Natural England launches free farm visits and support for participants in ELS
Natural England has launched a new service of one-to-one farm visits to help farmers in Entry Level Stewardship get the most out of their ELS agreements. Existing ELS holders can now request a free on-farm visit from an experienced adviser to discuss the ongoing management of their agreement and how it can best achieve environmental […]
Professional bodies unite in concern over proposed planning reforms
Six bodies representing a range of environmental professions have united in a joint letter to planning Minister, Greg Clarke MP, expressing their concern over the current planning reform proposals from Government. In the latest of a wave of expressions of concern, the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management, Royal Meteorological Society, Institute of Ecology […]
OFT Recommendations Will Help AD
ADBA Chairman and Lib Dem peer Lord Redesdale has welcomed the publication today [Thursday] of the OFTs Market Study into Organic Waste. The Market Study was prompted by the water regulator Ofwat, to explore what barriers exist to competition in the treatment of sewage sludge, and the involvement of Water and Sewage Companies in the […]
Wild bees key to boost quality blackcurrant yields
Trials by scientists at East Malling Research (EMR) have revealed that wild solitary bees and bumblebees are key to high yield blackcurrant harvests and larger more uniform berry size. This was found to be especially important in bad weather. Honeybees, however, were not found pollinating flowers on the nine plantations surveyed, and so play little […]
Adjust your stubble management to support the CFE
Farmers and land managers are being urged to tweak how they manage their stubble to help the Campaign for the Farmed Environment (CFE) meet targets for Voluntary Measures. In 2010/11, Englands farmers delivered over 40,000ha of stubble management meeting the essential management or red box requirements of the Campaigns Voluntary Measures. However, more must be […]
Saffery Champness warns of a likely delay in the publication of the new FiTs rates
Saffery Champness has issued a warning of a likely delay in the publication by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) of the consultation paper providing details of the new consultation rates for Feed in Tariffs (FiTs). The consultation paper was due to be published towards the end of September but, according to rumour, publication will be in mid to […]
Environmental stewardship is key, says European watchdog
An official report has highlighted the importance of agri-environment schemes across Europe singling out Englands wildlife friendly farming measures for top marks. The European Court of Auditors two year long study into the effectiveness of agri-environment schemes is released today (Monday, September 19). While containing some hard-hitting recommendations for improvement, it hails the crucial role […]
Off-road event cancelled for second time in face of threats to a nationally important local nature reserve
Wildlife lovers have good cause to celebrate, as plans to stage one of the UKs largest 4X4 off-road events on a rural farmland site immediately adjacent to a nationally important local nature reserve in Gozzards Ford near Abingdon in Oxfordshire, have been cancelled following a rising tide of local objections. Glebe Field, also known as […]
Following the ECJ honey ruling: Call for safety distances of up to ten kilometres between GM fields and beehives
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled last week that pollen from genetically modified (GM) plants contained in honey counts as a food ingredient and requires authorisation. Initial reactions from politicians and associations welcome the ruling unanimously because it creates legal certainty at last. Opinions vary, however, regarding the possible consequences. Whereas Bavarias Environment […]
