18 May 2019

Defra ‘Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey has published the first progress report of its landmark 25 Year Environment Plan indicating that, in the first year alone, 90 per cent of the plan’s actions have been delivered or are being progressed. Over the last 12 months, the government, amongst other actions, has: set out plans to ban […]

18 May 2019

Bob Earll ‘The NCC have been remarkably silent on marine issues in their 7 year existence. It looks like one new NCC member – Mel Austen – has changed this. That’s progress. This report comes close on the heels of a host of other reports*. It makes one wonder quite what the role of NCC […]

18 May 2019

EEA ‘There is a shared vision to achieve clean, non toxic seas but their contamination with synthetic substances as well as heavy metals continues to be a large-scale problem in Europe. According to a new European Environment Agency (EEA) report, between 75 and 96 % of the assessed area of Europe’s regional seas have a […]

18 May 2019

Defra ‘The British Overseas Territories (‘OTs’) are globally significant in their ecological richness, containing over 90% of the UK’s marine and terrestrial biodiversity. Constitutional responsibility for decision making in many policy areas relevant to biodiversity and conservation lie with the OTs, which are highly dependent on the assets provided by their natural environment, terrestrial and marine […]

14 May 2019

The Draft National Flood & Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England consultation has been making all the headlines with a call for renewed investment at £1billion a year in FRM and the possible need to move vulnerable communities in the event of climate change threats.  These ideas were elaborated in high profile speech by […]

14 May 2019

‘Blank cheque’ Ag Bill will cut out formal consultation on public goods scheme Farmers Guardian: News 08 May 2019 Abi Kay Farm bodies will not be formally consulted on the detail of Defra’s public money for public goods scheme and the policy will receive less scrutiny than other major legislative changes, Farmers Guardian can confirm. In an […]

14 May 2019

Tobias Phibbs: Royal Society of Arts RSA  Defra is adopting a public money for public goods approach to supporting farming and the natural environment after Brexit. ‘While this approach is still in its infancy it has produced promising initiatives as well as difficult points of contention. The RSA Food, Farming and Countryside Commission suggests a […]