DECC statement on domestic heating oil supplies
The Energy Minister has issued a statement on the availability of domestic heating oil supplies, which can be read on the DECC website.
The Energy Minister has issued a statement on the availability of domestic heating oil supplies, which can be read on the DECC website.
The Localism Bill has been laid before Parliament. A detailed CAAV Briefing Note will be posted under Members' Documents shortly. The bill itself can be downloaded from the Parliament website.
Following the appointment of an interim RPA Chief Executive, Richard Judge, earlier this year when former the Chief Executive, Tony Cooper, departed, DEFRA has now appointed a new Chief Executive, Mark Grimshaw, who has been in charge of the Child Support Agency over the past two years. Mr. Grimshaw will be taking up his role with the RPA on 17th January 2011. Further information is available on the DEFRA website....
The Decentralisation and Localism Bill is expected to be published later today (Monday). DCLG has issued a guide to the Bill which can be downloaded from the DCLG website.
DEFRA has received over 15,000 responses to its Natural Environment White Paper discussion document which is a record number for a DEFRA consultation. The Natural Environment White Paper is due to be published in Spring 2011. Further information is available on the DEFRA website.
Following extended consultation, the Welsh Assembly Government has launched its 10 year food strategy 'Food for Wales, Food from Wales 2010-2020. Further information, including the strategy document, is available on the Welsh Assembly Government.
The Scottish Briefing Event planned for Edinburgh on Thursday has been cancelled due to the ongoing poor weather conditions which continue to make travel difficult. We will advise members of a new date for this event in due course.
The results of the 2010 CAAV examinations are being sent out via First Class post today (Friday 3rd December) to all candidates. Please note that results cannot be given to candidates over the telephone.
The 2010 Single Payment Scheme (SPS) window opens today and the RPA has commenced making payments to farmers. Agriculture Minister Jim Paice has issued a statement to Parliament which may be viewed on the DEFRA website.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has made a Statement to the House of Commons in response to the Office of Budgetary Responsibility's first Autumn Forecast, which has replaced what used to be the Pre-Budget Report.
There will be a half day briefing for CAAV members on 15th December in Birmingham which will cover a range of current topics and emerging issues including:- Environmental Stewardship changes as a consequence of the EU audit (changes to applications and payments) DEFRA Spending Review SPS Online for agents SPS entitlements transfers for 2011 CAP reform post 2013 Please contact Elaine Neades for further information and booking - elaine@caav.org.uk or 01594 832979....
The European Commission has published their official communication relating to Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) post 2013. For further information please go to the following links. We will provide further briefing on this website in due course. The CAP towards 2020: Meeting the food, natural resources and territorial challenges of the future (Commission communication) ec.europa.eu Press release: europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do Background note: Commission Communication on the future of...
DEFRA has announced how payments for Environmental Stewardship agreement holders will change as a result of an EU audit. Further details have also been given with regard to the budget available for HLS in terms of the temporary suspension to HLS agreements and the Comprehensive Spending Review. Further information is available on the Natural England website. Further briefing on these changes will be given on this website as well as at the CAAV Members' Briefing on 15th December in Birmingham....
Following a report on Farming Today that DEFRA was to sell off National Parks in England, DEFRA has today confirmed that is not the case, particularly as the majority of them are privately owned. Further information is available on the DEFRA website.
The European Court of Justice has just struck down a rule compelling member states to identify all recipients of CAP support. We will brief further when we have details. The full judgment is available on the Bailii website.
The Brain Pack Inquiry Report into the future of support for agriculture in Scotland has been published today and can be downloaded from the Scottish Government website. More detail on the report will be available to CAAV members later today.
The Prince's Countryside Fund is open for applications for funding for projects which will help to secure a sustainable future for British farming. The current application window closes on 1st December 2010. For further information, visit The Prince's Countryside Fund website.
The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills has published a white paper on Local Growth, which can be downloaded from the BIS website.
Following the Welsh Assembly Government's confirmation earlier this week that they were not intending to sell off forests in Wales, the Scottish Government has also stated that this is similarly the case in Scotland. Further information is available on the Forestry Commission Scotland website.
DEFRA has committed £100 million to international forestry up to 2015 as part of the UK's commitment to the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation programme. Please see the DEFRA website for further information.
A simulated FMD national scale outbreak is to be carried out on 9/10 November 2010 to test the Government's ability to respond to disease and identify improvements that could be made to processes and plans. Further information is available on the Animal Health website.
Following recent reports in the media that Britain's national forests are to be sold off, Wales' Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones has dismissed these reports in the context of Welsh forests stating that this would be a "devolved matter". Her full statement is available on the Welsh Assembly Government website.
The attached version of the Electronic Communications Code is, as far as we are aware, the only consolidated version available. It was included as an appendix to CAAV numbered publication 201 - Telecommunications Masts. Download The Electronic Communications Code
The Welsh Assembly Government has launched their new Glastir Woodland Creation Grant Scheme to encourage farmers in Wales to create new woodland areas on their land. The Scheme will be administered by the Forestry Commission Wales until 1st January 2013 when delivery responsibility will pass to the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG). To view further details of the Scheme and application process please log-in to "Members' Documents". A news release is available on the WAG website....
The Welsh Assembly Government has published a written statement in reaction to the details of the Spending Review which were given on 20th October. Please see the Welsh Assembly Government website for the statement.
DEFRA is to see its resource spending cut by 29%, capital spending by 34% and a 33% reduction in its administrative budget as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review. Specific detail of what real effect this will have is awaited but further information and briefing is available in a CAAV website note in Members' Documents (please log-in to view). Please also see the DEFRA website.
The UK Government has concluded that following the findings of the Severn Tidal Power Feasibility Study the scheme will not be pursued for the time being but may be looked at again in the future. The Feasibility Study is available on the DECC website. Welsh Environment Minister, Jane Davidson, has thanked all those involved with the study - please see the Welsh Assembly Government website for a news release....
Agricultural Ministers from the UK and Germany met yesterday to discuss Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform post 2013. Further information is available on the DEFRA website.
Mary Creagh MP for Wakefield has been appointed as the Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is also understood that Jamie Reed MP, Willie Bain MP and Peter Soulsby MP will be the shadow junior DEFRA ministers. Further information is available on the Labour Party website.
The entry level element (All-Wales Element) of the new Welsh agri-environment scheme, Glastir, opens for applications on Monday 4th October. Application packs should start to be sent out to Welsh farmers who indicated an expression of interest on their 2010 SAF from that date. The close date for submission of applications is 22nd November 2010. Further information is available on the Welsh Assembly Government website....
The CAAV Fees Survey 2010 is being circulated to members by e-mail this year, via Local Association Secretaries. Please do complete and return your survey by 4th October 2010, to assist us in producing an accurate report of fees being charged across the profession. The results will be published on the website later in the autumn.
In advance of the mailing of the September CAAV News Letter, the CAAV Costings Schedule for 2010 is now available to members on the website under Members Documents / CAAV publications.
DEFRA has today launched a consultation putting forward proposals for new measures to control bovine TB in badgers in England. The proposals include the issue of licences to farmers/landowners to cull and/or vaccinate badgers at their own cost. Further information is available on the DEFRA website.
Christianne Glossop, Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales, has written to the Badger Trust to express concerns about their use of the National TB statistics. The Badger Trust had stated that the figures showed a "consistent downward trend" for the past two and half years in Wales and GB, whereas it seems to be the case that the historic trend is in fact still increasing. Further information about the CVO's correspondence with the Badger Trust can be found on the Welsh Assembly Government website....
Northern Ireland Farming Minister, Michelle Gildernew, has announced that the mapping details of some 742,000 field parcels used to claim the Single Payment Scheme in Northern Ireland are to be re-visited as part of a comprehensive re-mapping exercise in reaction to the application of £31 million disallowance by the EU for issues including their mapping system. This exercise will be similar to that carried out by the RPA for England in 2009/10. Further information is available on the DARDNI...
Following discussions with rural businesses and other stakeholders, the Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) has today published their 'Agenda for change' setting out proposals to release the economic potential of rural areas in England. Please see the CRC website for further information.
The RPA has announced that the SPS online service will not be available on Thursday 26th August between 11am and 7pm due to maintenance work being carried out.
The HS2 Exceptional Hardship Scheme opened on 20th August. Application forms can be found on the HS2 website.
The CAAV, in conjunction with RICS Wales, is holding a professional briefing event about Glastir on 8th September at the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The event will address the entry level (All- Wales Element) applications process which will start this September, with a close date of 1st November 2010, and the eligibility issues that need to be considered including land occupation arrangements and the end of "dual use" in Wales. Places are limited and bookings...
It has been agreed that the National Written Tutorial can count as one of the four tutorials which candidates for the 2010 CAAV examinations must have attended. Please ensure that application forms for the 2010 examinations are received by Coleford by 31st August - certificates for the National Written Tutorial can be submitted after the event.
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.