A total of €410.3 million of EU farm money is to be claimed back from member states due to inadequate control procedures or non-compliance with EU rules on agricultural expenditure. Full details can be found in this press release....
Tony Cooper has been appointed Chief Executive of the Rural Payments Agency (RPA). He has latterly held the position as Interim Chief Executive. Here is the link to the Defra press release.
Scientists at the Institute for Animal Health are asking farmers and vets to assist in their study of Bluetongue vaccination. They will be assessing how well vaccination is working in terms of animal health, welfare and financial benefits and the reasons underlying the decision to vaccinate. The investigators are particularly interested in hearing from farmers and vets in the areas of East Anglia affected by the 2007 outbreak, although all contributions will be most welcome. All information will...
Defra have announced that the Protection Zone has been extended to cover the District of Selby, the Unitary Authority of York, West Yorkshire (made up of the metropolitan boroughs of Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield), Derbyshire (including Derby), Staffordshire (including Stoke-on-Trent) and West Midlands (made up of the metropolitan boroughs of Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull and Walsall.The change follows delivery of additional doses of...
The Scottish Government announced the launch of Scotland's Environmental and Rural Services (SEARS) at the Royal Highland Show on the 20th June 2006. Its aim is to reduce duplication, bureaucracy and overlap and in turn deliver greater efficiency, effectiveness and speed of delivery by developing a "one-stop shop" for rural land managers and farmers. Click here to see the press release. The website can be accessed here....
Defra has today announced that the Surveillance Zone and remaining disease control area restrictions put in place following the outbreak of H7N7 avian influenza in Oxfordshire will lift at 00.01 on Tuesday 8 July. Further information regarding avian influenza can be found on the Defra website.
In his statement to the Commons this afternoon, Hilary Benn has outlined the measures that the government proposes in order to control bTB. A badger cull in England is not presently considered as part of these measures. The full statement can be found here.
At the Royal Show in Warwickshire on 4th July, Environment Secretary Hilary Benn announced £500,000 to fund up to two pilot projects that will explore how land management can reduce the risk of flooding. Outline proposals from suitable landowners should be submitted by 29 August 2008. These will be assessed and one or two projects selected for a more detailed feasibility study before the funding is committed. Successful applicants will be contacted by 30th September 2008 and will be allocated...
The BBC has reported that the Government has decided against a cull of badgers in England to control TB. It is reported by the BBC that an announcement will be made on Monday. Further details are not available.
The Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Hilary Benn) has today (3rd July) issued a Written Ministerial Statement regarding the Single Payment Scheme and 2007 payments. As at 30th June, 98.7% of the total estimated fund had been paid (£1.431 billion), with "full payments" made to 103,485 (97% of 2007 SPS claimants). 30th June represents the end of the regulatory window by which time 2007 SPS payments have to be made. Payments for 2007 SPS made after this date will see...
Defra has announced that the Protection Zone, put in place due to the Avian Influenza outbreak in Oxfordshire, was lifted at 00:01 Sunday 29th June 2008, providing that no new suspect cases had been identified. Further details can be found on the Defra website.
Bluetongue vaccine has today, 27th June 2008, been released for use in South East Wales. Click here to read the Welsh Assembly Government's press release.
Defra has announced today that, following the delivery of 2 million doses of the vaccine, the Protection Zone will be extended to cover Cornwall, including the Isles of Scilly. The Welsh Assembly Government will also declare south-east Wales to be a Protection Zone. These extensions will take effect from 27th June at midday. The latest information on Bluetongue can be found on the Defra website....
Latest figures, published on 19 June, show that the total value of payments made under the 2007 Single Payment Scheme (SPS) is £1.417 billion which is 97.7% of the estimated total fund of £1.45 billion. The report can be found here.
The RPA has published a 2 year strategic plan which emphasises the provision of better services to their customers. The plan can be accessed by clicking here.
Defra has confirmed that further to the delay of a batch of Bluetongue vaccine which was due to have been delivered during the week of 2nd June, Intervet's feedback on progress with this batch is positive and final testing is being carried out. As soon as the remaining checks are finalised, Defra will be making an announcement about the roll-out of vaccine. For further information, please see Defra's website. Further to the order Defra placed with Merial for a further 13 million doses (announced...
Further to the Ministerial Written Statement published on Monday (16th) in which Jonathan Shaw set out performance targets for the RPA for 2008/9, Hilary Benn as issued an amended Written Ministerial Statement which corrects Monday's Statement. In particular, the SPS 2008 payment target for 31st January 2009 has been revised from 80% by value to have been paid, to 75% by value to have been paid. To view the Written Ministerial Statement, please see Defra's website....
Defra has today (17th) published an epidemiology report regarding the Avian Influenza outbreak in Oxfordshire earlier this month. The report has found that as at the date the report was written (11th June) the outbreak is confined to a single premises and there is no indication of further spread, but further investigations are continuing. Please see Defra's website for further information and to view the report.
Jonathan Shaw, Minister for Marine, Landscape and Rural Affairs, has made a written Ministerial Statement setting out the RPA's targets for performance for 2008/9. In particular, the target for 2008 Single Payment Scheme payments has been set as follows: 80% by value of valid 2008 SPS claims to have been paid by 31st January 2009 90% by value of valid 2008 SPS claims to have been paid by 31st March 2009 To view the Statement, please click here....
Defra today announced that it has ordered 13 million doses of Bluetongue serotype 8 vaccine from Merial, who expect to deliver the vaccine in regular batches over the summer. It is hoped that this will ensure that sufficient doses are available for vaccination to be rolled out across England & Wales by September. 8 million doses are for England & 5 million for Wales. The DEFRA press release can be found by clicking here....
The strain of Avian Influenza involved has been confirmed as the highly pathogenic H7N7. Please see Defra website for the latest update on the Protection and Surveillance Zones.
Defra has confirmed this evening (4th June) that the Temporary Control Zone established following confirmation of the highly pathogenic Avian Influenza on a farm in Banbury, Oxfordshire, is to be replaced by Protection and Surveillance Zones. All restrictions remain in place. Further information is available on Defra's website.
Defra last night confirmed (3rd June) that preliminary tests on chickens on premises near Banbury have proven to be positive for the H7 strain of Avian Influenza. Further laboratory testing is being carried out. A Temporary Control Zone (3km inner zone and 10 km outer zone) has been set up around the infected premises and Defra is considering whether wider measures need to be imposed as a matter of urgency. Further information can be found on Defra's website....
Defra has confirmed this afternoon (3rd June) that the intended extension to the Protection Zone this week into Cornwall and the Restricted Zone in Wales has been delayed due to further testing being required on the vaccine prior to its release. For furthre information, please see Defra's News Release.
For the full report, please click here.
Latest figures, published today, show that the total value of payments made under the 2007 Single Payment Scheme (SPS) is £1.312 billion which is 90.5% of the estimated total fund of £1.45 billion.A total of 99,437 customers have received a full SPS payment. This represents 93.2% of the estimated total claimant population of 106,700. www.rpa.gov.uk
Vaccination against bluetongue is expected to start in South East Wales in 10 days time, Welsh Assembly Rural Affairs Minister, Elin Jones, announced this morning.
Defra has today announced that the Bluetongue Protection Zone will be extended again on Monday 26 May, following the delivery of additional doses of Bluetongue vaccine. Vaccination is only permitted within the Protection Zone; therefore, in accordance with the Bluetongue vaccination plan, the Protection Zone will be extended to cover all of Devon (including the Unitary Authorities of Plymouth and Torbay). The Surveillance Zone is unaffected. Please click here for further information....
Devon is expected to be the next region to receive the bluetongue vaccination as 4m doses are prepared for release over the next week.
Helen Ghosh, Defra’s Permanent Secretary today confirmed the appointment of Nigel Gibbens as Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO).Nigel’s first event as CVO will be to represent the UK at the World Animal Health Organisation General Session in Paris from 25 to 30 May.
The Bluetongue Protection Zone will be extended on the 19 May 2008, following the delivery of additional doses of Bluetongue vaccine. Please click here for more information.
Defra has confirmed that from Monday 12th May, the Bluetongue Protection Zones will be extended as a result of the delivery of further doses of the vaccine. This is due to the fact that vaccination may only take place within the Protection Zone. This will see the extension of the zones to include all of Hampshire and West Sussex. Lincolnshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire will also be incorporated within the extension of the Protection Zone. Livestock keepers within these new areas of the...
Hilary Benn, Environment Secretary, has today (30th April) announced that the first batch of one million doses of the vaccine for Bluetongue provided by Intervet is ready for distribution to the Protection Zones in England. This first batch is available as 20-dose bottles. It is expected that a further larger batch of up to two million doses (in 50-dose bottles) should be released in the next few days. Further information is available on Defra's website....
Defra has today (3rd) released details of how vaccination for Bluetongue will be rolled out across England. Further information is available on Defra's website.
A new Bluetongue Declaration has been made at 1pm today to extend Protection Zone 1 and Protection Zone 2. Please click here to view a copy of the declaration.
Declaration revoking Wild Bird restrictions in Dorset - please click here.
Please click here for the revised declaration which replaces yesterday's Declaration (with the SZ description adjusted slightly to clarify that Rochdale is included in the SZ).
The Bluetongue Protection and Surveillance Zones have been extended following additional cases in Lincolnshire & Hertfordshire, which have been confirmed as a result of pre-movement testing. Click here for more.
Click here for latest situation 29th February.
Defra has today confirmed that a Canada goose collected on 25 February in the Wild Bird Monitoring Area in Dorset as part of wild bird surveillance has tested positive for highly pathogenic H5N1 Avian Influenza. The bird was found less than a kilometre from where the previous positive cases in swans were collected. Click here for information bulletin.