REA responds to Minister’s comments on onshore wind
“We very much welcome that Minister John Hayes recognises renewables have a crucial part to play in the future of the UK energy mix. His personal views on onshore wind farms are well known and we welcome DECC’s clarification that his views do not signal a change in Government policy. “This situation illustrates the need […]
New ‘Ashtag’ technology launches to curb spread of devastating disease
The disease, which threatens to wipe out 80 million UK trees, has seen ash imports to the UK suspended and large-scale tree felling tabled. But quick thinking environmental specialists at UEA’s Adapt Low Carbon Group have come up with a new smartphone app which will not only help monitor the spread of disease, but allow […]
Knowledge shortfall could impact climate change strategies
The review focused on existing studies of crop production in Africa and South Asia, two of the world’s most food-insecure yet agriculturally dependent regions. Eight major crops – maize, rice, wheat, sorghum, millet, cassava, yam and sugarcane – which collectively account for 80% of total production were examined. The study will provide policy makers and […]
European Union awards FIGARO consortium €6 million for new precision technologies to improve irrigation management
The European Union (EU) has awarded FIGARO (Flexible and Precise Irrigation Platform to Improve Farm Scale Water Productivity), an international Consortium led by Netafim Ltd , €6 million to develop new precision technologies to improve irrigation management to increase water productivity in major water-demanding crops. FIGARO researchers will focus their efforts on significantly reducing the […]
REA sets out true cost renewables support ahead of Commons debate
Ofgem data shows average dual-fuel energy bills have risen by £205 in the past two years (July 2010 to July 2012). Analysis by REA based on Ofgem/DECC data shows support schemes for renewables over a similar period have contributed around £4 to energy bill price increases. That equates to 2% of total bill increases over […]
Centrica Energy withdraws from two biomass planning applications
Centrica Energy has announced today that it will not be proceeding with planning applications to develop dedicated biomass power stations at Roosecote in Barrow-in-Furness and at Glanford Brigg in North Lincolnshire. Centrica Energy had proposed to build a new 80MW biomass power station on the site of its existing Roosecote gas-fired power station, and a […]
Efforts stepped up to tackle disease of ash trees
Work to combat Chalara dieback of ash has been under way for some months. The Forestry Commission and the Food & Environment Research Agency (Fera) are now following up confirmed cases in trees in East Anglia which do not appear to be associated with recent plantings of nursery-supplied plants. The UK Government is also preparing […]
1,250 mile ‘Mowerthon’ journey completed
Phil Voice trundled into John O’Groats on 15 October on the mower, successfully completing the epic ‘Mowerthon’, raising funds and awareness for Perennial. Phil Voice of the Landscape Juice Network set off from Bergerac in France on the Etesia ride-on mower on 1 October. With an average speed of just 7.5 mph, the journey was […]
European changes to biofuels policies are ‘ill-conceived
The Commission proposals are wide ranging and potentially highly damaging to the UK agricultural industry. However, the proposed five per cent cap on ‘food crops’ with no real justification in evidence and a disproportionate increase in the threshold for greenhouse gas savings raise the most serious questions about the efficacy of the proposals. The changes […]
