Conformity assessment bodies are independent organisations approved by a government to check that machinery meets the safety rules. Conformity assessment bodies must also follow rules in this regulation.

The Supply of Machinery (Safety) (Amendment etc.) and the EU Machinery Regulation (Enforcement etc. in Northern Ireland) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/867)
The Regulations apply across the UK. They apply from 20 January 2027.
In Northern Ireland
- Health and Safety Northern Ireland and
- district councils in Northern Ireland
have legal powers to:
- check if manufacturers, representatives of manufacturers, distributors and importers of machinery that is to be put on the market in Northern Ireland are following the EU Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, and
- take action if they are not – issuing penalties.
In England, Scotland and Wales
For businesses that manufacture, import or distribute machinery in the Great Britain market:
- The Great Britain machinery safety regime are the rules for machinery safety in the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008, as updated by other regulations. The Great Britain machinery safety regime continues to apply in England, Scotland and Wales. This means that businesses can continue placing on the market in England, Scotland and Wales machinery that follows the rules of the Great Britain machinery safety regime.
- Machinery that follows the EU Machinery Regulation may also be placed on the market in England, Scotland and Wales.
For those who carry out conformity assessments of machinery – that is, the process of checking and proving that a machine is safe and is according to what is required by law, before it can be sold or put into service:
- UK conformity assessment bodies (called UK notified bodies), can still carry out the conformity assessments required for machinery that is to be placed in the Northern Ireland market.
- if a UK notified body carries out conformity assessment of machinery intended for Northern Ireland, the machinery must carry both the CE marking and the UK(NI) marking.

1.3 Legislation that has been corrected – correction slips

A correction slip is an official document that corrects small errors in a law or legal document that was published before. The following pieces of law have been corrected in the period between the beginning of July and 24 August 2026:

The Conservation of Habitats and Species (Offshore Wind) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2026 (SSI 2026/143), with correction slip. Applying since 25 May 2026. Apply in Scotland. These regulations changed Scottish habitat protection rules. They make it easier for offshore wind projects to be approved even if they could harm protected marine or coastal nature sites, as long as there are measures to compensate for the environmental damage.

The Digital Waste Tracking (Scotland) Regulations 2026 (SSI 2026/145), with correction slip. Apply from 1 January 2027. Apply in Scotland. Businesses that produce, transport, treat or dispose of waste will have to follow a digital waste tracking system to record and track the movement of controlled waste.

2. UK GOVERNMENT POLICY AND STRATEGY PAPERS

PFAS Plan: building a safer future together. UK Government’s Defra policy paper. Published in February 2026 and updated on 17 August 2026. PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are often called ‘forever chemicals’. They break down very slowly and can stay in the environment for a long time. PFAS have been found in rivers, groundwater and wildlife across the UK. The document is the UK Government's plan for managing PFAS. It focuses on three main areas:
- Finding out where PFAS are used and released, and learning more about their effects on people and the environment.
- Reducing the amount of PFAS entering the environment, improving rules where needed, and helping businesses switch to safer alternatives.
- Reducing people's exposure to PFAS.
For Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is considered in the UK PFAS plan, and will work with it "where possible", but cannot always follow exactly the same approach as the rest of the UK – this is because under the Windsor Framework, it continues to follow EU chemicals legislation.
For Scotland
The plan includes actions for Scotland and refers to the Scottish Government, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), and Scottish Water.

Design of a scheme to give bill discounts to those near new transmission network infrastructure. Two documents were published about this scheme: the Consultation outcome, and the policy paper about the design of the bill discounts scheme. The UK Government is developing a scheme to give discounts on electricity bills. Applies to
- certain households living within 500 metres of
- pylons and major power lines, substations and other electricity network structures.
Households could get £250 off electricity bills per year, for up to 10 years. If the scheme is approved, payments are expected to start in the first half of 2027.

Disclaimer: This round-up may not include every law, policy or strategy related to the topics covered. The notes for each item are only meant to give a general summary. They leave out some details and may contain errors. The round-up is provided for general information only and must not be treated as legal, professional or regulatory advice. NetRegs, SEPA and NIEA are not responsible for any loss, damage or other problems that result from someone relying on the information in this summary. If you need more than a broad overview of recently published laws, policies or strategy papers, make sure you check the original legislation and official documents and, or get professional advice.

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