Tag: Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 21 December 2023.

The £80m Green Recovery Challenge Fund supported 150 projects, created more than 2,600 jobs and connected more than 400,000 people with nature.

More than 2,500 jobs have been created in the environmental sector thanks to the government backed Green Recovery Challenge Fund, a new report published today (21 December) shows.

The report – published by The Heritage Fund, which distributed the funding – shows the flagship £80 million Green Recovery Challenge Fund supported more than 150 environmental projects from North Northumberland to the tip of Cornwall, helping create 2,630 jobs in green sectors and connecting more than 400,000 people to nature.

The fund supported a range of projects, including large-scale initiatives to protect landscapes and restore important habitats, such as wetlands and woodlands. The fund also enabled projects to help wildlife flourish by creating bat boxes, kingfisher tubes and bug hotels, as well as launch community schemes and events which aimed to bring people closer to nature.

Flagship projects included:

• Greater Manchester Environment Fund – In Greater Manchester, the GRCF enabled a wide range of nature conservation projects, from creating floating reed islands in Piccadilly Basin to restoring bogs. These projects have helped to ‘green up’ urban spaces and bring people closer to nature across Greater Manchester, including at the heart of Manchester city centre.
• Generation Green – The Youth Hostel Association used GRCF funding to create Generation Green, a 16-month project which gave 115,000 young people from disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to connect with nature through a facilitated day, residential trip, or self-led experience. The success of the programme saw the Government announce a further £2.5 million last month to connect more children from under-represented groups. This will help deliver our commitment set out in the Environmental Improvement Plan for everyone to be within 15 minutes of a green space or water and to reduce barriers to access.
• Magdalen Environmental Trust Farm – Magdalen Environmental Trust Farm, in Somerset, which promotes environmental education by running nature visits for schools and charities, used funding from the GRCF to support the ‘Axe Valley Oasis’ project and has subsequently gone on to be one of the leads in the Upper Axe Landscape Recovery Project.

The challenge fund was launched as a short-term, competitive grant fund in September 2020 to help the nation build back greener from the COVID-19 pandemic, whilst creating and retaining thousands of jobs.

The projects funded through GRCF helped to accelerate progress on the government’s green ambitions of protecting and enhancing nature, while better connecting people with the outdoors.

This report comes after the completion of the second round of project funding this year.

The report finds:

• The fund supported nature conservation and restoration across nearly 450,000 hectares of land, encompassing grasslands, woodlands, wetlands and ponds, and created indirect benefits for more than 1.5 million hectares of land, an area roughly equivalent to the size of Greater London.
• Overall, 1,895 sites have benefitted from GRCF environmental actions across the programme, including many Sites of Special Scientific Interest and local wildlife sites, with projects helping to deliver positive impacts on biodiversity, habitat quality and ecosystem health across England.
• The GRCF enabled 609 improvements or installations of infrastructure, including 192km of footpaths, 37km of fences, and 8km of boardwalks to improve access to nature.

Nature Minister Rebecca Pow said:

The Green Recovery Challenge Fund is another superb example of the multiple benefits that investing in nature recovery can bring to people and nature. We have created improved habitats for precious species, upskilled the next generation in sustainable jobs and enabled many more people to experience the joys of spending time in the natural world.

The impact this fund has had is another example of our commitment to restore nature at a bigger scale. We will continue to protect and enhance our environment and improve access to our wild places, as set out in our ambitious Environmental Improvement Plan.

Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:

Beyond the impressive impact on nature, we are pleased that the Green Recovery Challenge Fund will benefit nature recovery far into the future by strengthening relationships, supporting jobs and helping to build organisational resilience.

The Green Recovery Challenge Fund is a great example of our partnership approach to support natural heritage projects that help the UK meet its nature recovery targets and mitigate the impact of climate change, allowing our heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and the future.

Giles Aspinall, Chief Executive of The Magdalen Farm Environmental Trust, said:

Green Recovery Challenge Fund was transformational for us. It enabled us, for the first time, to properly resource our conservation ambitions, and to take the first big steps in transforming our land into a wonderful swathe of new habitats. We planted thousands of trees, sowed many millions of wildflower seeds, and put 100 acres into conservation management.

We also helped as many people as we planted trees to connect with nature, some for the first time, staying for up to a week to fully immerse themselves in new experiences. And finally, the work we did through Green Recovery Challenge Fund got us ready for long term sustainable conservation work through Higher Tier Countryside Stewardship, which we would not have been ready for without the help of the Fund.

GRCF projects were delivered by a range of organisations, from national bodies such as the National Trust, Woodland Trust, Youth Hostel Association to more local organisations such as the Greater Manchester Environment Fund and the Magdalen Environmental Trust Farm. GRCF funding has laid the groundwork across England for nature recovery and community engagement with the environment, which will continue to have an important impact over the coming years.

These projects have contributed to the goals within the Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan to halt the decline in our biodiversity so we can achieve thriving plants and wildlife.

Notes to editors:

• Round one of the GRCF (£40 million) launched in September 2020, and the second round (£40 million) in March 2021.
• The GRCF was funded by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and delivered by the Heritage Fund. Its delivery was supported by the following arm’s-length bodies: Natural England, the Environment Agency, and the Forestry Commission.
• Further information on the evaluation of both rounds of this fund is available on the Heritage Fund’s website.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 14 December 2023.

New legislation on primates as pets introduced today.

• Under changes, only private keepers who can provide the highest welfare standards will be able to keep primates
• Legislation fulfils a manifesto commitment and Action Plan for Animal Welfare pledge
• Move will improve the welfare of up to 5,000 primates kept as pets in the UK

Keeping primates as pets will be banned under new legislation introduced by the Government today (14 December), improving the welfare of thousands of animals.

The legislation brings in a licensing scheme setting strict rules to ensure that only private keepers who can provide the highest welfare standards will be able to keep primates.

It is estimated that up to 5,000 primates are kept as pets in the UK. These wild animals have complex welfare and social needs and, according to most experts, cannot be properly cared for in a domestic setting.

Under the changes, introduced via secondary legislation under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, it will no longer be possible to keep primates in domestic settings as household pets in environments that fail to provide for their needs.

Licensing is expected to come into force in 2026, subject to parliamentary processes, with existing keepers having two years from the SI being approved to reach compliance with the licensing conditions.

The new laws deliver on a manifesto commitment and builds on the recent primate consultation. It is already an offence to keep a primate while not providing for their welfare needs, or to cause them unnecessary suffering. Today’s announcement tightens these rules further – and all private primate keepers will be required to hold a licence, issued by their local authority. Failure to comply with the law could result in an unlimited fine or removal of the primate.

Primates are highly intelligent and require open spaces, varied diets, social contact and stimulation.

Animal Welfare Minister Douglas-Miller said:

“Primates are intelligent and curious animals and we’re delivering on our pledge to ban the keeping of these inquisitive creatures as pets.

“It is already an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to keep a primate while not providing for their welfare needs or to cause them unnecessary suffering, and these plans will tighten the rules further.

“We have consistently led the world in raising the bar for animal welfare standards and this legislation is yet another step.”

Licences will be valid for a maximum of three years, with at least one inspection per licensing period. Licence holders must undergo re-assessment to renew their permission to keep these animals.

Guidance will be provided to local authorities on how to measure the new standards at inspection to ensure the highest level of welfare is being maintained.

Dr Ros Clubb, head of the RSPCA’s Wildlife Department said:

“We warmly welcome this UK Government commitment to end the keeping of primates as pets.

“The RSPCA has been calling for a complete ban on the keeping and trade of primates as pets for many years as these animals are intelligent, sentient and highly social – with complex needs that simply cannot be met in a domestic environment.

“Our inspectors and rescuers regularly see primates that have been kept as pets with behaviour problems and very poor health, especially Metabolic Bone Disease (rickets in humans), as a result of totally inappropriate care. We hope this will put an end to the shocking situations we have seen – with monkeys cooped up in bird cages, fed fast food, sugary drinks or even Class A drugs, deprived of companions of their own kind, living in dirt and squalor and suffering from disease.

“We look forward to working with the UK Government to ensure that the proposed licensing system can be adequately enforced, and will be robust enough to effectively protect the welfare of primates that remain with private keepers until the end of their natural lives.”

The UK was the first country in the world to introduce animal cruelty offences and are the highest ranked G7 nation according to World Animal Protection’s Index.  Our flagship Action Plan for Animal Welfare committed us to going even further to protect animals, including banning primates as pets and banning the export of live animals .

The Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill – which is only possible now we have left the European Union – which was introduced in Parliament last week and will put an end to the export of live animals for slaughter and fattening from Great Britain, stopping animals enduring unnecessary stress, exhaustion and injury on long journeys.

Since publishing the Action Plan for Animal Welfare in 2021, we have brought in new laws to recognise animals sentience introduced tougher penalties for animal cruelty offences; extended the ivory ban to cover other ivory bearing species; and supported legislation to ban glue traps, the import of detached shark fins and measures to ban the advertising and offering for sale of low welfare activities abroad.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 14 December 2023.

The Review delivers on a key commitment made at the Farm to Fork Summit and will support farmers and growers to receive a fair price for their products.

A review to improve fairness in the fresh produce supply chain was launched by the Government today (14 December), supporting British farmers and growers to receive a fair price for their products and ensuring customers have access to high-quality fresh British products.

The Fresh Produce Supply Chain Review delivers on a key commitment made by the Prime Minister at the Farm to Fork Summit in May and will seek the views of industry on issues including the fairness of contracts between producers and purchasers in the sector, and how supply chain data can be used to support transparency in the negotiation process.

The horticulture industry is a vital part of the UK’s food supply chain, contributing £3.3 billion to the British economy in 2022 and growing more than 3 million tonnes of over 300 different fruit and vegetable crops domestically.

Production of fruit and vegetables often occurs in rural areas and provides valuable income and jobs to these rural communities. Supporting the growth of this sector is a key component of the Prime Minister’s priority of growing the economy.

The sector has faced a number of challenges in recent years including increased energy, fuel and labour costs which have raised concerns about the fairness of the UK supply chain.

Today’s review is the first step in addressing these concerns, providing support for fruit and vegetable growers across the UK and helping meet the government’s target to keep producing 60% of the food we consume here in the UK.

It builds upon a series of reviews that have taken place, or are currently underway, to improve fairness in the pork, dairy and egg supply chains.

Environment Secretary Steve Barclay said:

I’m committed to backing British farmers and growers, and it’s only right that producers should be paid a fair price.

This review will help ensure that is the case, as well as delivering on our commitments from the Farm to Fork Summit to provide greater stability and resilience for the fresh produce sector.

The review will gather evidence about how contractual arrangements in the fresh produce sector currently function, whether there is a need for further legislation to oversee the relationship between producers and purchasers, and whether the supply chain can be made more transparent.

This is an open consultation, meaning that responses from all stakeholders with a link to the fresh produce sector will be welcomed. The review will open today (14 December) and will run for 10 weeks until 22 February.

Today’s announcement builds on a number of actions the Government has delivered since the Farm to Fork Summit in May. This includes investing £168 million in grants and competitions this year alone to support farmers foster innovation, boost productivity and improve animal welfare; boosting food and drink exports by hiring five new agricultural attaches to tackle barriers to markets; and backing industry-led action to support customers to “Buy British” when shopping online.

We have also announced that 45,000 visas will be available in both 2023 and 2024 to support the horticulture sector and will be providing financial support to the Controlled Environment Horticulture (CEH) by opening access to the Phase 3 Industrial Energy Transformation (IETF) Fund launching in January 2024.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 13 December 2023.

The Smaller Abattoir Fund opens with £4 million available to support smaller red meat and poultry abattoirs across England.

The government has today (Wednesday 13 December) launched the £4 million Smaller Abattoir Fund to boost the sustainability and efficiency of red meat and poultry smaller abattoirs across England.

The smaller abattoir sector has an important role in maintaining British food security and ensures a competitive route to market is available to farmers, especially those who supply local butchers and farm shops, for a wide range of meat products. They make it easier for farmers to get their products to market, protect animal welfare by maintaining reduced journey times to slaughter, provide a route to market for farmers who rear rare and native breeds, and offer wider social and economic benefits to rural communities.

The Smaller Abattoir Fund will award capital grants from £2,000 up to a maximum of £60,000 to help support smaller abattoirs across England improve productivity, enhance animal health and welfare, add value to primary products, and encourage innovation and investment in new technologies.

It will support the purchase of a diverse range of capital investments, including items such as cold storage units which can expand refrigeration capacity for processing, allowing abattoirs to increase production rates and help remove the waiting times experienced by many farmers for getting stock processed.

The Fund also drives forward the government’s commitment to advancing animal health and welfare standards, including funding to improve facilities for stressed or fatigued animals to recover from loading and transport operations.

The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) will email all eligible smaller abattoirs directly within the coming days, outlining the application process.

Farming Minister Mark Spencer said:

England’s abattoirs are critical to livestock farmers who provide their high-quality products to local butchers and farm shops up and down the country.

This £4 million fund will not only help smaller abattoir and mobile business owners to innovate, invest and improve standards, but it will give farmers, particularly those who produce native and rare breeds, more stability in getting their products to market.

Today’s announcement delivers on key commitments made on Back British Farming Day in September to identify opportunities to remove unnecessary burdens for smaller abattoirs, support farmers in reaching local and international markets, and ensure that farmers are being paid a fair price for their products.

It also builds on government efforts to increase fairness in the supply chain as set out at the Farm to Fork Summit earlier this year, with new regulations for the dairy and pig sectors to be introduced next year, a consultation on the egg sector currently live and a consultation on horticulture supply chains launching shortly.

John Mettrick, Chair of the Abattoir Sector Group said:

I am delighted that the Smaller Abattoir Fund has launched. This demonstrates that the government recognises the importance of small abattoirs to farmers, butchers, and the whole rural supply chain.

This fund has been developed by Defra, the Food Standards Agency, the Abattoir Sector Group and the meat industry working together, and I would urge abattoir businesses to take advantage of the fund to help develop their businesses for the future.

Susan Jebb, Chair of the Food Standards Agency said:

The Food Standards Agency recognises the challenges faced by small abattoirs and has collaborated with Defra on the development of the Smaller Abattoir Fund.

We are keen to support the use of the fund to improve efficiency, productivity, animal welfare and innovation in this greatly valued and important sector.

The application window for the Smaller Abattoir Fund will remain open for nine months and abattoirs will be able to submit up to three applications up to the maximum funding level of £60,000. A diverse list of capital investments has been developed in close consultation with industry stakeholders – recognising the bespoke nature of abattoirs, this list is not definitive and additional investments may be eligible if applicants can evidence that the item demonstrates compliance with at least one of the Fund’s aims.

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

Eligibility Criteria:

• When applying for the fund, applicants will need to clearly demonstrate how the item or project they would like to be funded fits in to one or more of the Fund’s outlined aims to: Improve productivity; Enhance animal health and welfare; Add value to primary products; And encourage innovation and investment in new technologies.
• If successful in the application, Defra will make up 40% of the cost of the item an abattoir applied for.
• The Fund will be a criteria based scheme. Provided applicants meet the scheme criteria, they will be eligible for support. The detailed eligibility criteria will be provided to applicants when the Fund opens.
• The application window will be open for 9 months (until 30 September 2024 or until all the money has been allocated to successful applications).
• Eligible applicants may submit up to three applications, with a total cap of £60,000 per abattoir business across all applications. The minimum grant that can be applied for is £2,000. Detailed information on capital investments by category, aligned with the fund’s goals, will be provided within the application materials.
• The SAF will be accessible to FSA-approved mobile and static red meat and poultry abattoirs in England only. Applicant abattoirs, not the businesses that own them, must be physically situated in England, or in the case of mobile abattoirs, operate only in England. This covers both producer and privately owned abattoirs.
• The SAF will be open to red meat abattoirs processing up to and including 10,000 farmed livestock units (LSU) per annum (i.e., bovines, sheep, goats, pigs, farmed venison), and poultry abattoirs slaughtering up to and including 500,000 birds per annum (i.e., chickens, turkeys, geese, ducks, capons, hens). Throughput will be calculated using FSA quality assured throughput data for the 2022 calendar year.
• Each individual business will count as a single applicant rather than the individual abattoirs themselves, and each business will only be eligible to apply for the maximum grant (£60k), regardless of the number of smaller abattoirs they may own. Businesses already in receipt of other public funds may also be restricted in the amount of funding they can apply for, in line with the UK’s Subsidy Control Act.
• An application must not relate to items or a project in an abattoir for which the investment is to be installed or used is subject to ongoing enforcement action or a related prosecution with conviction in the previous 12-month period. In these cases, such items will be deemed ineligible for funding.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 12 December 2023.

An independent review on the management of protected sites on Dartmoor has been published today

An independent review has today (12 December) published its recommendations on how protected sites on Dartmoor can be managed in a way that delivers on legally binding environmental targets whilst supporting food production, public access and cultural and natural heritage.

The review was commissioned by Defra earlier this year in response to stakeholder concerns over proposed changes to winter grazing on Dartmoor. It was chaired by David Fursdon and provides an independent perspective on the management of the moor. Its recommendations follow more than 150 written submissions and over 200 conversations across three and a half months with commoners and organisations including Dartmoor National Park Authority and Natural England.

The review makes a series of recommendations for the Government, Natural England, Dartmoor National Park Authority and commoners on subjects such as vision and governance, operations, communication, agri-environment agreements, and grazing and vegetations management. The Government is expected to respond in full in the coming months.

Key recommendations include:

• The creation of an independently chaired Dartmoor Land-Use Management Group to help deliver a land use framework and plan for Dartmoor, improve SSSI conditions, and identify areas for data collection that will feed into the development of protected site management strategies.
• Actions to support vegetation management including conservation grazing by cattle and ponies and controlled burning, alongside exploring the management of sheep over winter months to protect vulnerable heather and dwarf shrubs.
• An overarching agri-environment scheme, or a small number of closely integrated and coordinated schemes, that are based on the proposed plan for Dartmoor and support the vision for Landscape Recovery.
• Improved transparency of protected site monitoring and management of these sites in line with proposals in Defra’s Nature Recovery Green Paper.
• Increasing Natural England staffing resource and the creation of partnerships to help rebuild trust and confidence on Dartmoor.

Farming Minister Mark Spencer said:

Dartmoor cannot either stand still or retreat into its past, so it is vital that all parties take heed of the review’s recommendations so we can effectively support food production, public access and heritage on the moor whilst delivering much-needed improvements for nature.

I would like to thank David Fursdon and the panel for their work on this important review.

David Fursdon, Chair of the Review, said:

This is a time for those involved with Dartmoor to come together in the face of climate change and biodiversity loss to protect and enhance nature on the Moor. Commoners have a vital role to play in delivering the management and grazing that contributes to this, as do those working to re-wet the degraded peatland.

We are concerned that the processes around monitoring and evaluation of protected sites are too opaque for all of those who are involved in ensuring their success. We have proposed a series of changes to ways of working for the commoners, Natural England, the RPA and others, including taking decisions with a much greater clarity and transparency based on evidence and collaborative working.

Marian Spain, Chief Executive of Natural England said:

I welcome this important report and would like to thank David Fursdon, panel members and all who submitted views for their hard work. We will now work with our colleagues in Defra and the RPA, and our partners on Dartmoor, to consider the recommendations and implement the final decisions in due course.

We especially look forward to measures that will bring all partners around the table to find collective solutions. This will help us meet our legally binding environmental targets while properly rewarding commoners for conservation grazing, supporting nature-friendly and profitable farm businesses across Dartmoor.

The review also reiterates the need for careful management of a fresh round of Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) extension negotiations, given one-year extensions will in some cases expire in the first few months of 2024.

The Farming Minister is writing to HLS Agreement Holders on Dartmoor to advise them they will be contacted ahead of the expiry of their agreements.

Further information

• The review has been published on GOV UK: Independent review of protected site management on Dartmoor
• Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) is part of the Environmental Stewardship scheme. Under HLS Agreements, farmers are delivering important environmental benefits on our most valuable habitats such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). On 1 January 2023, all Environmental Stewardship agreements were updated to domestic terms and conditions. Extensions are offered to HLS agreements holders who continue to deliver environmental outcomes. More information can be found on GOV UK: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/higher-level-stewardship-2023-agreement-extensions

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 11 December 2023.

New plan sets out vision to boost the safe use of sustainable UK timber in construction and increase domestic supply.

• The built environment makes up around 25% of UK greenhouse gas emissions; reducing its use will be key to reaching net zero
• Currently 80% of the timber the UK uses is imported – increasing domestic capacity will create new green jobs in our forestry and wood processing sectors

A new ambitious roadmap to increase use of timber in the construction of homes and buildings has been set out by government today (Monday 11 December) in a move designed to reduce emissions and reach net zero.

Using timber in construction is one of the best ways to reduce emissions from buildings. Around 25% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions are from the built environment, and larger buildings can store up to 400% more carbon when built out of engineered timber products rather than concrete.

The announcement comes following COP28 urbanisation day where ministers met to discuss urbanisation – stepping up domestic timber production and its use in construction will significantly reduce emissions and lock up carbon in buildings, helping to meet net zero ambitions.

The Timber in Construction Roadmap sets out the vision to increase the use of timber in construction, whilst also presenting valuable opportunities for economic growth, rural jobs and levelling up. Currently only 80% of the timber the UK currently uses is imported. Increasing domestic capacity will create new green jobs in the forestry and wood processing sectors, which contribute over £2bn to UK economy.

Key actions set out in the plan include:

• Improving data on timber and whole life carbon
• Promoting timber as a construction material
• Boosting skills, capacity and competency across the supply chain
• Increasing the supply of sustainable timber products
• Addressing fire safety concerns to safely expand the use of engineered mass timber
• Building collaboration with insurers, lenders, and warranty providers
• Promoting innovation and high performing timber construction systems

Forestry Minister Rebecca Pow said:

Investing in timber is investing in growth and levelling up. The built environment is responsible for a huge proportion of UK carbon emissions, and using home-grown timber in construction is key to reducing emissions.

Promoting the use of timber as a building material is a key part of the government’s Net Zero Strategy. It will innovate the economy, play a role in creating green jobs and also help meet our tree-planting targets.

Forestry Commission Chief Executive Richard Stanford said:

If we are to achieve net zero we must produce more timber through home grown trees and lock up carbon using the timber in our buildings. We need to boost productive forestry in England to support timber security and reduce our over reliance on imports at the same time as tackling our nature crisis by improving biodiversity, improving water quality and giving people access to green spaces.

We look forward to working closely with partners across the timber, forestry and construction industries in this hugely important area of our work for years to come.

Confor CEO Stuart Goodall said:

Confor welcomes the “Valuing Timber in Construction” report and was pleased to be a partner in drawing it up. The report recognises the climate change mitigation benefits and additional economic activity that can be delivered from a thriving and growing domestic wood supply chain.

Given support and encouragement from the UK Government, UK wood producers can help supply quality wood products that will reduce the UK’s reliance on imports, contribute positively to decarbonising the construction sector, onshore added value manufacturing and increase quality jobs in rural England. A key part of this will be securing an increased future supply of wood from England’s forests.

Timber Development UK CEO David Hopkins said:

Timber construction has been recognised as essential to tackling built environment emissions by key advisory bodies such as the Environmental Audit Committee and Climate Change Committee. We are delighted to see the government action the recommendations of these bodies through the long-awaited Timber in Construction Policy Roadmap.

By expanding low-carbon timber construction, particularly in the housing sector, we can decarbonise our built environment whilst simultaneously building high quality, efficient buildings. Expanding timber construction also offers a range of economic benefits, helping regions to ‘level up’ with green jobs, and creating localised manufacturing bases across the country which add value to raw timber products. Timber Development UK welcomes the policy roadmap, which marks a crucial point in our bid to reach net zero by 2050.

Structural Timber Association CEO Andrew Carpenter said:

We are delighted that the UK Government has recognised the critical need to safely increase the use of timber in construction and we applaud the leadership that has been shown in setting this objective.

The TIC Roadmap will be a beneficial driver in this effort, which is so vital to meeting the UK’s net zero carbon commitments, giving clarity and guidance to stakeholders throughout the construction industry. It has been a pleasure to participate in such important work and we look forward to continued collaboration between Government and industry as we move to the next stage of implementation.

Today’s announcement fulfils a commitment within the Net Zero Strategy, to help the construction sector improve reporting on embodied carbon in buildings and to explore the potential of maximum embodied carbon levels in new buildings in the future.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 9 December 2023.

Orangutans, leopards, jaguars and other endangered species protected with new legislation to safeguard forests.

Palm oil, cocoa, beef, leather and soy are to be included in new legislation aimed at helping ensure the products we buy do not harm the world’s forests.

At COP28 Nature Day (9 December), the government will set out how these new laws will ensure that there is no place on our supermarket shelves for products which have been produced on land linked to illegal deforestation.

This move will protect the habitats of some of the world’s most precious and endangered species, including tigers and leopards. It will give British shoppers assurance that the goods they buy are not contributing to deforestation that violates the laws and regulations of the countries where they come from.

The biggest driver of deforestation is agricultural expansion, with an area the size of the UK ploughed up each year to meet UK demand for commodities.

It is a huge threat to rainforests, effectively the “lungs of the earth” because of their ability to absorb harmful gasses and provide a home to thousands of animal and plant species.

The legislation marks a step change from voluntary approaches already in place, protecting the future of the world’s forests that we need to help tackle climate change, and their wildlife-rich canopies.

Introduced through the world leading Environment Act, this legislation will see businesses that have a global annual turnover of over £50 million and use over 500 tonnes of regulated commodities a year banned from using them if sourced from land used illegally.

These businesses will also be required to undertake a due diligence exercise on their supply chains and to report on this exercise annually for transparency.

Environment Secretary Steve Barclay said:

I find it heart-rending to see the way illegal deforestation is destroying the habitats of tigers, jaguars, orangutans and many other endangered species, and I know many people across the world feel the same. Globally, we lose forests equivalent to the size of about 30 football pitches every minute.

It’s why we are cleaning up supply chains to make sure that big businesses in the UK aren’t responsible for illegal deforestation. It also means shoppers can be confident that the money they spend is part of the solution, rather than part of the problem.

Through our work at COP28 on forests, food, and nature we are reversing the loss of biodiversity, increasing food security, and tackling climate change – safeguarding these critically important landscapes for generations to come.

Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England, said:

Halting the decline of the natural world isn’t just about saving rare species, it’s about safeguarding the web of life upon which humanity depends for our food, water and economic security. On the pathway to tackling climate change we must go high nature at the same time as low carbon, creating bigger, better and more joined up places for nature to thrive.

The commitments outlined today are welcome further steps toward UK environmental leadership, both at home and on the world stage. We look forward to supporting the government in delivering results through practical action on the ground”.

Tanya Steele, CEO of the WWF said:

Nearly eight million hectares of primary forest has been lost globally in the last two years alone, so this is an important first step to getting illegal deforestation off UK shopping shelves.

However illegal deforestation is only part of the picture – with wildlife numbers plummeting and wild habitats facing destruction, we must stop felling forests, full stop. Forests absorb 30% of the carbon we emit from burning fossil fuels, so nature is clearly our greatest ally in tackling climate change.

We haven’t a moment to lose to bring our world back to life and these measures must be implemented in Parliament as swiftly as possible.

Andrew Opie, Director of Food and Sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, said:

Retailers welcome the announcement on UK Deforestation Due Diligence legislation. This will give confidence to British retailers and their customers alike, helping retailers meet their ambitious targets on deforestation and enable a greater supply of deforestation-free products in the UK.

Tackling deforestation requires global cooperation and we look forward to seeing further detail as to how the legislation will align with European proposals.

At COP28 in Dubai, the Environment Secretary will set out his priorities to restore forests, recover nature and create sustainable food systems, building on the ambitions set out by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak earlier during the conference. It is essential to the government’s determination to leave the environment in a better state for future generations and follows the UK’s leadership on nature at COP26 where the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use was signed by over 140 countries.

The UK government also played a central role in driving forward the global commitment to protect 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030. This takes a step forward today, with a new map published to show what areas could count in the delivery of “30by30”.

This indicative map illustrates that 8.5% of land in England – including Sites of Special Scientific Interest and National Nature Reserves – already count toward the target, with a further 26.8% of land having the potential to contribute in the future, including Protected Landscapes.

The map has been published alongside the proposed criteria for contributions toward the target, and information on how this will be delivered through a voluntary, bottom-up approach. Work will now progress to identify further areas to contribute to the target, with additional guidance developed in collaboration with land managers and farmers.

Delivering on the 30by30 commitment for England will ensure our most important places, at the core of nature’s recovery, are protected for our iconic species to thrive.

The move comes as government announces further support for the UK marine environment, while continuing to support the long-term future and sustainability of the UK fisheries and seafood sector. To help support the conservation and restoration of the ocean, the UK is announcing £72.5 million in new programmes from its flagship Blue Planet Fund.

Further support for the marine environment includes:

• New funding to restore marine biodiversity: £60 million of investment for Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature (OCEAN), a seven-year competitive grants programme as part of the flagship £500 million Blue Planet Fund. The OCEAN Grant Programme offers a vital path to ocean recovery and for local communities and nature to thrive side by side. A further £12.5 million has been committed towards PROBLUE, the World Bank’s multi-donor trust fund, through the Blue Planet Fund to support the blue economy and sustainable ocean sectors in developing countries, including Small Island Developing States.
• Strengthened commitments to deliver Marine Net Gain: Following a consultation in 2022, the government will take forward proposals for Marine Net Gain in England– a policy that will ensure that infrastructure and development does not come at the cost of the marine environment, delivering measures to ensure that it is left in a better state than it was found
• Blue carbon habitat restoration: An additional £640,000 will be dedicated to support the vital restoration of iconic saltmarsh and seagrass habitats in England. Led by the Environment Agency, this fund will develop the UK Saltmarsh Code and increase the capacity of the Restoring Meadow, Marsh and Reef initiative.

This package builds on the UK’s commitment to safeguard our marine habitats, complimenting recent support for a moratorium on deep sea mining. This confirmed that the government will not sponsor or support any licenses for deep sea mining by the International Seabed Authority, unless and until there is sufficient scientific evidence about the potential impact on deep sea ecosystems.

Today’s announcements strengthens the UK’s leadership to address nature loss and tackle climate change.

The government has announced £15 million new funding to accelerate nature recovery across our most cherished Protected Landscapes, and a new Rainforest Strategy backed by £750,000 funding to protect the delicate and globally rare temperate rainforest habitats found across the Southwest and Cumbria.

As we mark one year on from the anniversary of the UN COP15 Summit in Montreal, the government is continuing to put nature recovery at the heart of climate change to further this legacy – protecting the environment for future generations.

Further information

• The government played a leading role in negotiating and securing the global deal for nature at the UN CO15 summit in Montreal. This leadership was critical in bringing together 196 countries in a joint, global commitment to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, and – through leadership of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature & People and the Global Ocean Alliance – to protect at least 30% of the land and of the ocean globally, with robust action underway to meet this target.
• The government has announced an additional £2 million funding for the global, market-led Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) initiative which launched its framework in September. This will support capacity building and boost market adoption of the TNFD recommendations for nature-related risk management and disclosure. The TNFD recommendations enable businesses and financial institutions to report and act on their nature-related risks, impacts, dependencies, and opportunities, with the ultimate aim of supporting the realignment of global financial flows towards nature positive outcomes.
• At COP28, the UK will be hosting the 10 Point Plan for Financing Biodiversity Ministerial Stocktake. Here the government will launch the 10 Point Plan (10PP) stocktake dashboard – reviewing positive trends and direction of progress against the 10 points of the plan to ensure that finance flows towards nature recovery.
• Today we are launching the pilot of the Projects for Nature platform, a new pioneering partnership with the Council for Sustainable Business, Crowdfunder, and Accenture. This initiative will match corporate donations to nature recovery projects across England which are selected by Defra, Natural England and Environment Agency. It will link up businesses who have shown leadership in addressing their nature impact, such as Lloyd’s Banking Group and Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks, with nature recovery projects that best align with our domestic and international environmental commitments. To view the platform, visit: www.projectsfornature.com.
• We announced today that we will continue to support the work of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People through a new “Ocean Champion” role, whilst continuing our leadership of the Global Ocean Alliance. The two coalitions have also agreed to work in partnership supporting countries to implement 30by30.
• The UK has endorsed and joined a number of initiatives at COP28 which elevate the role of nature in global climate  action. This includes: the Coral Reef Breakthrough, Mangrove Breakthrough Declaration, the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy Joint Declaration on Ocean and Climate action and joining the Mangrove Alliance for Climate initiative.

Forest Risk Commodities

• Between 2016 and 2018, WWF estimate that around 21 million hectares – an area almost the size of the UK – was required each year to meet UK demand for seven forest-risk commodities (FRCs) alone.
• The Forest Risk Commodities Scheme will be introduced through provisions in Schedule 17 of the Environment Act 2021.  Secondary regulation to operationalise these provisions will be laid when parliamentary time allows.  This new due diligence legislation requires regulated businesses to establish and implement a due diligence system for any regulated commodity, and any products derived from them, that they use in their UK commercial activities
• The full list of commodities in scope is as follows: Non-dairy Cattle products (beef and leather), cocoa, palm, and soy.
• Organisations using these commodities in UK supply chains with a global turnover of over £50m are in scope of the regulations.
• Organisations whose use of the regulated commodities does not exceed the annual volume threshold of 500 tonnes may submit an exemption.
• Legislation follows a consultation in 2021 on the implementation of the regulations. The consultation outcome informed policy decisions on the commodities in scope, thresholds and exemptions for businesses, enforcement of the regulations, a grace period and variable monetary penalties
• Organisations (whether in scope or as suppliers or service providers to organisations in scope) will have a grace period to prepare for regulation before the beginning of the first reporting period.
• Unlimited Variable Monetary Penalties will be in place as part of civil sanctions

On 30by30:

• The government will work with landowners, farmers, land managers and wider partners to further develop our approach to delivering 30by30 in England.
• Following publication of the 30by30 map, we will work with these partners to finalise our 30by30 criteria and develop more detailed guidance by summer 2024.
• Contributions to the 30by30 target will be voluntary, and do not represent any new management requirements or designation.
• To view the 30by30 map and read the accompanying documents, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/delivering-30by30-on-land-in-england

Marine Net Gain:

• Marine Net Gain is an opportunity to leave our environment in a better place and to reverse the biodiversity decline/crisis in our seas. It compliments and builds on other policies but uniquely seeks to deliver a net gain improvement in the marine environment.
• We have published the Government Response to the consultation on the principles of Marine Net Gain, held in 2022. This applies in English waters only.
• Government has listened to feedback from the consultation and will now take forward the agreed high-level principles in the next phase of policy development. Decisions on the implementation approach for MNG, will be taken during the next phase of policy development following additional evidence collection, impact assessment and stakeholder engagement.
• We will seek to ensure that MNG is simple to follow and operates seamlessly with Biodiversity Net Gain which from January 2024 will apply above the low water line and on land. Where a new development straddles this line there will be no requirement to double up on net gain measures.
• The full government response can be seen here.

On blue carbon habitat restoration:

• The additional £640,000 will help drive investment flows from the private sector towards nature through the development of a Saltmarsh Code. This code will allow saltmarsh carbon to be marketed and traded as a carbon offset.
• This funding is for Phase 2 of the development of the UK Saltmarsh Code, the first phase (which ended in January 2023) was funded through Defra’s Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund.
• This funding will also create a pipeline of restoration projects in key estuarine and coastal habitats by increasing the capacity of the Restoring Meadow, Marsh and Reef initiative (ReMeMaRe).
• This funding will also improve the blue carbon evidence base, helping us to fill the gaps identified by the UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership’s Evidence Needs Statement (published in June 2023).

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 8 December 2023.

UK fishing fleet to have access to 750,000 tonnes of fishing opportunities in 2024 and total value of fishing opportunities increases from £900 million in 2023.

The UK fishing industry will have access to 420,000 tonnes of fishing opportunities worth up to £700 million after agreements were reached with the EU and Norway, the UK Government has announced.

This brings the total fishing opportunities secured for the UK fleet in 2024 in the main negotiating forums to 750,000 tonnes – 80,000 tonnes more than in 2023 – worth up to £970 million based on historic landing prices.

The deal with the EU has secured UK fishermen access to opportunities of 130,000 tonnes for 2024, worth up to £340 million.

The trilateral deal with the EU and Norway secures access to opportunities of 290,000 tonnes of North Sea stocks, worth around £360 million.

This is on top of 330,000 tonnes, worth around £270 million, from catch limits agreed earlier in the year on widely distributed stocks with coastal States in the northeast Atlantic.

As a result of quota share uplifts agreed in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the UK has up to 120,000 tonnes more quota from the 2024 negotiations than it would have received as an EU Member State.

In the fourth year of the UK operating as an independent coastal state in the negotiations, catch levels were agreed for over 80 important total allowable catches (TACs). This included key commercial stock across the industry, including northern shelf cod, North Sea saithe, and Nephrop stocks in the Celtic/Irish Sea.

Fisheries Minister Mark Spencer said:

These significant deals give UK fishermen access to important fish stocks worth £970 million and take advantage of our position outside the EU to independently negotiate in our fishing fleets best interest.

They are based on the latest scientific advice and support a sustainable, profitable fishing sector for years to come while continuing to protect our marine environment and vital fishing grounds.

Sustainability has been at the heart of the UK’s approach to negotiations, pushing for decisions based on the best available science to protect key stocks and support the long-term viability of the UK fishing industry. Advice from scientists at the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) is the starting point for the UK’s approach and, where possible, catch limits have been set at or within these advised levels.

A provisional estimate is that the same number of jointly managed stocks have been set in line with or lower than the levels advised by ICES scientists compared to last year, despite challenging advice for a number of stocks. A full and independent review of the sustainability of negotiated outcomes will be published early in the new year.

The outcome of annual fisheries negotiations will be published in the Secretary of State determination of fishing opportunities for British boats by the end of the year.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 7 December 2023.

New permitting regimes for a recreational catch and release fisheries in UK waters expected to be in place by summer.

Recreational anglers will have broader access to a catch-and-release Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery in English waters, the government has announced today (Thursday 7 December).

Responding to overwhelming support for proposals in a consultation, Defra has confirmed that it will introduce legislation in the spring to establish permitting regimes for the recreational targeting of bluefin tuna.

This will mean that the English fishery should open from summer 2024, supporting skippers and helping to bring more tourists to coastal communities.

The opening of the fishery has been made possible following the UK’s exit from the EU, with the establishment of UK-specific quota for bluefin tuna opening opportunities to manage the species sustainably outside the EU.

Data from the fishery will be used to improve monitoring of bluefin tuna populations and ensure that the species is managed in English waters in a sustainable manner.

Fisheries Minister Mark Spencer said:

“This announcement has been made possible following the UK’s exit from the EU and follows overwhelming support for our proposal across the fishing industry and environmental groups.

“It will bring social and economic benefits to the fishing industry and coastal communities, whilst ensuring the ongoing sustainable management of Atlantic bluefin tuna.”

The announcement also follows the success of the catch-and-release (CHART) tagging programmes, delivered by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Swansea University and the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, which have allowed some recreational anglers to target bluefin tuna for the last three years.

Following the success of CHART, a formal consultation was held between July and September 2023 to gather views on the design for a permitting regime to enable the opening of catch-and-release recreational fisheries for bluefin tuna in UK waters. Stakeholders were asked for views on the key principles for the design of permitting regimes, the level of interest and the social and economic benefits the fishery could bring.

Stakeholders gave overwhelming support for the proposals in the consultation, which included an outline of the design of new permitting regimes for the recreational targeting of bluefin tuna in the UK and an outline of Defra’s operational approach to implementing the English fishery.

Each UK fisheries administration will determine if and when to introduce a bluefin tuna catch-and-release recreational fishery in its waters. Defra intends to open a catch-and-release fishery for bluefin tuna in English waters in 2024.

Defra is currently trialling a separate commercial fishery for bluefin tuna. This trial will run until 31 December 2023.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 4 December 2023.

Export of livestock for slaughter and fattening will be banned under new legislation.

New legislation will put an end to the export of live animals for slaughter and fattening from Great Britain.

The Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill – which has been introduced in Parliament today (4 December 2023) – delivers on a key manifesto commitment to ban the export of live animals including cattle, sheep, and pigs.

This legislation is only possible now we have left the European Union and will stop animals enduring unnecessary stress, exhaustion and injury on long journeys.

As the highest ranked G7 nation according to World Animal Protection’s Index, the Government is committed to high animal welfare standards and ensuring all animals are treated kindly at all stages of life. We have been clear that animals should only be transported when necessary, and if possible should not travel long distances to be slaughtered.

The Bill will ensure that animals are slaughtered domestically in high welfare UK slaughterhouses, reinforcing our position as a world leader on animal welfare, boosting the value of British meat and helping to grow the economy.

Environment Secretary Steve Barclay said:

We have some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world.

This Bill makes use of post-Brexit freedoms to strengthen these standards by preventing the export of live animals for slaughter and fattening, which we know causes animals unnecessary stress and injury.

The legislation follows a 2020 consultation on ending live animal exports in which 87% of respondents agreed that livestock should not be exported for slaughter and fattening. This Bill also follows a manifesto commitment and Action Plan for Animal Welfare pledge to ban the export of live animals for slaughter and fattening.

Kerry Postlewhite, assistant director of campaigns and prevention at the RSPCA, said:

After fifty years of campaigning to end live exports, it is so important, and welcome, that the UK Government is acting to ban the live export of animals – outlawing the long, crowded journeys, mental exhaustion, physical injury, dehydration and stress that are a reality for farm animals on these unnecessary journeys.

It is great that the new Defra Secretary of State has shown such strong and enthusiastic support previously for a ban on live exports – and we look forward to this policy becoming a reality.

Philip Lymbery, Compassion in World Farming’s Global CEO, said:

We greatly welcome the publication of legislation to ban live exports. This is an historic moment which we hope will finally see an end to the unnecessary export trade in cattle and sheep for slaughter or fattening from Great Britain. We urge a speedy passage for this long-awaited measure, to ensure that the export of unweaned calves on journeys often lasting 60 hours or more will finally be banned. And that a line will be drawn under the practice of sending sheep on journeys that can last many days, simply to be slaughtered on arrival.

We have campaigned relentlessly for over 50 years to make this cruel and outdated practice illegal, so we are delighted the Government is taking action to end this trade, finally consigning it to the history books.

Roly Owers, Chief Executive of World Horse Welfare, said:

We are delighted that the government has introduced this Bill and will put its muscle behind making it law. We know horses are being exported for slaughter ‘under the radar’ despite none being officially declared for this purpose. This Bill will finally make it illegal, something we have been campaigning for since our charity’s foundation almost 100 years ago. We look forward to working with Defra to ensure that the right measures are put in place to enforce this hugely significant piece of legislation.

Live exports in other specific circumstances, for example, for breeding and competitions, will still be allowed provided animals are transported in line with legal requirements aimed at protecting their welfare.

The Bill is just one part of a wider Government effort to enhance our existing world-leading standards. For farm animals, we have introduced new statutory welfare codes for pigs, laying hens and meat chickens, banned the use of conventional battery cages for laying hens and made CCTV mandatory in slaughterhouses.

Since publishing the Action Plan for Animal Welfare in 2021, we have: brought in new laws to recognise animals sentience, introduced tougher penalties for animal cruelty offences, backed a ban on glue traps, introduced legislation on compulsory cat microchipping, and brought the ivory ban into force and announced an extension to cover other ivory bearing species.

The full list of animals covered by the Bill is: cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and horses.