Tag: Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 30 December 2023.

Every storm overflow across England’s water network is now monitored.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 28 December 2023.

Government will make it easier for people and businesses to reuse and recycle their old electrical goods.

The Government is set to make it easier for households to recycle electrical cords, devices and white goods under new UK-wide plans announced today (28 December).

Shocking statistics show an estimated 155,000 tonnes of smaller household electricals such as cables, toasters, kettles and power tools are wrongly thrown in the bin each year. UK homes are thought to hoard a further 527 million unwanted electrical items containing valuable materials such as gold, silver and platinum.

The waste generated during the festive period demonstrates the scale of the problem: 500 tonnes of Christmas lights are discarded every year in the UK.

To power the transition to a circular economy, government proposals unveiled today will change how we all dispose of electrical equipment, both large and small, ensuring retailers can turn old goods into new wares.

The move builds on the major steps already taken by the Government this year to clamp down on plastic pollution and clean up our streets.

A range of measures are proposed within the joint UK Government, Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive consultation for introduction from 2026, including:

• UK-wide collections of waste electricals directly from households – saving the public from having to trek to distant electrical disposal points. The collections would be financed by producers of electrical items, not the taxpayer, and not necessarily require any further bins.
• Large retailers rolling out collection drop points for electrical items in-store, free of charge, without the need to buy a replacement product.
• Retailers and online sellers taking on responsibility for collecting unwanted or broken large electrical items such as fridges or cookers when delivering a replacement.

The proposals will mean consumers will be able to recycle their goods during their weekly shop or without even leaving the house.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is set to work closely with manufacturers, major retailers and small and medium enterprises throughout the consultation period to ensure the most efficient and accessible options become a reality.

Recycling Minister Robbie Moore said:

Every year millions of household electricals across the UK end up in the bin rather than being correctly recycled or reused. This is a sheer waste of our natural resources and has to stop.

We all have a drawer of old tech somewhere that we don’t know what to do with and our proposals will ensure these gadgets are easy to dispose of without the need for a trip to your local tip. Our plans will also drive the move to a more circular economy and create new jobs by making all recycling simpler.

The changes proposed also ensure suppliers of vapes properly finance the cost of their separate collection and treatment when the items become waste.

Nearly 5 million vapes are now thrown away every week, the equivalent to eight per second and almost four times higher even than last year. Industry estimates the potential yearly cost of collecting and recycling vapes, which have been incorrectly disposed of, at £200 million.

These measures build on the Prime Minister’s proposals to restrict the sale of disposable vapes, which is part of a separate consultation to create the first smokefree generation and crack down on youth vaping. These products are not only attractive to children but also incredibly harmful to the environment.

Elsewhere, the consultation proposes extending obligations to contribute to the collection of waste electricals and the financing of their recycling and preparation for reuse to online marketplaces such as Amazon. This would ensure that major international suppliers have to comply with the regulations as well – not just British businesses.

A recent study on public attitudes and behaviours found that around 86% of people in the UK think it is worth recycling and taking the time to do it properly. It also showed many are unaware of or have difficulty accessing recycling points for waste electricals.

Around three-quarters of UK adults say they would recycle their electricals at their local supermarket, electrical retailer or charity retailer if it was available to them. More than 77% of householders would view a retailer as more environmentally responsible if they knew they offered an electrical recycling service.

As such, the Government has today launched a 10-week consultation on the proposed improvements to the industry-funded scheme for waste electricals, as committed to in the Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan earlier this year.

Increasing the collection and recycling of waste electricals has the potential to drive greater investment in the UK’s treatment and re-use sector, helping to create British jobs and deliver on the Prime Minister’s priority of growing the economy.

Rob Sant, Managing Director of AO.com’s electrical recycling operations, said:

We’re the only UK electricals retailer with its own fridge recycling plant, having invested over £20m in our mission to make new appliances out of old ones through our facilities. We recycle a fifth of all the fridges that are thrown away each year and, since we opened it in 2017, we’ve recycled or reused over seven million large appliances.

Being both a retailer and a recycler gives us a unique perspective to input to this consultation on the practicalities for our industry, driving higher standards and making it easier for customers to recycle more electrical waste.

Jacob Hayler, Executive Director of the Environmental Services Association, said:

Far too many electronic devices currently end up in the bin, so making it simpler and more convenient for householders to recycle waste electricals at home will undoubtedly play a key role in helping our sector return the valuable and rare materials in these devices back to the circular economy.

On behalf of those operating recycling centres and kerbside collection services, we welcome the opportunity to contribute through consultation and help create an effective system that delivers on its intended outcomes and works, not just for householders, but for obligated producers and retailers too.

Waste electricals and particularly vapes increasingly contain powerful batteries and are now responsible for hundreds of serious fires every year when not recycled responsibly, so we hope that offering convenient and widespread household collection services for these devices will also help reverse the growing trend of battery fires blighting the sector.

The proposed reforms for waste electricals build on the Government’s wider efforts to increase recycling and reduce waste. New restrictions on single-use plastic plates, trays, bowls, cutlery, balloon sticks, expanded and extruded polystyrene food and drinks containers came into force on 1 October to help reduce plastic pollution and keep streets clean.

The Government is also moving forward with the implementation of our deposit return scheme for drinks containers and its extended producer responsibility scheme for packaging to boost recycling and clamp down on plastic pollution and litter.

A ban on microbeads in rinse-off personal care products has already been introduced alongside restrictions on the supply of single-use plastic items like straws, drink stirrers and cotton buds and last year’s world-leading Plastic Packaging Tax. Meanwhile, the single-use plastic carrier bag charge has successfully cut sales by more than 97% in the main supermarkets.

We are taking action to conserve our finite resources, establish a more circular economy and protect the environment and human health from the negative impacts of waste.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 28 December 2023.

Government will make it easier for people and businesses to reuse and recycle their old electrical goods.

The Government is set to make it easier for households to recycle electrical cords, devices and white goods under new UK-wide plans announced today (28 December).

Shocking statistics show an estimated 155,000 tonnes of smaller household electricals such as cables, toasters, kettles and power tools are wrongly thrown in the bin each year. UK homes are thought to hoard a further 527 million unwanted electrical items containing valuable materials such as gold, silver and platinum.

The waste generated during the festive period demonstrates the scale of the problem: 500 tonnes of Christmas lights are discarded every year in the UK.

To power the transition to a circular economy, government proposals unveiled today will change how we all dispose of electrical equipment, both large and small, ensuring retailers can turn old goods into new wares.

The move builds on the major steps already taken by the Government this year to clamp down on plastic pollution and clean up our streets.

A range of measures are proposed within the joint UK Government, Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive consultation for introduction from 2026, including:

• UK-wide collections of waste electricals directly from households – saving the public from having to trek to distant electrical disposal points. The collections would be financed by producers of electrical items, not the taxpayer, and not necessarily require any further bins.
• Large retailers rolling out collection drop points for electrical items in-store, free of charge, without the need to buy a replacement product.
• Retailers and online sellers taking on responsibility for collecting unwanted or broken large electrical items such as fridges or cookers when delivering a replacement.

The proposals will mean consumers will be able to recycle their goods during their weekly shop or without even leaving the house.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is set to work closely with manufacturers, major retailers and small and medium enterprises throughout the consultation period to ensure the most efficient and accessible options become a reality.

Recycling Minister Robbie Moore said:

Every year millions of household electricals across the UK end up in the bin rather than being correctly recycled or reused. This is a sheer waste of our natural resources and has to stop.

We all have a drawer of old tech somewhere that we don’t know what to do with and our proposals will ensure these gadgets are easy to dispose of without the need for a trip to your local tip. Our plans will also drive the move to a more circular economy and create new jobs by making all recycling simpler.

The changes proposed also ensure suppliers of vapes properly finance the cost of their separate collection and treatment when the items become waste.

Nearly 5 million vapes are now thrown away every week, the equivalent to eight per second and almost four times higher even than last year. Industry estimates the potential yearly cost of collecting and recycling vapes, which have been incorrectly disposed of, at £200 million.

These measures build on the Prime Minister’s proposals to restrict the sale of disposable vapes, which is part of a separate consultation to create the first smokefree generation and crack down on youth vaping. These products are not only attractive to children but also incredibly harmful to the environment.

Elsewhere, the consultation proposes extending obligations to contribute to the collection of waste electricals and the financing of their recycling and preparation for reuse to online marketplaces such as Amazon. This would ensure that major international suppliers have to comply with the regulations as well – not just British businesses.

A recent study on public attitudes and behaviours found that around 86% of people in the UK think it is worth recycling and taking the time to do it properly. It also showed many are unaware of or have difficulty accessing recycling points for waste electricals.

Around three-quarters of UK adults say they would recycle their electricals at their local supermarket, electrical retailer or charity retailer if it was available to them. More than 77% of householders would view a retailer as more environmentally responsible if they knew they offered an electrical recycling service.

As such, the Government has today launched a 10-week consultation on the proposed improvements to the industry-funded scheme for waste electricals, as committed to in the Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan earlier this year.

Increasing the collection and recycling of waste electricals has the potential to drive greater investment in the UK’s treatment and re-use sector, helping to create British jobs and deliver on the Prime Minister’s priority of growing the economy.

Rob Sant, Managing Director of AO.com’s electrical recycling operations, said:

We’re the only UK electricals retailer with its own fridge recycling plant, having invested over £20m in our mission to make new appliances out of old ones through our facilities. We recycle a fifth of all the fridges that are thrown away each year and, since we opened it in 2017, we’ve recycled or reused over seven million large appliances.

Being both a retailer and a recycler gives us a unique perspective to input to this consultation on the practicalities for our industry, driving higher standards and making it easier for customers to recycle more electrical waste.

Jacob Hayler, Executive Director of the Environmental Services Association, said:

Far too many electronic devices currently end up in the bin, so making it simpler and more convenient for householders to recycle waste electricals at home will undoubtedly play a key role in helping our sector return the valuable and rare materials in these devices back to the circular economy.

On behalf of those operating recycling centres and kerbside collection services, we welcome the opportunity to contribute through consultation and help create an effective system that delivers on its intended outcomes and works, not just for householders, but for obligated producers and retailers too.

Waste electricals and particularly vapes increasingly contain powerful batteries and are now responsible for hundreds of serious fires every year when not recycled responsibly, so we hope that offering convenient and widespread household collection services for these devices will also help reverse the growing trend of battery fires blighting the sector.

The proposed reforms for waste electricals build on the Government’s wider efforts to increase recycling and reduce waste. New restrictions on single-use plastic plates, trays, bowls, cutlery, balloon sticks, expanded and extruded polystyrene food and drinks containers came into force on 1 October to help reduce plastic pollution and keep streets clean.

The Government is also moving forward with the implementation of our deposit return scheme for drinks containers and its extended producer responsibility scheme for packaging to boost recycling and clamp down on plastic pollution and litter.

A ban on microbeads in rinse-off personal care products has already been introduced alongside restrictions on the supply of single-use plastic items like straws, drink stirrers and cotton buds and last year’s world-leading Plastic Packaging Tax. Meanwhile, the single-use plastic carrier bag charge has successfully cut sales by more than 97% in the main supermarkets.

We are taking action to conserve our finite resources, establish a more circular economy and protect the environment and human health from the negative impacts of waste.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 23 December 2023.

Environment Secretary invites people to raise a glass to UK farmers and food producers this Christmas.

As the UK stocks up on groceries ahead of Christmas Day, Environment Secretary Steve Barclay has paid tribute to the British farmers, food producers and retailers supplying our favourite festive fare.

From Scottish salmon and Norfolk turkeys to Yorkshire sprouts and the Kent apples which fill our mince pies, the best of British produce is the trademark of a traditional Christmas dinner.

According to the British Poultry Council, UK households will tuck into a staggering 8-9 million turkeys this Christmas – 90% of which are British.

Data from Kantar shows that two-thirds of the cheese and vegetables bought in the run-up to Christmas last year were British. Brussels sprouts remain a favourite accompaniment, with over 25,000 tonnes of British sprouts bought last year – over a third of which were in the festive season – alongside 3,500 tonnes of cranberry sauce, almost half of which was enjoyed at Christmas.

Meanwhile UK consumers spent £45 million on nearly 19 million Christmas puddings and £132 million on 98 million packs of mince pies last year.

Environment Secretary Steve Barclay said:

Our farmers and food producers work hard all year round to keep the nation fed – but especially in the run up to Christmas to meet the demand for their top-quality, high-welfare, seasonal produce.

Gathering friends and family round the table to share great food is one of the best things about Christmas, but it’s so important to remember where it all comes from.

This year, I invite everyone to raise a glass to the dedicated farmers and food producers who fill our plates at Christmas.

Jim Bligh, Director of Corporate Affairs and Packaging at the Food and Drink Federation, said:

Food and drink manufacturers are working hard during the festive period and play a crucial role in producing and supplying food and drink so that households can enjoy their Christmas meals with friends and family.

The food and drink industry has many unsung heroes that will be helping to provide the much-loved food we eat at Christmas time, and I wish them all a very Happy Christmas.

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.