Gove – Oxford Farming conference speech on reform of agricultural subsidy. It is a long read but there is a clear series of statements on, “Paying for what we value” later on in the speech. “The principal public good we will invest in is of course environmental enhancement. In thinking about how better to support […]
Defra Setting out how the government will reform the way we manage water abstraction, to protect the environment and improve access to water. These documents set out what the government is doing to reform the management of water abstraction. They summarise how we will work with abstractors to make these changes. The main document summarises all […]
A four-point plan for tackling plastic waste has been outlined by the Environment Secretary Michael Gove. He told BBC News – Roger Harrabin BBC environment analyst – that he wants to reduce the amount of plastic used in the UK, and to make it simpler for people to recycle. Environmentalists fear Mr Gove will be […]
The Natural Capital Coalition has published This is Natural Capital 2017. It is the first annual review of trends and activities within the natural capital concept. It includes headline facts (e.g. 68 countries are currently planning to produce natural capital accounts) and perspectives from a number of leading experts on the topic. Meanwhile, The UK’s […]
According to the government, Forestry Commission plans to release four beavers in the Forest of Dean have been approved by Natural England and are backed by Michael Gove. Beavers are set to be released in the Forest of Dean in plans confirmed by the Environment Secretary and the Forestry Commission. The project will see two adult […]
An interesting recent article showing that Defra’s budget has halved in just nine years and the Chancellor plans more cuts. Concerns about Defra’s preparedness for Brexit have been raised after the small print of the Chancellor’s Budget revealed the department would face further cuts over the next three years. In 2008, Defra had £3.1 billion […]
Following the consultation it initiated in 2015, Defra has released its conclusions on farming rules for water. Click here for a press notice, policy paper and overview of the rules. Defra’s documents outline the new rules and say that in essence: the rules cover both management of fertilisers and manure and management of soils; in […]
Defra, the Environment Agency, Natural England and the Rural Payments Agency are developing a scheme under the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) called the Water Environment Grant (WEG) to fund improvements to the water environment. The proposed scheme is being designed to support delivery of projects that are currently funded through the Water Environment […]