Helping farmers deal with the latest extreme weather conditions
Natural England is temporarily lifting some of the land management requirements that normally apply to Environmental Stewardship (ES) agreements, so that farmers and growers have more flexibility to deal with the impact of the recent extreme and unseasonable weather. Natural England has confirmed that, following the recent heavy snowfall in many areas, livestock farmers who […]
Bee health joint proposal announced
Bayer CropScience and Syngenta, today unveiled an action plan to unlock the EU stalemate on bee health. This follows the failure of the European Commission to reach agreement with Member States on an appropriate response to EFSA’s report on the theoretical risk to bee health from neonicotinoid crop protection products. Dr. Rüdiger Scheitza, Member of […]
REA recommends extension of successful renewable energy targets
The REA welcomes two reports published today by the European Commission: a Green Paper on a 2030 framework for climate and energy policies and a progress report on renewable energy, which also summarises a separate report, to be published shortly, on the social sustainability of EU biofuels policies. Response to the Commission’s Green Paper on […]
STA response to RHI announcements
Commenting on DECC’s announcements on the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), STA CEO Paul Barwell said: “While this latest delay to the domestic RHI is undoubtedly an enormous disappointment to the solar thermal industry, we remain committed to working constructively with DECC to ensure that there is no further slippage. We must ensure that a successful […]
CLA will hold Defra to pledge on tackling tree disease
The CLA today (26 March) welcomed the Government’s Chalara Management Plan and said it would work closely with Defra to ensure the commitment to tackling tree pests and diseases is at the top of the Environment Secretary’s agenda. CLA President Harry Cotterell said: “We worked closely with Defra to help produce the plan for dealing […]
Odds lengthen on Chancellor to win Renewables Champion of the Year
The REA has expressed disappointment that George Osborne’s Budget Statement yesterday made no mention of renewable energy, despite it being one of the few sectors of the UK economy with genuine jobs and growth potential right now. With the Chancellor out of the running, now is the perfect time to get online and nominate a […]
Backwards thinking Chancellor is ‘fracking up’
In the budget released this week, the Chancellor George Osborne incentivised the domestic shale gas industry while turning a blind eye to the nation’s legally binding carbon commitments. He has also promised financial incentives, or ‘bribes,’ to communities to encourage them to accept fracking operations. The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) believes […]
Review of Joint Nature Conservation Committee to begin
The JNCC provides evidence and advice to underpin the Government’s environmental policies. The aim of the review is to look at how JNCC carries out its functions and how it might achieve better quality sustainable outcomes for the environment, the economy and for society. The review is being taken forward as a joint review with […]
Food industry outlines opportunity for sustainable farming
A new report has highlighted that the food industry is looking for ways to measure how sustainably its ingredients are grown and produced, providing an opportunity for farmers to demonstrate their credentials in this area. These findings come from a new report, Driving Sustainability, from LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) to be launched at IFE […]
