News

DEFRA has today announced that £300,000 is to be made available for pilot schemes which will be used to develop guidance for surface water management plans in anticipation of increased future rainfall. Organisations or partnerships that have the capacity to deliver a pilot will need to submit a proposal to DEFRA by 24th October 2008. Further information about the pilots, as well as eligibility and assessment criteria to be applied can be found on DEFRA's website....

CAAV Secretary and Adviser, Jeremy Moody, has been awarded the first ever honorary doctorate by Harper Adams University College, Shropshire. At the award ceremony, held on Friday 19th September at the college, Mr. Moody commented, "It is an honour and privilege to have been offered this honorary doctorate. I very much appreciate this award in the light of Harper Adams's position within agriculture and the rural economy. Harper Adams makes a strong contribution to the rural valuation profession...

The Scottish Government has confirmed today (16th September) that a compulsory vaccination programme for bluetongue will be launched this winter in Scotland. The programme is not to commence prior to the beginning of November and will be dependent upon the disease status at that point. Further information is available on the Scottish Government website.

The High Court has granted permission for a judicial review of the decision to site “Middle Quinton”, a new eco-town on a 600 acre site which was formerly owned by the Ministry of Defence, near Long Marsden, Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire. The application made by The Better Accessible Responsible Development campaign (BARD), a residents’ campaign group, was permitted by The Honourable Mr Justice Collins who stated in his Order, “I note there must be concern that the defendant [Ms...

DEFRA has indicated today (12th September) that there have been a further six imported cattle detected with Bluetongue on a premises near Worcester. These cattle originated from Germany. In addition, a cow on premises near Dorchester, Dorset.which was imported from France has also been detected with the disease. This adds to other imported cases found over the past few days, including one cattle on premises near Yeovil in Somerset which again orginated from the BTV8 restricted zone in France....

The regulations relating to the extension of England's Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZ's) from 55% to around 70% have been published by DEFRA. The maps showing the newly affected areas are due to be available early next week. Farmers will have until 31st January 2009 to appeal where they believe the NVZ designation of land is incorrect. Further information is available on DEFRA's website and in Members' Documents on this website....

BBC News has reported that the Government is to increase the Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) threshold for residential property from £125,000 to £175,000 with effect from 3rd September 2008 for a temporary period of one year. Further information is yet to be published.

The whole of Wales is now covered by a Bluetongue Protection Zone with effect from 00.01 today (1st September 2008). The Welsh Assembly Government is urging farmers to vaccinate stock. Further information is available on the Welsh Assembly's website.

Natural England’s Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund Grant Scheme will be open to applications until 15th September 2008. Work done under the scheme must be completed by 20th March 2009. Funding is available for projects which reduce the impact of aggregate extraction on the local community. For further details, please see Natural England’s website....

Defra has today (20th) confirmed that the extension of the Bluetongue Protection Zone (PZ) to incorporate the counties of Northumberland and Cumbria will not occur prior to 1st September 2008 unless there is a change in the disease status. This extension is intended to occur in a single stage alongside the scheduled provision of further vaccine and will see the whole of England forming the PZ. Further information is available on DEFRA's website....

Further to the announcement made by the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) last week of its intention that the whole of Wales be declared as a Bluetongue Protection Zone (PZ), rather than a county by county approach as has been the case in England, WAG has now confirmed that the PZ declaration cannot be expected prior to Sunday 31st August 2008, with the exact date being subject to there being no further development in disease outbreaks and the availability of Bluetongue vaccine (vaccination may...

Defra has today (12th) announced that the export restrictions placed on UK livestock and livestock products by the Chinese government following the Foot and Mouth outbreak in the UK in August 2007 have been lifted. UK livestock products manufactured outside the exclusion window of 7th July 2007 to 7th August 2008 can now be exported to China, provided the agreed certification exists. The Defra press release containing further information can be found here....

The Bluetongue Protection Zone (PZ) is to be further extended from 00.01 on 11th August 2008 as a result of Defra reviewing the quantity of vaccine available in the supply chain. Vaccination may only take place within the PZ, and a process of extending the PZ is being implemented alongside the availability of vaccine. The PZ extension will cover the counties of Durham and Tyne and Wear (Metropolitan Boroughs of Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland) and...

The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee has voted today (7th August) to hold interest rates at 5.0 per cent. Further information is available on the BBC website.

Defra announced today, 5th August, that from 7th August at 00.01 the Protection Zone (PZ) will be extended to cover those parts of Shropshire (District of Oswestry), Cheshire (Districts of Vale Royal, Chester and Ellesmere Port and Neston), Greater Manchester (Manchester Distric, Metropolitan Boroughs of Wigan, Bolton, Bury, Trafford and Salford) and North Yorkshire (Districts of Richmondshire and Craven) previously in the Free Area, and all of Merseyside (including the Metropolitan Boroughs of...

Following the High Court decision on 14th July, it has been reported that Defra has appealed against the decision that the use of average market values in the tabular system implemented in England for TB compensation purposes discriminated against higher value cattle. Further information is currently available on FWi.

Due to the computer system at CAAV Central, Coleford being in the process of being upgraded, it will not be possible to place any job advertisements on the CAAV website until this Wednesday (30th July). We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause

Following the final report from Sir Don Curry's High Level Group looking into set-aside, Hilary Benn has agreed that any set-aside mitigation system cannot be implemented in the 2008/9 year. The Group's preferred option would see arable farmers maintain a small percentage of land in environmental management, with proposed new "top-up" options available under Environmental Stewardship. Further information is available on Defra's website....

Defra has announced that, following the delivery of further supplies of vaccine, the Protection Zone is to be extended from 00.01 on Monday 28th July. The extension will cover Herefordshire, the unitary authority of Telford and Wrekin and the districts in Shropshire (North Shropshire, Shrewsbury and Atcham, South Shropshire and Bridgnorth) previously in the Surveillance Zone. Further information can be found here....

It is understood that a herd of approximately twenty goats in Carmarthenshire has been culled following the discovery of bovine TB (bTB) in the herd. This is a new species for the disease and is not one that is conventionally inspected for bTB. Further information is available on Farmers Weekly Interactive. Further confirmation is awaited from Welsh Assembly....

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling MP, today announced that he is postponing the 2 pence per litre increase in fuel duty that was expected to take place on 1 October 2008. Click here for the press release.

Applications for grants to help with further education under the Deakin and Coombe Memorial Trust are invited. Details of eligibilty criteria and the application method are given here. The closing date for applications is 29th August 2008.