The Welsh Assembly Government has announced the panel who will be reviewing the scientific evidence base in relation to the eradication of bovine TB in Wales. Further information is available on the Welsh Assembly Government website.
DEFRA has published the latest CAP payments data. This relates to payments made to "legal" persons from 16th October 2008 to 15th October 2010. Please see the DEFRA website for further information.
Natural England is encouraging some 15,000 "classic" scheme agreement holders (Countryside Stewardship and ESA) to consider Environmental Stewardship when their current agreement expires. Please see the Natural England website for further information.
Caroline Spelman has announced a package of measures aimed at reducing the incidence of bovine TB in England which includes a statement that the Government is "strongly minded to allow a science-led cull of badgers" in the worst affected areas. The full statement can be read on the DEFRA website.
With effect from 5th July, Great Britain has been declared as officially free from Bluetongue. Further information on the implications for livestock keepers is available on the DEFRA website.
Agriculture Minister Jim Paice has today updated Parliament on progress with 2010 SPS payments following the end of the regulatory payment window on 30th June 2011. Details are available on the DEFRA website.
A new 3-tier HLS application process is being launched by Natural England from tomorrow (1st July) which will see HLS applications being classed as either "Fast-track", "Standard" or "Complex", with "Fast-track" applications being done wholly in-house by Natural England advisers. Further information is available on the Natural England website.
The Kenneth Glenny 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 it was awarded posthumously to Graham Martyn who sadly passed away earlier this year. Graham had been heavily involved in livestock matters on behalf of the CAAV and was a long-serving member of the Executive committee as well as being a past President of the CAAV.
The Public and Commercial Services Union is planning industrial action this Thursday 30th June. This will take effect across the whole of the Civil Service, including the RPA. Further information is available on the RPA website.
The new CAAV Presidential team was voted in at last week's CAAV Conference and AGM held in Suffolk. The team for the forthcoming year is:- - CAAV President - Robert Hicks FRICS FAAV (Western Counties) - CAAV Vice-President - Simon Pallett BSc FRICS FAAV (Berks and Oxon) - CAAV Junior Vice-President - James O'Brien FRICS FAAV MCIArb REV (Lincolnshire)
The Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE) Talbot Ponsonby Prize has been awarded since 1999 to the candidate who achieved the highest marks in the CAAV examinations. This year's prize was awarded to Paul Cressy (Cornwall) with Laura Hardy being the runner-up (N. Yorks and S. Durham).
Welsh Environment Minister John Griffiths has today announced that the implementation of the proposed badger cull in Wales as part of their TB Eradication Programme is to be delayed whilst a review is carried out of the scientific evidence base regarding the eradication of bovine TB in Wales. Further information is available on the Welsh Assembly Government website....
HMRC's SDLT online filing system will be shut down between 25th June and 4th July and online SDLT returns cannot be made during this time. For more information, see the HMRC website at www.hmrc.gov.uk/sdlt/filing-sdlt-returns.htm.
As part of the ongoing development of the CAAV website, a Feedback Questionnaire has been enclosed with the CAAV June News Letter which should arrive with members shortly. The close date for responses is Friday 22nd July. This Questionnaire may also be completed and emailed to alice@caav.org.uk - it can be found by logging into Members' Documents and going to 'Professional Matters' and 'CAAV Publications'....
UK agriculture ministers have met with the European Commission to discuss sheep EID and the difficulty of attaining 100 per cent accuracy with readings to avoid the application of penalties/reductions to Single Payment Scheme payments. Further information is available on the DEFRA website.
Agriculture Minister Jim Paice has announced the lifting of export restrictions on sheep and cattle which were put in place as result of bluetongue. The Bluetongue Free Status will come into effect from 5th July 2011 and will mean that farmers can no longer vaccinate livestock. Further information is available on the DEFRA website.
DEFRA and the the Environment Agency have announced that parts of the Anglian region are now in an official state of drought. Other parts of South-west England, the South-east, Midlands and Wales are also causing concern. A meeting is being held today between DEFRA and water abstraction representatives to discuss how to better conserve and use the water available. The situation will continue to be monitored. Further information is available on the DEFRA website....
DEFRA has launched the Natural Environment White Paper which sets out the Government's vision for the natural environment over the coming 50 years. More information is available on the DEFRA website and a briefing note for CAAV members is available in Members' Documents (please see What's New).
As a result of the current dry weather affecting farmers, Natural England has issued advice for Environmental Stewardship agreement holders with regard to derogations which will be made available in particular with regard to grassland management affected by the dry weather. Further guidance is available from the Natural England website.
Natural England (NE) is urging farmers who have been offered HLS agreements which should have a 1st June 2011 start date but are yet to return the signed declaration to NE should do so before 31st May. If they do not they will find that their agreement will be given a post 1st June start date which will then affect the timing of their payments as a result of the EU audit of agri-environment schemes in England which would see them having to wait for a further 16 months until their first payment....