The Department for Business, Skills and Innovation (BIS) has announced that a Groceries Code Adjudicator will be appointed to monitor the Groceries Supply Code of Practice. The Adjudicator will investigate complaints made by suppliers against supermarkets and will be part of the Office of Fair Trading.
The Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) has extended the deadline for receipt of expressions interest for the new Welsh agri-environment scheme, Glastir All Wales Element (AWE). The new deadline is Friday 6th August 2010. Any expressions of interest received after this date will be rejected. Further information is available on the WAG website....
The booking form and overview for the National Tutorial are now available in the Events section of this website.
The Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) has been given £1.4 million EU funding towards a project to develop innovative technology to create electricity using tidal power of the West Wales coast. Further information is available on the WAG website.
Following the recent announcement that Tony Cooper (CEO of the RPA) was taking early retirement, Minister for Agriculture, Jim Paice, has today announced that his succesor is to be Dr Richard Judge who will take up his role from Monday 2nd August 2010. Dr Judge will be acting as an interim CEO for 3 to 6 months whilst a permanent successor is sought. Further information is available on the DEFRA website....
The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has announced the Government's intention to abolish the Government Offices for the Regions. A final decision will be made in the autumn following the Spending Review. The full announcement can be read on the DCLG website.
Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman has today announced the reform of over 30 of DEFRA's 90 or so arm's length bodies. The following are being abolished - The Agricultural Wages Board, the 15 Agricultural Wages Committees, the 16 Agricultural Dwelling House Advisory Commitees, the Committee on Agricultural Valuation, the Commons Commissioners, the Inland Waterways Advisory Council and the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution. Further information is available on the DEFRA website....
The Government has announced the creation of an Office of Tax Simplification which will aim to reduce complexities in the tax system. Further detail can be found on the HM Treasury website.
Minister of Agriculture Jim Paice made a written statement to the House of Commons this morning announcing publication of the 2013 Review of the RPA Report. The full Ministerial statement and the Executive Summary of the Report can be downloaded from the DEFRA website.
Following the appeal brought by the Badger Trust against the cull of badgers in the Intensive Action Pilot Area (IAPA), the Welsh Assembly Government has had the TB Eradication (Wales) Order quashed by the Court of Appeal which means that the powers to carry out a badger cull and vaccination in the IAPA have been removed. The judgment can be viewed on the BAILII website. The Welsh Assembly Government has said that it is "disappointed" with the judgment and that they will need to consider the...
The Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) has launched a new £3.3 million Dairy Supply Chain Efficiency project. Further information is available on the WAG website.
Caroline Spelman, Environment Secretary, has announced today that the Commission for Rural Communities will be abolished and that Animal Health is to be merged with the Veterinary Laboratories Agency. Further information is available on the DEFRA website.
The new CAAV Presidential team was voted in at last week's CAAV Centenary Conference and AGM for the forthcoming year. The team consists of:- - CAAV President - Rowland Beaney FRICS FAAV (Suffolk) - CAAV Vice-President - Robert Hicks FRICS FAAV (Western Counties) - CAAV Junior Vice-President - Simon Pallett BSc FRICS FAAV (Berks & Oxon)
Last week's CAAV Centenary Conference and AGM saw several Prizes presented to CAAV members. Kenneth Glenny Prize - This prize was established by Kenneth Glenny on his retirement as Secretary of the CAAV in 1971 and is awarded to members identified as making a major contribution to the advancement of the Association. This year saw two Kenneth Glenny prizes awarded: one to Alan Bowe for his services to the CAAV Executive committee and the second to Philip Pocock for his services to the CAAV...
The CAAV Centenary Conference and AGM was held last week (Thursday 24th and Friday 25th June) in Gloucestershire and saw a befitting culmination in the CAAV Centenary celebrations that have been ongoing for the past 12 months, with HRH The Prince of Wales having kindly agreed to be the Patron of the Centenary. There was record attendance with some 200 members and partners for the practical day with visits to Highgrove and the Duchy Home Farm, 274 for the black tie dinner on the Thursday evening...
VAT will increase to 20% from 4th January 2011. More Budget briefings to follow shortly.
CGT for top rate taxpayers is to increase to 28% from midnight tonight. For basic rate taxpayers the level is unchanged at 18%. Entrepreneurs' Relief is extended to the first £5 million of gains over a lifetime.
On 12th June 2010 the CAAV was granted Recognised European Valuer awarding status by The European Group of Valuers' Associations (TEGoVA) at its General Assembly in Paris. This means that the CAAV can award suitably qualified members who are in active valuation practice the qualification Recognised European Valuer, which assists banks and others in identifying qualified valuers across Europe. Further information for CAAV members is available in the Members Only area of the website....
Elin Jones, Welsh Rural Affairs Minister, has issued a statement following the Badger Trust being granted leave to appeal the Judicial Review decision that the badger cull to take place in West Wales is lawful. The appeal hearing is due to take place on 30th June 2010. Further information is available on the Welsh Assembly Government website.
DEFRA has announced that a Task Force on Farming Regulation, led by Richard Macdonald, will identify ways to reduce the regulatory burden on agriculture. Further detail is available on the DEFRA website.
The Welsh Assemboy Government has issued a statement in response to the Badger Trust being granted leave to appeal the outcome of the judicial review earlier this year regarding the cull of badgers as part of the TB Eradication Programme in Wales. The statement is available on the Welsh Assembly Government website.
It has been reported by the Farmers Guardian that the Badger Trust has been given leave to appeal the judicial review outcome regarding the cull of badgers as part of the Welsh TB Eradication Programme. Further information is available on the Farmers Guardian website.
Members are reminded that the deadline for receipt by the RPA of amendments to SPS claims submitted by 17th May to avoid penalties is Tuesday 1st June. Any amendments must be notified in writing to the RPA.
We would remind members with clients who have Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) agreements expiring at the end of July 2010 that ELS renewal applications must be received by Natural England by 1st June 2010 in order that a start date of 1st August may be guaranteed, therefore avoiding a gap between the expiry of the existing agreement and the commencement of the new one. Further information can be found on the Natural England website....
Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osbourne and Chief Secretary to the Treasury David Laws have announced today that as part of a broader package of savings, DEFRA's 2010/11 budget is to be cut by £162 million. The detail of these cuts is yet to be confirmed. Further information is available on the HM Treasury website.
On Wednesday 19th May the CAAV Council voted unanimously to approve a request by the Scottish Agricultural Arbiters and Valuers Association (SAAVA) to affiliate to the Central Association. In our centenary year, CAAV Local Associations now cover the whole of Great Britain. We warmly welcome our new Scottish colleagues.
Over 200 members and guests enjoyed a reception at Westminster Abbey on Wednesday evening to celebrate the CAAV Centenary. The reception followed Evening Prayer in the Abbey where a prayer was said for the Association. A full report will appear soon on the website and in the June News Letter.
DEFRA has announced that Jim Paice MP is Minister of State for Agriculture and Food, with responsibility for most farming matters and Richard Benyon MP is Parliamentary Under Secretary for Natural Environment and Fisheries. Further detail is available on the DEFRA website.
Further to the announcement that Caroline Spelman MP is to be the DEFRA Secretary of State and James Paice MP's appointment as Minster of State, it has now been confirmed that Richard Benyon MP and Lord Henley have been appointed as Parliamentary Under Secretaries of State. Confirmation is awaited with regard to division of responsibilities. Further information is available on the DEFRA website....
James Paice MP has been appointed as DEFRA Minister of State. We await further information but further appointments should be confirmed later today.
Caroline Spelman MP has been appointed Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in the new Cabinet. Further information is available on the DEFRA website. Details of junior posts are expected in the next few days.
The coalition agreement between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats includes a pledge to scrap Home Information Packs, but not EPCs - which are an EU requirement. The full coalition agreement can be found on the BBC website.
Eric Pickles is the new Minister for Communities and Local Government, according to the BBC.
The Farmers Guardian has reported that, following the judgment in the judicial review regarding the proposed Welsh badger cull last month, the Badger Trust has applied to the High Court for permission to appeal the decision against their legal challenge. Further information is available on the Farmers Guardian website.
Welsh Rural Affairs Minister, Elin Jones, has welcomed the decision by the Bern Covention Bureau at a meeting held in Strasbourg on 29th March to remove a complaint by the Badger Trust from its complaints list. The Badger Trust had raised a complaint regarding the proposed badger cull in the Intensive Action Pilot Area (IAPA) and whether the provisions of the Bern Convention had been respected in Wales' decision to carry out this cull. Further information is available on the Welsh Assembly...
As part of the Welsh TB eradication programme, strict new cattle measures, including six monthly testing of herds, were introduced in the Intensive Action Pilot Area (IAPA) from Saturday 1st May 2010. Further information on the measures is available on the Welsh Assembly Government website.
As part of the ongoing CAAV Centenary celebrations, the CAAV President, Mark Webb, will be hosting an evening Reception on 19th May in Westminster Abbey. All CAAV members are welcome to attend this event and the booking form, together with further information, is available in the Centenary Events section of this website.
The High Court has cleared the way for a badger cull in Wales following a judicial review brought by the Badger Trust. A cull could start in the next few months.
The RPA has issued an update about payments made to date for SPS 2009. Further information is available on the RPA website.
Following a meeting earlier this morning with the Queen to request that Parliament be dissolved, Prime Minister Gordon Brown has just confirmed that, as widely speculated, the UK general election will be held on 6th May 2010. Please see the BBC News website for further information about the announcement just made by Gordon Brown.