Is it time to bring back the Lynx?
An Imperial student is seeking people’s views on reintroducing wild lynx parts of the UK, to explore whether this might one day be feasible. Jamie Wyver, who is currently studying towards an MSc in Conservation Science at Imperial College London, is exploring attitudes towards bringing back the carnivorous animal, once native to the country. He […]
Trees must feature in long-term local flood defence strategies
The Government needs to focus on long-term investment to mitigate the risk of future flooding, as well as allocating funding for just short-term defence strategies. Today the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee released a statement calling for the Government to take action now to prevent the repeat of the devastation caused by winter […]
Farmers given chance to Sow the Seeds for Pollinator Revival
UK arable farmers now have a great opportunity to kick-start the creation of essential new food resources for pollinating insects. The Syngenta Operation Pollinator offer, in partnership with the Campaign for the Farmed Environment (CFE) and seed suppliers, Kings, will provide 350 seed packs of a purpose-designed annual wildflower mix and the full agronomic support […]
Flood funding needs to recognise the value of agriculture
The NFU is calling for Defra to act on the recommendations of the Efra Select Committee’s report into this winter’s flooding which severely hit farmland across England and Wales. The report highlights the importance of watercourse and coastal defence maintenance and concerns that funding for maintenance “is at a bare minimum” and “the first thing […]
United approach on water and crop protection
Inviting closer collaboration with farmers, the water companies used the Cereals 2014 event to set out a need for greater ‘high risk’ catchment targeting, in order to protect water supplies. Hosting a stand for the first time at the event, Water UK, the policy organisation for the water industry, was supported by the Metaldehyde Stewardship […]
Re-Fuelling the Countryside – Opportunities for low carbon transport fuels
Alternative energy sources can play a key role in reducing the use of fossil based transport fuels on-farm and in rural communities, according to an RASE Report launched today (16th June 2014). “Re-Fuelling the Countryside: the prospects for low carbon farm and rural transport fuels” identifies farm sourced renewable energy including biogas, electric, hydrogen […]
REA welcomes political agreement on EU biofuels policy
The EU Energy Council this morning reached political agreement on measures to incorporate indirect land use change (ILUC) into EU biofuels policies, effectively bringing a close to almost two years of investment-blocking policy paralysis in the low carbon fuels sector. The key elements of the compromise package are: > A 7% cap on transport energy […]
Government fails to meet its tree planting targets
New statistics from the Forestry Commission released today show the rate of tree planting is far lower than is needed to meet Government targets – despite efforts by landowners who applied for woodland creation grants last year. Just 3,300 hectares of new woodland was planted in England in the 2013-14 planting season – an increase […]
CLA concerns around EFAs acknowledged by Defra
The CLA has said that Government proposals for Ecological Focus Areas (EFAs) as required under the greening criteria of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will avoid complex bureaucracy while recognising the environmental work farmers are already undertaking. The Association responded positively to the announcement by the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural […]
