Tag: Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Households will no longer have to pay to get rid of DIY waste, Environment Minister Rebecca Pow announced today (Sunday 18 June).

Following overwhelming public support, the Government will abolish the fees which some local authorities charge for disposing of DIY waste at household waste recycling centres (HWRCs). This will support householders to dispose of their waste in a responsible manner and encourage recycling.

Around a third of Local Authorities still charge for household DIY waste. The changes outlined today will mean councils treat DIY waste the same as household waste and could save households up to £10 for an individual item – for example, a sheet of plasterboard.

This will make it much easier and cheaper for people making home improvements to get rid of their waste – and may reduce the temptation to use waste cowboys who fly-tip rubbish.

Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said:

We want to make it as easy as possible for people to dispose of their waste properly and that’s why we are removing the financial burden on doing the right thing with DIY trash.

This not only supports our wider work to tackle fly-tipping and waste crime, but we are helping home improvers across the nation make their dream projects a reality.

These changes complement wider action we are taking to tackle fly-tipping and waste crime, which is estimated to cost the economy £924m per year in England. Earlier this year we announced grants totalling £775,000 to help councils roll out a range of projects to crack down on fly-tipping. We have consulted on reforming the waste carrier, broker, dealer regime and on introducing mandatory digital waste tracking, and we are also developing a fly-tipping toolkit with National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group to help spread best practice among local authorities on tackling the issue.

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

We welcome any measures that make it easier for householders to dispose of waste correctly and responsibly at their local Household Waste Recycling Centre, which in turn reduces the chance of it falling into the hands of criminals or being fly-tipped.

Tackling the scourge of waste crime, from low-level fly-tipping to industrial-scale illegal operations, will require a multifaceted approach which is why we also support additional measures being introduced to help local authorities and to implement digital waste tracking alongside reform of the licensing regime for waste carriers, brokers and dealers.

The Government clarified the law in 2015 that local taxpayers should not be charged for disposing of household waste at civic amenity sites – scrapping backdoor “tip taxes”. It has also repeatedly stated that councils should not be charging for such DIY household waste disposal either.

The changes announced today clarify that DIY household waste should be treated the same as household waste.

These reforms will protect the local environment by encouraging responsible waste disposal, whilst keeping down the cost of living for households.

The Secretary of State for Food and Rural Affairs Thérèse Coffey has this week reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to improving global food security through sustainable agriculture.

Speaking at the G20 Agriculture Ministers Meeting in Hyderabad, India, the Secretary of State urged countries to come together and harness the power of nature to get food to people’s plates both now and for future generations.

The meeting focused on identifying actions and solutions to help tackle global food security and nutrition, including moving to sustainable agriculture to lower impacts on climate and environment while increasing global food security, and ensuring agriculture and food systems are more resilient to shocks.

Ministers also discussed how we can achieve more sustainable food supply chains to reduce impacts such as deforestation caused by unsustainable agriculture, as well as the importance of long-term action and support for farmers and rural communities to ensure we can continue to feed a growing population.

The Secretary of State for Food and Rural Affairs Thérèse Coffey said:

Building more resilient food security must be an urgent, ongoing priority for G20 and sustainable agriculture must be at the heart of our efforts.

As well as making the most of science, tech and innovation, we need to recognise that protecting and supporting the power of nature is essential, and in many cases the most effective and cost-effective way to roll out solutions at scale.

These discussions build on the UK’s ongoing commitment to develop and scale-up more sustainable agricultural practices at an international level and follows the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate) Summit in Washington last month. At the Summit, the UK announced a £3 million investment to help fund a new consortium to develop, test and scale up new and alternative fertilisers that can enhance soil health and agricultural productivity.

It also builds on strides the UK is making at home to support farmers to run sustainable, profitable and productive farming businesses. This includes more than £168 million in grants being made available to farmers this year to drive innovation, support food production, improve animal health and welfare and protect the environment, as well as accelerating the roll out of the Sustainable Farming Incentive.

Up to £30 million has recently been awarded to cutting-edge farming projects that will boost food production, move towards net zero, and create a more resilient and sustainable agricultural sector. Meanwhile, the second round of Landscape Recovery launched last month to support up to 25 more projects to protect and restore thousands of acres of the English landscape.

The government has launched a six-week consultation on expanding its targets to tackle sewage even further to cover all coasts, estuaries and marine protected sites (12 June 2023).

The Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, published in August 2022, set out stringent targets to protect people and the environment, backed up by £56 billion capital investment – the largest infrastructure programme in water company history.

Since then, the government has continued to drive action to hold water companies to account, bring in tougher regulation and accelerate infrastructure to tackle pollution. Building on the measures in the plan to address the overflows causing the most harm first, the government is now consulting for six weeks on expanding the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan to cover all coastal and estuarine overflows. The current Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan covers 91% of storm overflows.

The government has always been clear that it will go further and faster to tackle the issue of storm overflows wherever possible. The consultation follows the government announcing that targets to reduce storm overflow discharges will be enshrined in law through the Environment Act 2021.

The government’s intention to consult on the targets was set out last month. The consultation has now launched and will be open until 24 July 2023, and follows the Environment Secretary’s demand to water companies earlier this year to share individual action plans on every storm overflow, including coastal and estuarine, this summer.

Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said:

While 93% of our beaches with designated bathing status are already rated excellent or good, there is still more to do to better protect our hugely important coasts and estuaries.

That is why I am consulting to extend our stringent targets to cover every storm overflow in England – protecting people and the environment across the country.

The targets outlined in the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan provide an achievable, credible route to tackling sewage and delivering the improvements customers expect without disproportionately impacting consumer bills.

Further information

• The Plan for Water set out the government’s strategy to tackle all sources of pollution – not just storm overflows, but also agriculture, plastics, road run-off and chemicals – as well as managing the pressures on our water resources. It set out action to clean up our water through more investment, stronger regulation and tougher enforcement on those who pollute.

Measures include:

More investment

• £1.6 billion of accelerated investment by water companies, to spend on new infrastructure to start in the next 2 years to tackle pollution and increase our water resilience – including £1.1 billion on storm overflow improvements.
• Delivering long-term catchment action plans – community-led schemes which aim to improve waterways and surrounding eco-systems – backed up by new funding, to improve all water bodies in England. This follows the credit scheme launched by Natural England to offset the environmental impact of new housing developments.
• Creating a new Water Restoration Fund, using money from water company fines and penalties to support local environmental projects, like re-meandering rivers and restoring habitats.
• More than doubling the money for slurry infrastructure by increasing funding to £34 million for farmers to improve slurry storage, reducing a major source of water pollution, with a further £31 million announced this week under the Productivity and Slurry Grant to support farmers procure equipment and technology.
• Leveraging £1 million investment in partnership projects each year to improve chalk catchments to help protect these rare and irreplaceable habitats. This is in addition to taking forward the recommendations from the Chalk Stream Strategy.
• Launching a £6.6 million Lowland Peat Research and Development programme in 2023 to identify the best way to reduce emissions from lowland peatlands.

Stronger regulation

• Consulting on banning the sale of plastic wet wipes. We have also written to relevant producers about ‘flushable’ labelling on wet wipe packaging.
• Enabling key water supply infrastructure – such as reservoirs and water transfer schemes – to be built more quickly.
• Bringing forward the deadline for water companies to reduce chemicals in wastewater treatment to 2027.
• Consulting on extending environmental permits to cover dairy and intensive beef farms, and to improve how this is done for pig and poultry farms, in order to better manage sources of pollution.
• Develop new proposals to restrict the use of ‘forever’ chemicals (PFAS) found in our rivers and seas – including proposals for a ban on PFAS in fire-fighting foams following recommendations made by the Health and Safety Executive.
• Launching a new National Policy Statement on water resources so that key water supply infrastructure – such as reservoirs and water transfer schemes – can be built more quickly.
• Integrating water and flood planning to target actions where they will have the biggest impact for nature.
• Reducing water demand by encouraging water companies to consider how to rapidly increase smart meter installations for household and non-household customers.

Tougher enforcement

• Consulting on unlimited fines for polluting water companies. This follows recent action from Ofwat to ensure dividends are clearly linked to company performance for customers and the environment, as well as tighter measures on water company executive bonuses.
• Increasing permit charges on water companies to fund more EA water company inspections, with new inspection targets.
• Reviewing and updating the existing memorandum of understanding between the Environment Agency and Ofwat for enhanced joint regulatory oversight of water companies.

Farmers will benefit from new equipment and technology to boost sustainable food production and reduce emissions and waste after £31 million was today (Thursday 8 June) made available in the latest round of the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF).

Successful applicants can now claim for grants under the Productivity and Slurry budget to help cover the costs of over 90 pieces of equipment, from rainwater harvesting tanks to reduce water scarcity for farmers in the summer; tree shears to help stop the spread of pests and diseases; to equipment to minimise grass contamination and ammonia emissions when spreading slurry.

The Farming Equipment and Technology Fund provides funding to farming businesses so they can invest in the tools they need to improve sustainable production across agriculture, horticulture and forestry. Productivity and Slurry grants will specifically support the procurement of equipment and technology that will help farmers use fewer inputs, reduce emissions and cut waste.

With over 3,000 applications received for the FETF 2023 Productivity and Slurry grants, the government is matching this high demand by increasing the total funding offered from £17 million to £31 million. Twenty-one additional items have been added under the scheme in 2023, including camera-guided inter-row sprayers to help reduce herbicide usage, and mulchers for forestry, orchards and vineyards to help reduce input costs and improve carbon retention in the soil.

This will ensure as many farmers as possible can claim for the equipment they need to run a profitable farming business that delivers for both food production and the environment.

Secretary of State for Food and Farming Thérèse Coffey said:

The tremendous interest shown in the FETF 2023 Productivity and Slurry underscores the determination of our farmers to drive ever more productive and sustainable farming practices to keep food on our plates whilst protecting our important landscapes and habitats.

By empowering farms to invest cash in new kit, we are ensuring our farmers, growers and foresters have the equipment they need to embrace innovation, protect the environment, and contribute to a thriving and sustainable agricultural sector.

Items applied for in the FETF 2023 Productivity and Slurry budget include:

• Direct drill with fertiliser placement for precision drilling of arable and cover crops to help reduce crop establishment costs and increase efficiency of fertiliser usage. 250 applicants to be offered this grant worth £6.25m.
• Robotic drill and guided hoe – an autonomous robotic vehicle which can precisely place seed in the ground and return to mechanically weed – this helps to reduce herbicide usage and associated costs. Ten applications accepted with a value of £250,000.
• Rainwater harvesting tanks with a minimum capacity of 5,000 litres which will help to reduce water scarcity for farmers in the summer months. This equipment will now benefit 86 recipients with a value of £110,802.
• Tree shears with the capacity to fell 300mm diameter trees to stop the spread of pests and diseases across our woodlands. This funding helped 113 recipients with a total value of £363,747.
• Dribble bars with a minimum working width of 6m designed to apply slurry to the soil surface as accurately as possible to minimise grass contamination and ammonia emissions. This equipment was made accessible to 94 farmers, amounting to a value of £403,200.
• Direct drills with a width of 3m to conserve moisture and reduces soil erosion. This initiative assisted 129 applicants, totalling £1.555m in value.

The FETF 2023 forms part of the government’s wider manifesto commitment to invest £2.4 billion per year in farming for the rest of this Parliament. In 2023 alone, £168 million is being made available to increase farming productivity through 16 different grants and competitions themed around productivity, research and innovation.

The FETF 2023 is made up of two themes: Animal Health and Welfare, and Productivity and Slurry. The Animal Health and Welfare FETF 2023 has been given a separate portal to streamline the application process and has seen 66 new items added to its books. Applicants can still apply to the Animal Health and Welfare strand of FETF 2023 until the 15 June 2023.

We intend to offer further rounds of FETF funding. Meanwhile, our larger grants offering will support further investment in water storage and improving irrigation slurry infrastructure, as well as funding for automation and robotics.

This announcement follows the Farm to Fork Summit at Downing Street last month where the government announced a package of support for the farming sector, including new measures to ensure the sector remains at the forefront of adopting new technologies and techniques.

The HS2 Woodland Fund has re-opened for applications today (Tuesday 30 May), supporting projects that create and restore woodland along the High Speed Two (HS2) Phase One route.

The HS2 Woodland Fund has reopened to new applications, with £3.25m available to support woodland creation and the restoration of plantations of ancient woodland sites (PAWS). First launched in November 2017 and managed by the Forestry Commission on behalf of HS2 Ltd, the fund is available for landowners located up to 25 miles from phase one of the route from London to the West Midlands.

The Woodland Creation aspect of the fund will now be available under the Forestry Commission’s England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO). Funding for the restoration of PAWS will remain as a standalone offer and will be open to applications over the next two years. Applications will be assessed four times per year, with the first deadline on 30 June 2023.

Sir William Worsley, Forestry Commission Chair, said:

We must ensure that woodlands and habitats impacted by HS2 are effectively restored and protected.

By facilitating the creation of new woodland, and bringing new life to ancient woodlands, the HS2 Woodland Fund will continue to be instrumental in ensuring that any loss from the project is sufficiently compensated for.

HS2’s Biodiversity Lead David Prys-Jones said:

The HS2 Woodland Fund, a component of our extensive Green Corridor environmental programme, is designed to help landowners near to the HS2 route create new native, broadleaved woodlands and restore existing ancient woodland sites.

This forms part of HS2’s wider strategy to create a network of bigger, better-connected, climate resilient habitats and new green spaces for people and wildlife to enjoy.

Eligible landowners are encouraged to consider their plans and discuss potential applications with the Forestry Commission.

Application forms are available from https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hs2-woodland-fund. A new case study is also available to read about a landowner’s experience of applying to the HS2 Woodland Fund and restoring an ancient woodland site. To plant trees in the 2023/24 planting season applications will need to be received by 30 June 2023.

HS2 Woodland Fund

• The HS2 Woodland Fund re-opens in May 2023 and will remain open year-round, it has been extended for two years, up until March 2025.
• To apply now, please complete the application form by 30 June 2023, to plant trees in the 2023/24 planting season.
• Applications will be assessed four times per year, and the first application deadline is 30 June 2023.
• Applications submitted by 30 June 2023 will be assessed by a panel in July 2023 before being assigned to a Woodland Officer. Decisions will be communicated by end of October 2023, giving proposals the best chance to be implemented during winter 23/24.
• In June 2021, Defra and the FC launched the England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO), and so the woodland creation element of the HS2 Woodland Fund will now be directed to support woodland creation via EWCO.
• PAWS been extended for two years, up until March 2025.
• Applications will be assessed four times per year, and the first application deadline is 30 June 2023.
• Applications submitted by 30 June 2023 will be assessed by a panel in July 2023 before being assigned to a Woodland Officer, decisions will be communicated by end of October 2023, giving proposals the best chance to be implemented during winter 23/24.

The UK, alongside 52 other members of the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) to End Plastic Pollution, has signed a far-reaching Ministerial Statement, calling for an ambitious global plastic pollution treaty to tackle plastic pollution and protect the marine environment.

The HAC is a coalition of over 50 governments that have since agreed to end plastic pollution by 2040.

The Joint Ministerial Statement, published today, calls for a range of mandatory provisions to be included in the global plastic pollution treaty, currently under negotiation. These include reducing the production and consumption of primary plastic polymers to sustainable levels; eliminating and restricting unnecessary, avoidable or problematic plastics, chemicals and products; and eliminating the release of plastics into nature, amongst others.

The statement comes ahead of the second Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-2) taking place in Paris next week and sets out the HAC’s key ambitions for INC-2, taking the UK one step further towards the ambition of ending plastic pollution by 2040.

Plastic pollution is one of the biggest environmental threats that we currently face and is interlinked with climate change and biodiversity loss. This Joint Ministerial Statement builds on the UK government’s commitment to help to develop an ambitious, international legally binding treaty that demands urgent action on plastics and drives forward our mission to protect at least 30% of the world’s ocean by 2030.

Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said:

Plastic pollution continues to have a devastating effect on our world’s ocean, people and the wider environment. That’s why it’s more important than ever to step up, take action and drive forward the change needed to bring an end to plastic pollution globally.

I am proud to be amongst other HAC members signing this statement that calls for ambitious new measures within the global plastics treaty and look forward to some productive and high-reaching discussions in the upcoming INC-2 meeting in Paris.

The HAC statement builds on the UK’s wider commitments and work to protect and enhance the marine environment.

Earlier this year, delivering on the Environmental Improvement Plan the government announced the designation of the first three Highly Protected Marine Areas in English waters and launched a consultation on proposed management measures for sandeel fishing with the aim to reduce further negative impacts on important marine biodiversity.

Building on our existing single-use plastic bans and carrier bag charge, the Government is introducing further bans from October on a range of single-use plastic items – including plates, cutlery, balloon sticks and expanded and extruded polystyrene drinks containers. In April, we also announced that we will ban the sale of wet wipes containing plastic subject to public consultation.

The INC- 2 meeting taking place in Paris is the second out of five sessions with United Nations member states. A global plastic pollution treaty is hoped to be finalised by the end of 2024.

• £7 million is now available for research into natural climate solutions
• UK and international applicants can secure grants of up to £750,000
• Move is part of the Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate, established with £40 million of Official Development Assistance funding

A £40 million grant programme launched this week (Thursday 25 May 2023) which will help projects around the world put the power of biodiversity at the forefront of our fight against climate change and poverty.

First announced in 2021 at the Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow, the Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate (GCBC) was established to bridge research gaps and further understanding on the crucial role biodiversity can play in tackling climate change and poverty in ODA-eligible countries across the world. By fostering collaboration between experts and research disciplines, the GCBC strives to shape decision-making and unlock finance for natural solutions to climate change and poverty.

During its pilot phase, the GCBC funded a range of innovative projects including:

• Working with local communities to improve environmental and social outcomes for a disused mine site with a negative legacy in the Philippines
• Developing temperature resilient wild seaweed cultivars in collaboration with indigenous seaweed farming communities in Malaysia
• Protecting globally important ecosystems and irreplaceable biodiversity and supporting climate resilient food security by mapping plant bioresources in Tropical Important Plant Areas in Guinea and Ethiopia
• Creating a community-led governance model that integrates strategies for climate resilience, low-carbon and sustainable growth in a Colombian coffee-growing region

With around £7 million available in the first round, successful applicants have the opportunity to secure up to £750,000 through the GCBC’s Official Development Assistance programme to deliver policy-relevant research on how the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity can help address climate change and improve livelihoods of some of the world’s most vulnerable populations. Applications are open to a diverse range of local and international partners, from non-governmental organisations to academic institutions.

Gideon Henderson, Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser, said:

The launch of this grant programme marks a significant milestone in our fight against the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and poverty.

Through this £40 million initiative, there is a vital opportunity for researchers, organisations, and institutions to harness the power of biodiversity and explore innovative natural solutions to the climate crisis – creating a more sustainable future for all.

The establishment and goals of the GCBC will help deliver on our climate and biodiversity commitments, the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Global Biodiversity Framework targets, which are inherently intertwined with climate change.

More information, including on eligibility and how to apply, can be found here: www.gcbc.org.uk