Archive for 'News'
Update on Single Payment Scheme
Agriculture Minister Jim Paice updated Parliament today on the progress of payments to farmers under the Single Payment Scheme. Mr Paice said: In the statement made by my Rt. hon friend the Secretary of State on 14 July (col.41-44 WS), she explained that the RPA business plan for 2011-12 would be updated when the Agency’s [...]
Majority of England’s bathing waters meet strict quality standards
A huge majority of England’s bathing waters continue to meet rigorous quality standards, new figures from Defra reveal. Nearly 80 per cent of England’s bathing waters met the tightest guideline standard with close to 98 per cent meeting the European Commission’s minimum water quality threshold in 2011.
Trials show fishermen can drastically reduce discards
The dreadful waste of thousands of tonnes of dead fish being thrown back into the sea every day could be stopped if fishermen are required to count all the fish they catch as part of their quota, pioneering UK trials have shown. Published today, the report shows that fishermen taking part in the UK’s Catch [...]
Sky lanterns cause Bonfire Night nuisance for farm animals
Bonfire Night revellers are being reminded to think about the problems which sky lanterns can cause before using them.
Local Authority collected waste for England – annual statistics
These annual results summarise waste collected and managed by local authorities in England and the regions between the financial years between 2009/10 and 2010/11. Based on data submitted to WasteDataFlow, they replace the provisional estimates published for the first three quarters of 2010-11 in February, May and August 2011. 41.2 per cent of household waste [...]
Pick of the crop could earn fewer farm inspections
Farmers with the best track records on environmental protection and animal welfare standards could soon earn the right to operate more freely, Agriculture Minister Jim Paice said today. Unveiling the Government’s interim response to the Farming Regulation Task Force, Mr Paice highlighted a number of areas where the government hopes to reduce regulatory burdens on [...]
Fishermen to join forces to keep their communities afloat
Fishing communities struggling to survive could benefit from a new cooperative scheme to keep England’s inshore fishing fleet afloat. Fishermen are being asked to join forces and take control over how they manage their fishing quotas and market their catches.
Green-fingered students share recipe for success
A bright crop of pupils in Greenwich put on a gardening masterclass for Agriculture Minister Jim Paice today.
Flood risk areas prepared for emergencies says independent report
England and Wales are now better prepared than ever to respond to major flooding, says an independent report published today. 10,000 people took part in Britain’s biggest ever civil emergency exercise, Exercise Watermark, last March to test the country’s response to floods. The Exercise Watermark report published today shows that emergency services in areas at [...]
Local areas are keen to form Local Nature Partnerships
Twenty two areas across England have been given funding by Defra to help them become a Local Nature Partnership (LNP). LNPs are a key commitment in the Natural Environment White Paper, aimed at bringing together local people and organisations to get the most from the natural environment. This is the first round of a £1 million [...]