Natural England (NE) has clarified its position with regard to wind farms in National Parks following an article that appeared in the Daily Telegraph on 24th July 2009. Please view the Press Release on the Natural England website for further information.
As part of the 60th anniversary celebrations for National Parks and National Parks week (running from 27th July to 2nd August), Hilary Benn has visited the Peak District National Park which was one of the original four National Parks established in 1951. Further information is available on the DEFRA website.
The Conservative Party has launched a new on-line discussion forum for agricultural matters at the CLA Game Fair. The website "Future Countryside" includes four major themes: Food and Farming; Biodiversity and Conservation; A Changing Environment, and Resources and Regulation.
The Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) has published survey results looking at changes to the Welsh Countryside over the past 30 years. Further information is available on the WAG website. Please click here to view the report.
The Welsh Assembly Government has launched a Young Entrants Support Scheme which will provide grant aid and business advice to young people entering the agricultural industry. For further details, see the press release on the WAG website.
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Hilary Benn, has issued a written statement with regard to progress with payments under the 2008 Single Payment Scheme. His statement may be viewed on the RPA website.
DEFRA has announced that £5.2 million of new European funding is to be made available for the dairy industry and rural broadband. The funding is to be delivered through the Rural Development Agencies as part of the RDPE. Further information is available on the DEFRA website.
The Health and Safety Executive publishes an information sheet on cattle and public access in England and Wales which can be downloaded from the HSE website. A separate sheet with advice for the situation in Scotland is also available.
Ofcom has published maps showing the extent of 3G coverage across the UK and revealing that many rural areas suffer from poor or non-existant coverage. The maps can be found on Ofcom's website.
DEFRA has announced that the voluntary approach to set aside mitigation which was proposed by the NFU and CLA has been approved. The full press release is available on the DEFRA website and more detail will be posted on the Members Documents section of this website shortly.
The Bank of England has announced that interest rates will remain at 0.5% for the fourth month in a row. See the BBC News website for further detail.
The Welsh Assembly Government has announced the creation of a new high-level co-ordinator post to work with dairy farmers in Wales. The post will be advertised nationally shortly. More details are available on the WAG website.
The RPA has published the latest figures on payments made for the SPS 2008. These show that as at 30th June 2009, over 104,000 claims have been paid, from a total of about 106,500 claimants, amounting to 99.7% of the total fund. The full press release can be found on the RPA website.
DEFRA has announced the formation of a joint government and industry advisory group to advise upon the proposals for responsibility and cost sharing for animal health and welfare. Further information is available on DEFRA's website.
FWi has reported that the government appeal against the High Court ruling that DEFRA had failed in its duty to ensure that the application of pesticides did not cause harm to rural residents has been decided in DEFRA's favour. The case had been pursued by Georgina Downs who lives near farmland in West Sussex. It is understood that DEFRA will be issuing a consultation in the autumn with regard to public access to farm spray records as a result of this judgment. A statement has been issued by...
DEFRA has confirmed that following clarification of the rules relating to the marketing of fruit and vegetables as a result of new EU marketing regulations that take effect tomorrow (1st July 2009), consumers should now be able to more readily access "imperfect" fruits and vegetables in their local shops and supermarkets. Further information is available on the DEFRA website.
Environment Minister Jim Fitzpatrick has today announced the introduction of reduced fees for smaller businesses who need to apply to a local authority to obtain a pollution permit under the Environmental Permitting Regulations. Further information is available on the DEFRA website.
DEFRA has announced a £10 million package of funding to improve rivers, lakes and canals. The funds will largely be distributed through the Association of Rivers Trusts. The full press release can be found on the DEFRA website.
The NFU backed bovine TB compensation table valuations legal case involving David Partridge has been refused leave to appeal to the House of Lords which means that the decision handed down by the Court of Appeal on 1st April 2009 stands. Please see the NFU Press Release for further information.
The latest edition of English Heritage's annual "Heritage at Risk" register published this week has shown that 1 in 7 of some 9,300 Conservation Areas in England is at risk. English Heritage has therefore urged that councils make more use of Article 4 Directions to retain the character of these areas. Please click here to view English Heritage's news release which contains further information....
DEFRA has announced the first round of new grants to assist householders to protect houses from flooding. The funding has been made available as part of the Flood Protection Grant Scheme following the government response to Sir Michael Pitt's review of the floods in 2007. Further information is available on the DEFRA website.
The Department for Energy and Climate Change has launched a five point plan to guide UK climate action. The full press release can be read at the DECC website.
The Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) is to appoint a Chief Scientific Adviser for the first time ever in Wales. The creation of this role follows a review carried out by Professor Christopher Pollack on behalf of the First Minister in 2008. Further information is available on the WAG website.
Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones has announced that there will be no application of a National Envelope to the Single Payment Scheme (SPS) in Wales. A National Envelope provision was included within the CAP Health Check and was consulted upon in Wales earlier this year. Further information is available on the WAG website.
The Government has published the final report "Digital Britain" which lays out the long-term strategy for digital delivery for the UK. The report can be veiwed on the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS)website.
DEFRA has published a new wildlife health strategy that sets out a general approach to tackling disease in wildlife. Further information is available on the DEFRA website.
The Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (CAAV) has been honoured by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales accepting the CAAV's invitation to him to be its Centenary Patron. The CAAV will be celebrating its Centenary over the year to June 2010 with a range of events. The Prince of Wales has agreed to be Patron for that Centenary Year.
The CAAV AGM at Stratford-upon-Avon on Friday 12th June elected Mark Webb as its President for the Centenary Year 2009/2010. Mark Webb, who is a founding partner of WebbPaton, based at Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire, said, "The CAAV has got a century of achievement under its belt and we are looking forward to our second century. Agricultural valuers have shown themselves to be practical and adaptable as times and client's needs have changed; professionals in the countryside giveing support to all...
A further new Minister has been appointed to DEFRA to replace Lord Hunt as Parliamentary Under Secretary as a result of Lord Hunt moving over to the Department for Energy and Climate Change, having previously shared his responsibilities between the two departments. Dan Norris MP is Lord Hunt's replacement and further information is available on the DEFRA website.
Environment Secretary Hilary Benn has today issued a statement to Parliament regarding the predicament of Dairy Farmers of Britain (DFOB). His statement may be viewed on the DEFRA website.
Following the departure of Jane Kennedy from government yesterday, the DEFRA ministerial team has been joined by Jim Fitzpatrick MP. Further information is available on the DEFRA website.
Two Government departments (BERR and DIUS) are to be merged to form the new Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). Further information is available from the BERR website.
The Commission for Rural Communities has published a Rural Reference Bulletin on Digital Inclusion, which reviews the availability of broadband connections in rural reas. The bulletin is available from the CRC website.
The BBC News website has reported that Environment Minister Jane Kennedy has been 'sacked' from government after refusing to pledge her support for Gordon Brown's continuing leadership.
Following today's Cabinet reshuffle, Hilary Benn is remaining as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Further information is available on the DEFRA website.
Dairy Farmers of Britain appointed PriceWaterhouseCoopers as receivers on 3rd June 2009. Further information on the position of dairy farmers supplying DFB can be obtained from the DFB page on the PWC website, or from the DFB website.
Natural England has published its response to the consultation on set aside mitigation, expressing reservations about the CLA/NFU Option B proposals. The full press release can be found on the Natural England website.
As from the 1st June 2009, the Lands Tribunal has become the Lands Chamber of the Upper Tribunal as part of the reform of the whole of the tribunals system in the United Kingdom. In practice it is unlikely that there will be significant practical changes to the work of the Lands Tribunal. Further information is available on the Tribunals Service website.
The Environment Agency have opened a consultation on a review of the Severn Estuary Shoreline Management Plan, details of which are available on the Environment Agency website.
A reminder that the consultation period for the draft River Basin Management Plans closes on 22nd June. Draft RBMPs have been produced for the Anglian, Humber, Severn, Thames, Dee, North-west, Northumbria, South-east, South-west, Solway Tweed and Western Wales districts. All the documents can be found on the Environment Agency website.
The Environment Agency has announced that it is holding free Water Framework Directive workshops in Glamorgan on 1st June, Abergele on 10th June and Ceredigion on 11th June. Further details are available on the Environment Agency website.
FC Wales has announced grants for work to control the possible spread of Phytophthora around urban areas in south Wales and the Conwy Valley in northwest Wales. Phytophthora is believed to be responsible for Sudden Oak Death. Further details are available on the Forestry Commission website.
The Commission for Rural Communities have launched a new rural proofing toolkit to help Government departments to ensure that their policies recognise the particular issues faced by rural communities. For further details, see the CRC website.
The Valuation Office website is reporting an e-mail scam. They have reports that e-mails or letters have been received requesting funds for a 'clean report of findings' so that monies can be released. The VOA website confirms that any such correspondence is not from VOA and should be ignored. The full press release can be read on the VOA website.
DEFRA has announced that it is offering a 50% discount on its remaining stocks of Bluetongue vaccine with effect from today (7th May). Further information is available on the DEFRA website. WAG have now also confirmed that they are offering the same 50% discount on remaining Bluetongue vaccine stocks in Wales....
Natural England (NE) are to look again at possible extensions to the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks. This work had been stopped in the light of legal aspects being considered as part of the South Downs National Park Public Inquiry however following the Inspector's findings in this Inquiry with regard to Natural England's approach to designation, NE have re-commenced this work in the north west. Further information is available on the NE website....
From today (5th May), all members of the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) will have to be licensed under the ARLA Licensing Scheme as part of their membership. This Scheme has been introduced to reduce bad practices seen within the residential letting sector. Further information is available on the ARLA website.
Following the launch of the CAP Payments website last year, DEFRA has now added Single Payment Scheme (SPS) payments data for the period 16th October 2007 to 15th October 2008. It should be noted that where there may have been an overpayment made during that period, the data shown is likely to include this overpayment and we understand from DEFRA that this data will not be updated. Further information is available on the RPA website....
Hilary Benn, Environment Secretary, has announced an increase in the level of grants available under the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) for farmers wishing to diversify into no-agricultural businesses and start up or expand small rural businesses. Rural Development Agencies will be allowed to raise the level funding granted for such projects from 50% to 100%. DEFRA is now seeking approval for the proposals from the European Commission in order that these changes can be...
The RPA have published their latest figures on 2008 SPS payments. As at 30th April 2009, £1.55 billion of payments had been made, which is 95.23% of the total fund. Payments had been made to over 102,000 claimants, amounting to 96% of the total. The full press release can be read at the RPA website.
DEFRA has confirmed that there is no evidence of swine influenza being present in UK pigs. For further information, please view the News Release on DEFRA's website.
The RPA has started to make full HFA 2009 payments to claimants. HFA 2010 explanatory guidance booklets have also started to be sent out. Further information is available on the RPA website.
The NFU has today announced that they are going to support David Partridge in seeking leave to appeal to the House of Lords following the Court of Appeal decision allowing DEFRA's appeal earlier this month regarding the use of average table values when paying compensation for cattle affected by bovine TB. Further information is available on the NFU website.
The Chancellor has announced a funding package worth £600 million to kick start house building. A more detailed Budget Briefing will follow.
Fuel duty will increase by 2p per litre on 1st September, teh Chancellor has announced in the Budget. A more detailed Budget Briefing will follow.
The Chancellor has announced that the VAT cut to 15% will remain until December 2009. The Stamp Duty Land Tax holiday for houses under £175,000 is extended to the end of the year. A more detailed Budget Briefing will follow.
The NFU and CLA have launched their proposal for an alternative voluntary approach to set aside mitigation, branded the Campaign for the Farmed Environment. The full press releases can be found on the NFU website and the CLA website.
RPA have announced that it is carrying out a systems upgrade on Friday 24th April. The Customer Service Centre will not be able to access detailed customer records on Friday 24th, but will still deal with general scheme queries. The detailed records will be available again on Monday 27th April.
RASE have announced that the 2009 Royal Show will be the last ever. The event is to be scrapped following several years of falling attendance and increasing competition from other events. The RASE's full press release can be read on their website.
The RPA is to publish CAP payment details for payments made between 16th October 2007 and 15th October 2008 on a website. The information, which is published in keeping with requirements of EC legislation, will include the trading name, the amount, the local town and first part of the postcode. The website is www.cap-payments.defra.gov.uk and it will go live on 30th April 2009. For the full press release, go to the RPA website....