Growers are being reminded to submit their water abstraction returns to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency by December 31.
Growers with a water abstraction licence are required to collate and send data to Sepa on an annual basis, and failure to do so can result in financial penalties.
According to NFU Scotland (NFUS), only one in five growers has submitted returns data so far this year, compared to more than half of growers at the same point in 2018.
The union is now reminding farmers to submit their returns before January 1 2020.
“Sepa has previously written to all abstraction licence holders to remind them to return their data returns but have not done so in 2019,” said NFUS environmental regulations policy manager, Jenny Brunton.
“That may have had an impact on the low number of returns received when compared against previous years.”
She said the union was reminding licence holders that they can submit data in a paper form to the office stated on their licence or submit information electronically by email.
“Even if no water has been abstracted for any period, a nil return must still be submitted to Sepa using the abstraction data returns form,” added Ms Brunton.
“It is important that data returns are submitted to Sepa in order to allow them to make an accurate assessment of the impact of irrigation on watercourses over the summer. We remind members that a failure to submit data returns is considered a non-compliance with the conditions of the licence and could affect payments under the Basic Payment Scheme or result in a Cross-Compliance inspection.”
Ms Brunton said licence holders who do not intend to abstract water for irrigation in the 2020 season can apply for a cessation of charges by notifying their local Sepa office before the end of February, using the notification form available on the Sepa web page.