21 Jan 2025
Back in early 2024 the UK and Scottish Governments introduced a ban on sandeel fishing in Scottish waters and English waters of the North Sea in a move conservationists hailed as critical for saving the UK’s globally important seabird colonies. Now a challenge from the EU on the ban is set to be heard in […]
21 Jan 2025
Progress towards improving the environment has slowed with government still largely off track in achieving its legal environmental commitments, the latest annual assessment by the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has found. The OEP report provides an assessment of progress towards legally-binding environment targets, commitments and goals. The report covers the period 1 April 2023 […]
14 Jan 2025
The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) have launched an investigation into Defra in relation to a suspected failure to take the necessary measures to achieve or maintain Good Environmental Status (GES) of marine waters by the statutory deadline. Under the Marine Strategy Regulations 2010, the statutory deadline for GES to be achieved was 31 December […]
31 Dec 2024
The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has concluded that there have been failures to comply with environmental law by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Environment Agency (EA) and Ofwat following an investigation into the regulation of network combined sewer overflows (CSOs). The OEP has sent each of the public authorities […]
22 Dec 2024
UK and Scottish Ministers have presented reports to the two Parliaments setting out progress and information on the Marine Protected Area network for Scotland, and English waters (inshore and offshore) and Northern Ireland offshore waters. This is a requirement under the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 and Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 (MCAA). Key facts […]
10 Dec 2024
The trilateral arrangement between the EU, Norway and the United Kingdom on jointly managed fish stocks in the North Sea for 2025 establishes total allowable catches (TAC) of over 958,000 tonnes, covering EU quotas of almost 463,000 tonnes of cod, haddock, saithe, whiting, plaice and herring. The agreement on TACs includes a reduction for cod, consistent with the […]
06 Nov 2024
Last week’s Budget was designed to “fix the foundations of our economy”, but views on how it will help fix the environment are mixed. Defra’s overall funding will rise slightly in real terms, although its day-to-day budget will see a small decrease, with officials warning that farming and flood defence budgets face £600 million in […]
22 Oct 2024
New legislation implementing a range of short-term management measures for certain species of fish have been introduced to the UK Parliament (16 October 2024). These new arrangements have been identified within the first Fisheries Management Plans (FMP) as priority to help provide additional protection to vulnerable stocks. The measures, which are subject to Parliamentary scrutiny, […]
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