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.