Tag: Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 31 January 2023.

Five-year delivery plan to restore nature and improve the environmental quality of the air, our waters and our land .

Plans to restore nature, improve environmental quality, and increase the prosperity of our country will be set out by the government today (Tuesday 31st January) as it publishes its Environmental Improvement Plan 2023.

Building on the vision set out five years ago in the 25 Year Environment Plan, with new powers and duties from the Environment Act, Agriculture Act and Fisheries Act, it provides a comprehensive delivery plan for the government’s approach to halting and then reversing the decline in nature.

This was the central target agreed in the new global deal for nature at the UN Nature Summit COP15 in December, which UK leadership helped deliver. The plan published today underpins that ambition domestically, with progress measured against stretching interim targets.

It will be unveiled by the Environment Secretary Dr Thérèse Coffey at a keynote speech this morning.

It covers how government will:

• Create and restore at least 500,000 hectares of new wildlife habitats, starting with 70 new wildlife projects including 25 new or expanded National Nature Reserves and 19 further Nature Recovery Projects
• Deliver a clean and plentiful supply of water for people and nature into the future, by tackling leaks, publishing a roadmap to boost household water efficiency, and enabling greater sources of supply
• Challenge councils to improve air quality more quickly and tackle key hotspots.
• Transform the management of 70% of our countryside by incentivising farmers to adopt nature-friendly practices.
• Boost green growth and create new jobs – from foresters and farmers to roles in green finance and research and development.

The public will also benefit from a new commitment to access green space or water within a 15-minute walk from their home, such as woodlands, wetlands, parks and rivers.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

Protecting our natural environment is fundamental to the health, economy and prosperity of our country.

This plan provides the blueprint for how we will deliver our commitment to leave our environment in a better state than we found it, making sure we drive forward progress with renewed ambition and achieve our target of not just halting, but reversing the decline of nature.

Environment Secretary, Thérèse Coffey, said:

Our Environmental Improvement Plan sets out how we will continue to improve our environment here in the UK and around the world. Nature is vital for our survival, crucial to our food security, clean air, and clean water as well as health and well-being benefits.

We have already started the journey and we have seen improvements. We are transforming financial support for farmers and landowners to prioritise improving the environment, we are stepping up on tree planting, we have cleaner air, we have put a spotlight on water quality and rivers and are forcing industry to clean up its act.

Whether you live in a city or town, in the countryside or on the coast, join us in our national endeavour to improve the environment.

Other new commitments set out today include:

Nature:

• A multi-million pound Species Survival Fund to protect our rarest species – from hedgehogs to red squirrels.
• Through the support of government schemes 65 to 80% of landowners and farmers will adopt nature friendly farming practices on at least 10 to 15% of their land by 2030. They will also be supported to create or restore 30,000 miles of hedgerows a year by 2037 and 45,000 miles of hedgerows a year by 2050.

Water:

• Setting out 10 actions we are taking on water efficiency in new developments and retrofits, including reviewing building regulations and other legislation to address leaky loos and confusing dual flush buttons and to enable new water efficient technologies
• Restoring 400 miles of river through the first round of Landscape Recovery projects and establishing 3,000 hectares of new woodlands along England’s rivers.
• Reforming the current regulatory framework to rationalise the number of regulatory plans and create a more efficient system which better enables joined up working to achieve catchment-level outcomes

Air:

• Challenging councils to improve air quality more quickly by assessing their performance and use of existing powers, while supporting them with clear guidance, funding, and tools.
• Reducing ammonia emissions through incentives in our new farming schemes, while considering expanding environmental permitting condition to dairy and intensive beef farms.
• Improving the way air quality information is communicated with the public.

Waste:

• Making it easier for people to do the right thing to minimise their waste, including a new set of interim targets for 2028 to reduce different types of waste, including plastic, glass, metal, paper, and food.

The plan sets out a clear framework to ensure progress can be clearly tracked.

The environmental principles policy statement will also be published today. It means that, from 1 November 2023, environmental protection and enhancement will be embedded into the design and development of new policy across Government.

Natural England Chair Tony Juniper said:

We are facing into a series of environmental challenges that are very serious, pressing and which are connected to one another. If we are to take effective action then we will need an ambitious and integrated plan that is geared up to meeting some very challenging targets. That plan and those targets are now live. The package is broad and most welcome and important. It will now require efforts across government and across society to translate its intent into action.

This can be done, so long as priority is attached to it and we remain focused on joined-up delivery. Success will not only bring benefits for our depleted natural environment, but also for jobs, food and water security, health and investment.

Chair of the Forestry Commission Sir William Worsley said:

We all need to work together to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, to address the steep decline in biodiversity, to better connect people with the natural world around them, and to create the green jobs of the future. Trees are at the very heart of this – the Forestry Commission has a key role to play in helping the Government achieve the targets laid out in this ambitious blueprint for a greener country and we look forward to doing so.

Nick Molho, Executive Director at the Aldersgate Group, said:

Rapidly restoring nature and reversing its decline is essential for economic prosperity, the wellbeing of society and the UK’s ability to adapt to climate change. It will require all parts of society and the economy to collaborate on environmental improvements as well as careful co-ordination between the UK’s climate and environmental targets.

Through the publication of today’s Environmental Improvement Plan, the Government has taken an important step forward, by bringing together in one place its vision for the environment and a delivery plan to drive progress. The Government must now build on the objectives and policy commitments contained in the delivery plan and proceed at pace with the specific policy measures that will drive private investment over the next 5 years in biodiversity, air and water quality, resource efficiency and other key environmental improvements. Providing clarity on the near- and long-term policy commitments is essential to unlock significant private sector investment and ensure businesses play their part in restoring nature.”

Finally, it is welcome to see the publication of the Environmental Principles Policy Statement. A comprehensive and rapid implementation of environmental principles across all government departments is essential to drive coherent policy making and ensure every opportunity is taken to drive environmental improvements and prevent harm at an early stage.

ENDS

Further information:

• The Environment Act designated the 25 Year Environment Plan as the first Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP). It created a responsibility for the government to review and revise the plan, if needed, every 5 years to ensure continued progress against the ten 25 YEP goals. This EIP (EIP23) is that revised plan. It sets out for the first time how the 25YEP goals, Environment Act targets and other commitments we have made domestically and internationally will combine to drive specific improvements in the natural environment.
• The Environment Act was enacted in 2021. This required government to set a suite of legally-binding targets for environmental improvement in air quality, biodiversity, water, resource efficiency and waste reduction. The government has since extended this ambition even further, with additional targets for marine protected areas and woodland cover. The long-term targets were announced in December 2022. The Environment Act also required short-term interim targets, with a maximum of five years in length, to be included set in the Environmental Improvement Plan to drive progress towards the long term targets.

The Environmental Principles Policy Statement:

• In line with the Environment Act, the Secretary of State is publishing a policy statement on environmental principles, setting out how they are to be interpreted and proportionately applied.  The five internationally recognised principles are: integration, prevention, rectification at source, polluter pays, and the precautionary principle.

The Significant Improvement Test:

• Today, we have also published the first Significant Improvement Test review report, as required by the Environment Act 2021.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 27 January 2023.

Grants of up to £40,000 on offer through £100m UK Seafood Fund to trial greener engine technology, helping to create a safe and sustainable fishing sector whilst tackling rising fuel costs.

The UK fishing industry is to benefit from an initial £2 million investment to trial new, greener engines and help create a safer, more sustainable fishing fleet as the latest round of the £100m UK Seafood Fund opens today (27 January 2022).

OIder vessel engines are some of the industry’s biggest polluters and, according to a report by MARFISH, over half of the boats across the UK fishing fleet are now more than 30 years old, meaning that the annual energy use of the fleet is equivalent to that of 110,000 homes.

From today, vessels in the small-scale coastal fleet can bid for up to £40,000 to trial hybrid and electric engines, and up to £20,000 to fund replacement petrol and diesel engines that are more environmentally friendly.

As well as supporting the fishing industry to deal with rising fuel costs, the trial aims to gather new data and evidence to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve efficiency and reliability, and help the fishing industry to reach net zero.

Fisheries Minister Mark Spencer said:

Our small-scale fishing fleet is vital for food security, the economy, and the livelihoods of coastal communities.

This trial could help make vessels safer, more reliable, and more cost efficient as well as helping the fishing sector make the transition to net zero.

I encourage all those eligible to apply so we can gather the data we need to move towards a greener fleet that will benefit the fishing industry and our environment.

Katy Ware, Director of UK Maritime Services said:

We fully support this scheme to trial new, greener engines in the fishing industry and will assist owners participating in the scheme to ensure that the engines are safely installed.

Everyone taking part will be making a significant contribution towards achieving net zero in the fishing industry.

This round will be administered by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), more details on how to apply can be found on gov.uk.

This latest round of applications to modernise and improve the small-scale fishing fleet is part of the £100m UK Seafood Fund, a landmark government investment supporting the long-term future and sustainability of the UK fishing and seafood industry.

Overall, at least £65 million in grant funding is available through the infrastructure scheme to fund projects that improve the UK seafood sector supply chain. This includes investment in fleet modernisation and improved capability at ports, harbours, processing and aquaculture facilities.

£20 million has already been awarded in Round 1 of the scheme for projects including the expansion of processing facilities for popular British fish like Scottish salmon and Cornish sardines, alongside money to bring an ageing dry dock back to life. In December last year, the Government confirmed a further £30 million will be made available for infrastructure projects as the latest round of funding opened for bidding.

There is also up to £10 million in funding available through the Skills and Training scheme, the second round of which will be open to applicants shortly. The scheme will fund training projects and facilities for workers in the seafood and aquaculture industry, and recreational angling sector.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 26 January 2023.

More work is needed to ensure the protection, recovery and restoration of our coastal and marine environment, and to enable coastal populations to thrive.

A concerted effort is needed to better protect our coastal communities and economies whilst enhancing our marine environment, said Environment Agency Chair Alan Lovell today (26 January) as the EA launches its latest ‘State of the Environment: Coast and Marine’ report.

Speaking at the Coastal Future’s Conference, Alan Lovell said that with over a third of the UK population living within 5km of the coastline, more work is needed to ensure the protection, recovery and restoration of our coastal and marine environment, and to enable coastal populations to thrive.

Alan Lovell said:

England’s national story is a story about our relationship with the coast and a century of air travel has not totally eroded our reliance on ports and estuaries to deliver the things we need.

Yet, coastal towns are now among the most deprived in the country.

We need to work together with coastal communities to identify the best possible way to keep them safe and prosperous.

We need a concerted effort to better protect coastal communities and economies while enhancing the marine environment.

The report, produced by the EA’s Chief Scientist’s Group, draws attention to the many consequences of climate change, with 85% of England’s salt marshes – which store the carbon equivalent of nearly 40 million people’s annual domestic emissions – estimated to have been lost since the 1800s, as well as up to 50% of seagrass meadows and 95% of our native oyster population. Meanwhile over 100,000 people are estimated to be at risk from significant coastal flooding – a figure likely to increase by 300% this century, even if global warming is kept to 2 degrees.

However, the report also shows important progress towards tackling these threats to our marine and coastal environment, including salt marsh restoration, helping fish populations recover and improving water quality in designated bathing waters.

Reflecting on this, Alan Lovell also said:

Continued action must be taken to curb the threat of climate change – through evidence based, collaborative approaches spanning from large-scale projects, local on-the-ground restoration and working alongside coastal communities to identify the best possible approach to coastal management.

The EA continues to invest in a healthy coastline through many outlets including our National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management strategy and our Restoring Meadow Marsh and Reef initiative.

Although some progress has been made, there is a great deal more to be done and I hope that what we learn from innovative projects such as these will encourage others to join us and invest in ways that champion coastal resilience and help in the fight against climate change.

The EA’s Restoring Meadow Marsh and Reef initiative is just one of the programmes taking action to tackle climate change, and aims to restore at least 15% of priority estuarine and coastal habitats by 2043.

Additionally, the EA’s £120m Habitat Compensation and Restoration Programme, funded through Flood and Coastal Risk Management, has created over 1200ha of salt marsh and mudflat since 2005 to keep pace with protected habitat lost as a result of managing risk to people and property. The latest mapped extent of salt marsh in England shows an overall increase of 7% compared with 2006 to 2009 figures, nearly half of which is as a result of habitat creation in this programme. The restoration initiative aims to build on this experience for salt marsh and help to build an accelerated programme for this and other inshore habitats.

Other investments by the EA to protect and restore the coastal and marine environment include:

• £1.8m in Championing Coastal Coordination over the next 3 years with 20 projects receiving funding in 2022/23. Innovative projects will mix citizen science, local restoration and large-scale work to generate resilient coastlines, and Alan Lovell has today called for further investment to scale up solutions.
• More than £5 billion over 5 years in River Basin Management Plans which will enhance and limit further deterioration of England’s waters giving us increased resilience to the impacts of climate change. This includes 23 specific estuarine and coastal measures, ranging from habitat restoration plans and citizen science campaigns, to tackling marine litter and pollution.
• Support to the Natural Capital Ecosystem Assessment Programme through an ambitious Land Sea Interface project. The project will provide new evidence on the value of our marine environment and underpin our restoration ambition with knowledge of all the benefits our marine ecosystem provides, encouraging policy and management decision-making that achieves a resilient coast.

The Environment Agency will continue to invest in innovation, partner collaboration and local on-the-ground restoration to ensure a coordinated approach to manage our coastal and marine environment, combat the effects of climate change, and mitigate the damage that has already been done.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 26 January 2023.

The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has today (Thursday 26 January 2023) set out detailed plans for the nation’s farming sector, supporting farmers to be profitable and resilient as they produce food sustainably while protecting nature and enhancing the environment.

The accelerated roll out of the Sustainable Farming Incentive – a key part of the Government’s Environmental Land Management schemes – will provide farmers with a diverse range of paid actions to manage hedgerows for wildlife, plant nectar-rich wildflowers and manage crop pests without the use of insecticides.

These incentives will make food production more resilient and efficient over the longer term whilst contributing towards the UK’s environmental goals on carbon, biodiversity, water quality and net zero. Together this will safeguard the long-term prosperity of the farming industry and protect the environment for future generations.

Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said:

Farmers are at the heart of our economy – producing the food on our tables as well as being the custodians of the land it comes from.

These two roles go hand-in-hand and we are speeding up the roll out of our farming schemes so that everyone can be financially supported as they protect the planet while producing food more sustainably.

Environmental Land Management

Six additional standards will be added to the Sustainable Farming Incentive this year, meaning farmers can receive payment for actions on hedgerows, grassland, arable and horticultural land, pest management and nutrient management. They build on the three existing standards to improve soil health and moorlands introduced in 2022 – which nearly 1,900 farmers already have in agreements.

The Government has also detailed what farmers will be paid to deliver through an enhanced version of the Countryside Stewardship scheme, which will see around 30 additional actions available to farmers by the end of 2024. The expansion builds on the more than 250 actions farmers can take at present with the scheme seeing a 94% increase in uptake since 2020 and is now part of thousands of farm businesses. The next round of Countryside Stewardship Higher-Tier will open in February, with Mid-Tier following in March.

Countryside Stewardship Plus will reward farmers for taking coordinated action, working with neighbouring farms and landowners to support climate and nature aims. It will deliver the same high environmental ambition previously planned for Local Nature Recovery, including managing floodplain meadows to reduce flood risk and improve biodiversity, restoring and maintaining peatland for carbon capture and storage, and enhancing and managing woodland to mitigate against drought and enhance its resilience to climate change.

The scheme will also be improved so farmers benefit from greater flexibility over when they can apply and how they manage their agreements, with improved access for tenant farmers and increased access to Higher Tier options and agreements.

Elsewhere, following high demand last year, Defra has confirmed it will open applications for the second round of the Landscape Recovery scheme in the spring to support ambitious large-scale nature recovery projects, focusing on net zero, protected sites and habitat creation. This could include projects creating and enhancing woodlands, peatland, nature reserves and protected sites such as ancient woodlands, wetlands and salt marshes.

They involve groups of land managers and tenant farmers, working together to deliver a range of environmental benefits across farmed and rural landscapes. 22 projects began last year aiming to restore nearly 700km of rivers and protect and enhance 263 species.

Today’s announcement provides clarity and certainty to farmers, allowing them to make business decisions and cover costs as direct payments are phased out whilst getting involved in Environmental Land Management schemes. The plans also deliver on the assurances provided by the Farming Minister earlier this month, during a speech at the Oxford Farming Conference announcing increased payment rates.

Further details on the new standards and payment rates being rolled for the Sustainable Farming Incentive as well as information on the future roll out of Countryside Stewardship Plus from 2024 is available on gov.uk.

Straightforward applications

The Sustainable Farming Incentive has been made as straightforward as possible to apply online for with farmers giving positive feedback over the simplicity and speed of the application.

The 2023 offer has been made as flexible and accessible as possible to enable farmers to get started in the scheme and start to deliver the outcomes for their business and the environment. These improvements are based on learnings from extensive pilots and feedback to make it simpler, clearer and more workable for farmers.

Over time, it will continue to evolve so that it supports and incentivises farmers to deliver the right combinations of actions, at the right scale, in the right places and in a joined-up way with their neighbours. This will be essential for us to make the required progress towards our environment and climate targets alongside food production.

Harry Baker Cresswell, an agent working with two arable farmers from Northumberland, said:

I work with two holdings which are part of the SFI pilot, neither of which were in existing schemes.

The application and payment experiences have been good to date, and the objectives of SFI for arable land have been clearly set out.

SFI is different to previous Environmental Stewardships models in that the option-requirements are much less prescriptive. This is welcome, but does require a little steering to ensure objectives are met – something that Defra has recognised with its SFI Management Payment.

This is a real step forward in the journey towards enthusing widespread participation in the ELM schemes.

Kitty Hamilton, a mixed farmer from East Lincolnshire, said:

The big positive of the SFI pilot is the flexibility, which we really like. We were able to retain habitats from previous schemes which we were really proud of. The pilot fits well with our current and planned farming methods, which means it’s gently nudging us towards a more regenerative system.

The fact that we can layer the standards, and use all of the land on the estate, means that we can generate a good income. Generally I’ve enjoyed engaging with the learning activities, helping us to upskill professionally and personally within our organisation.

Robin Milton, a livestock farmer from Exmoor, said:

We’ve been on three standards to give the SFI pilot a trial run because we felt it would benefit our business.

The application process was straight-forward and, although the guidance was lengthy, I learned quite a bit and we ended up doing more than we needed to – which isn’t a bad thing.

Taken together the Environmental Land Management schemes mean there is something on offer for every type of farmer.

For tenant farmers there is range of actions relevant to their holding, especially through the Sustainable Farming Incentive which has been designed with them in mind. Shorter three-year agreements have been introduced with no landlord consent required meaning the risk of entering an environmental scheme has been reduced considerably. There are also no penalties in the event a farmer leaves the scheme early.

Upland farmers can be paid for actions on moorland, grassland and upland peat with over 100 actions in all schemes applicable to them.  From this year, farmers in existing Higher Level Stewardship agreements will be able to expand their activities and increase their payments by having a Countryside Stewardship agreement as well.

The 2019 manifesto commitment maintains the annual farming budget of £2.4 billion until the end of this Parliament, with all reductions from farmers’ direct payments reinvested back into the sector. All three Environmental Land Management schemes are accessible to farmers with the budget managed flexibly so that we can achieve the best value for money and deliver the intended outcomes in ways that best suit farmers and land managers.

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

National sugar beet crop could face serious losses due to risk from aphids – more than 50% of UK sugar comes from domestic production.

Defra has approved an emergency temporary authorisation for the use of a neonicotinoid pesticide treatment on this year’s sugar beet crop due to the risk to the crop from yellows viruses.

Emerging sugar beet seedlings are vulnerable to predation from aphids that have the potential to spread beet yellows virus, which can severely affect sugar beet yield and quality.  In 2020, 25% of the national sugar beet crop was lost, costing £67m of total economic loss across an industry that creates nearly 10,000 jobs.

Defra has attached strict conditions to the emergency authorisation including only allowing for application if independent modelling predicts a virus incidence of 63% or above. If the virus threshold is not met, then the neonicotinoid treated seed will not be used.

If the threshold is met and limited use is allowed, then further strict conditions will be applied to minimise risks to the environment. This includes a maximum number of seeds planted per hectare and restrictions on farmers planting flowering crops in subsequent years in any field where treated seed has been used.  This is to allow time for the chemical to break down.

Emergency authorisations for pesticides are only granted for a short period of time,  in special circumstances where it is necessary because of a danger that cannot be contained by any other reasonable means, and the use is limited and controlled.  Other pesticide and organic treatments are not sufficiently effective in controlling  the virus

The overall ban on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides remains in place.

Farming Minister Mark Spencer said:

We recognise the potential danger of an outbreak of the beet yellows virus on the nation’s sugar beet crop and the impact it could have on the production of UK sugar.  Therefore after careful consideration, we regard issuing an emergency authorisation as a necessary measure to protect the industry.

The product can only be used if a strict threshold is met and on a single non-flowering crop. This decision has not been taken lightly and is based on extensive and rigorous scientific assessment.

The Farming Minister considered advice on this application from the Health and Safety Executive, the independent UK Expert Committee on Pesticides and Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 20 January 2023.

The panel of independent experts set up to assess the cause of dead and dying crabs washed up on shores from October 2021 have today (Friday 20 January) published their findings.

The panel, made up of experts from academia and industry, was chaired by Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser Gideon Henderson with input from the Government Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance.

They investigated a number of possible causes for the unusual crab deaths which started in October 2021 including a potential disease or parasite, a harmful algal bloom, chemical toxicity including pyridine, and dredging which could have released a toxic chemical. Each of these potential causes was assessed according to the likelihood of the occurrence.

The key observations that must be explained by any cause include: Mortality over a sustained period and along at least 70km of coastline; the unusual twitching by dying crabs observed in many locations; and the deaths being dominantly crustaceans rather than a wider range of species.

The panel concluded:

• It is about as likely as not that a pathogen new to UK waters – a potential disease or parasite – caused the unusual crab mortality. There are pathogens known to cause similar symptoms to those observed in the north-east and these pathogens have caused mortality events and declines in crustacean populations around the world. No significant pathogens were identified in the north-east crabs but full molecular screening was not conducted at the time of the initial investigation.
• It is unlikely that a harmful algal bloom or that a loss of oxygen in the water associated with the algal bloom caused the crab deaths. The panel assessed satellite data and water-column measurements and concluded that the presence of an algal bloom in the area during September 2021 was likely but it was unlikely that the bloom persisted beyond October 2021.
• It is very unlikely that pyridine or another toxic pollutant caused the crab deaths. The panel considered industries on Teesside and concluded they could not be sources of any significant volume of pyridine during the period of the crab deaths. Measurements of seawater by the Environment Agency and York University could not detect pyridine. Sediment measures of pyridine from dredged material and other toxic chemicals found in sediments in the Tees are significantly lower than the levels which would cause crab mortality.
• It is very unlikely that maintenance dredging, as required to keep the port open, was the cause; a dredger operated in the channel offshore Teesside during late September and early October 2021 but the maximum possible release of toxic chemicals, including of pyridine, caused by this activity is significantly too small to cause crab mortality.
• Capital dredging (i.e. as required to expand the port) was last carried out in December 2020, some time before deaths started in October 2021. Further capital dredging did not commence until September 2022. It is therefore exceptionally unlikely that capital dredging on the Tees caused the crab mortality seen in the region.

Although there is no direct evidence of a novel pathogen – a disease or parasite – it would explain the key observations including mortality over a sustained period and along 70km of coastline, the unusual twitching of dying crabs and the deaths being predominantly crabs rather than other species..

It is also possible that a combination of factors lead to the unusual mortality, rather than one of the factors the panel considered.

Sir Patrick Vallance, Government Chief Scientific Adviser, said:

I would like to thank the scientists who have been involved in the expert assessment of this unusual crustacean mortality. For a complex issue like this it is important to have a range of experts involved who can offer independent challenge and analysis.

Whilst with the current data there cannot be a definitive answer, the options for possible causes and an analyses of likelihood are clearly laid out in the report.

Gideon Henderson, Defra Chief Scientific Adviser, said:

The report summarises thorough and insightful analysis of diverse relevant data by an impressive group of leading marine scientists from across the UK. Their combined knowledge allowed expert assessment of all possible causes of the unusual crustacean mortality.

The panel was unable to identify a single clear cause, but it has been able to point to those more likely to explain the key features of the outbreak.

Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey asked Defra’s Chief Scientific Advisor Gideon Henderson to liaise with the Government Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance to establish an independent group, following a request from the Environment, Farming & Rural Affairs (EFRA) Select Committee. The Crustacean Mortality Expert Panel (CMEP) was convened from December 2022 to independently assess the causes of the unusual deaths.

The panel was established with experts from academia and industry with a range of knowledge and experience.

The full report is available here.

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

A range of polluting single-use plastics will be banned in England, Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey has announced today.

The ban will include single-use plastic plates, trays, bowls, cutlery, balloon sticks, and certain types of polystyrene cups and food containers. This ban will be introduced from October 2023, allowing businesses time to prepare.

According to estimates, England uses 2.7 billion items of single-use cutlery — most of which are plastic — and 721 million single-use plates per year, but only 10% are recycled. If 2.7 billion pieces of cutlery were lined up they would go round the world over eight and a half times (based on a 15cm piece of cutlery).

From October, people won’t be able to buy these products from any business – this includes retailers, takeaways, food vendors and the hospitality industry. Over 95% of those who responded to our consultation were in favour of the bans, the Government’s response, published today (Saturday 14 January 2022), reveals.

Plastic pollution takes hundreds of years to break down and inflicts serious damage to our oceans, rivers and land. It is also a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, from the production and manufacture of the plastic itself to the way it is disposed.

Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said:

We all know the absolutely devastating impacts that plastic can have on our environment and wildlife. We have listened to the public and these new single-use plastics bans will continue our vital work to protect the environment for future generations.

I am proud of our efforts in this area: we have banned microbeads, restricted the use of straws, stirrers and cotton buds and our carrier bag charge has successfully cut sales by over 97% in the main supermarkets.

Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said:

Plastic is a scourge which blights our streets and beautiful countryside and I am determined that we shift away from a single-use culture.

By introducing a ban later this year we are doubling down on our commitment to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste. We will also be pressing ahead with our ambitious plans for a deposit return scheme for drinks containers and consistent recycling collections in England.

It is expected that banning these items will have a significant impact in reducing plastic waste and littering in England. Plastic cutlery, for instance, was in the top 15 most littered items in the country by count in 2020.

Previous bans, such as banning straws, stirrers and cotton buds, have reduced the damage from these plastics. Before we banned these products, it was estimated straws, stirrers and cotton buds collectively contributed to around 5.7% of marine litter. After our ban, the Great British Beach Clean 2021 reported cotton bud sticks had moved out of the UK’s top ten most common beach litter items.

The Government is also carefully considering further measures around other commonly littered and problematic plastic items, including wet wipes, tobacco filters and sachets, following the call for evidence on this issue.

Future steps that could be explored include banning plastic in these items, and mandatory labelling on packaging to help consumers dispose of these items correctly. A new research project will also look into the impact of wet wipes on blockages in the sewage system, and will inform any future policy actions.

The ban will not apply to plates, trays, and bowls that are used as packaging in shelf-ready pre-packaged food items, as these will be included in our plans for an Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme – which will incentivise producers to use packaging that can be recycled and meet higher recycling targets. For example, this would include pre-packaged salad bowls and bowls filled with food at the counter of a takeaway.

Matt Hood, Co-op Food MD said:

We have been at the forefront of eradicating unnecessary plastic, so it is encouraging to see this ban being introduced and we have already removed plastic cutlery from our food to go, offering wooden forks instead. We were the first retailer to ensure all of our own brand food and drink packaging is 100% recyclable through our in store soft plastic recycling scheme, with all the soft plastics returned being processed in the UK.

I welcome today’s announcement, and believe we must all continue to work together if we are to combat the climate emergency, and have an environment we are proud to pass on to future generations.

Richard Swannell, interim CEO of WRAP, said:

We are in full support of this announcement by Defra, which marks important progress in the wholesale removal of problematic and unnecessary plastics that can end up as plastic pollution. WRAP is working with UK businesses to meet ambitious targets in this important area, and our latest results show an 84% reduction in problematic and unnecessary single use plastics by our UK Plastics Pact members since 2018.

We’re delighted to see these efforts being backed up by regulation, which will accelerate efforts to keep plastic out of the environment.

These plans build on our previous efforts to eliminate avoidable plastic waste, including:

• One of the world’s toughest bans on microbeads in rinse-off personal care products announced in 2018
• Restrictions on the supply of single-use plastic straws, drink stirrers and cotton buds in 2020.
• Plastic Packaging Tax in April 2022 – a tax of £200 per tonne on plastic packaging manufactured in, or imported into the UK, that does not contain at least 30% recycled plastic.

Following the huge success of the 5p single-use carrier bag charge, in May 2021 we also increased the minimum charge to 10p and extended it to all retailers, taking billions of bags out of circulation.

Through the Environment Act, the Government is bringing in further measures to tackle plastic pollution and litter. This includes a Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers to recycle billions more plastic bottles and stop them being landfilled, incinerated, or littered via a small deposit on drinks products to incentivise people to recycle, and plans for Consistent Recycling Collections for every household and business in England.

Plastic pollution is a global issue and we are committed to working with international partners to tackle it. As such, the UK was proud to support the ambitious resolution at the United Nations Environment Assembly that kickstarted negotiations for a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution.

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

Woodlands worth over £400m million annually in protecting communities from flooding, new research reveals.

Trees and woodlands have long been known to play a vital role in flood resilience, but scientists are now able to establish the financial contribution they make in protecting communities from flooding.

New research published today (Friday 13th January) by Forest Research estimates Great Britain’s trees contribute over £400m annually in benefits. The flood regulation service of Great Britain’s trees, forests and woodlands as an annualised central estimate gave annual values of £843 million and £420 million compared to bare soil and grass, respectively. The valuation is based on the role trees, woodlands and forests play in intercepting rainfall, storing water and reducing the potentially devastating surface runoff that causes flooding. Given the increased likelihood and frequency of extreme weather events as a result of climate change, the report highlights how woodland expansion can be a natural, cost-effective method of protecting homes and businesses – now and for the future.

The government is investing a record £5.2 billion over six years in around 2,000 flood and coastal erosion schemes to better protect communities across England, with one in six properties at risk of flooding.

Forestry Minister Trudy Harrison said:

Communities across the country know all too well the potentially devastating impacts of flooding – from damage to homes and businesses and the disruption of critical infrastructure to the tragic loss of life.

This report provides the best picture yet of the integral role that our trees, woodlands and forests play in protecting at-risk communities from flooding. With more severe weather events forecast in the future, there is even more incentive to accelerate our tree planting efforts in line with our ambitious target to treble planting rates in England.

Forestry Commission Chief Executive, Richard Stanford said:

We know nature-based solutions have an important role to play in reducing flood risk in an affordable way with multiple benefits beyond flood alleviation. This ground breaking research underscores the significant contribution our trees, woodlands and forests make in reducing peak water flows following heavy rainfall – helping to protect homes, businesses and livelihoods nationwide from the disastrous impacts of flooding.

From the trees lining our streets to the expanse of woodlands and forests across our countryside, the environmental, economic and social value of our treescapes has never been clearer. It is important we manage the trees we have and expand all types of tree cover.

Environment Agency Chief Executive, Sir James Bevan said:

The warning signs of the climate crisis are stark and mounting – with greater rainfall, higher tides and more violent weather bringing heightened risks of serious flooding over the years ahead. The hard flood defences which the Environment Agency builds and maintains all across the country are part of the solution. So too are Natural Flood Management techniques such as tree planting, which we are already using to slow the flow of water and help protect homes and businesses.

By harnessing the power of nature, we can tackle the twin challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change – whilst simultaneously reducing the risk of flooding to vulnerable communities.

Pat Snowdon, Head of Economics and Woodland Carbon Code at Scottish Forestry, said:

Climate change is bringing many global challenges. Our weather patterns are changing and we can expect wetter winters and more intense rain in summer. This brings the very unwelcome risk of more flooding.

Woodlands have long been associated with an ability to reduce flooding. The latest models allow researchers to quantify how woodlands create a “sponge” effect, reducing rapid run-off that causes flooding. This research provides new data that fills a major evidence gap on the economic value of woodlands.

Forests help to reduce flooding in numerous ways, in what is referred to as a ‘sponge effect’. Firstly, evaporation from leaves and branches helps to reduce the amount of rainfall reaching the ground. This process, known as interception, is significantly greater for woodland compared to other land use types. Secondly, the soils within forests receive, store and delay water, helping to reduce rapid run-off and peak flows. Finally, the presence of trees, shrubs and large woody dams along rivers and on the floodplain creates a barrier effect that slows the passage of flood waters downstream, in addition to delivering biodiversity benefits.

As a result, tree planting can significantly affect the volume, pathway and timing of surface run-off, reducing the risk of downstream flooding. Responsible forestry management practices help to maintain and secure this key environmental service. Further guidance is available in the UK Forestry Standard Practice Guide: ‘Designing and managing forests and woodlands to reduce flood risk’.

The Environment Agency recently set out findings from its £15 million Natural Flood Management programme, which was carried out in collaboration with the Forestry Commission and other key partners. In Cumbria, a Natural Flood Management project trialled a variety of measures across different landscapes aiming to slow or store 10,000 cubic metres of water per square kilometre. The team worked with a range of landowners and the Forestry Commission to change overland flow routes, build earth dams and leaky barriers, plant 8,000 trees and create offline flood storage ponds. Across its 60 pilot projects, the Environment Agency’s programme created an equivalent of 1.6 million cubic metres of water storage and increased flood resilience to 15,000 homes, whilst improving 4,000 hectares of habitat, enhancing 610 kilometres of river and planting 100 hectares of woodland.

The report also estimates the Natural Capital Value of the flood regulation service provided by Great Britain’s trees in flood risk catchment areas to be up to £25.1 billion. This represents their value over the course of a century and provides a useful means of comparison to other natural assets.

Today’s announcement follows another recent Forest Research report which calculated the economic value of individual trees planted outside of forests and woodlands to be up to £3.8 billion. Announced as part of National Tree Week, the valuation is based on the important role that these trees play in sequestering and storing carbon, regulating temperatures, strengthening flood resilience and reducing noise and air pollution.

The study was led by Forest Research and jointly funded by the Forestry Commission, Scottish Forestry and the Welsh Government.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 10 January 2023.

The UK Chief Veterinary Officer has today confirmed that the five cases of vesicular disease in pigs identified in farms in England between June and September 2022 were Seneca Valley Virus (SVV).

The confirmation comes following an extensive investigation by the Animal Plant Health Agency (APHA).

Seneca Valley Virus only affects pigs for a short period with infected pigs making a full recovery. There is no risk to human health.

SVV is not a notifiable or reportable disease in the UK nor a listed disease by the World Organisation of Animal Health (WOAH). However, the clinical signs however do resemble notifiable vesicular diseases, in particular Foot-and-Mouth Disease. Defra is therefore calling on pig producers and vets to continue to promptly report any clinical signs of vesicular disease in pigs so that APHA can carry out an official investigation.

High biosecurity standards should always be maintained. For pig keepers this means:

– Regular reviews of their biosecurity measures and address any weaknesses, minimising movements of vehicles, people or equipment onto pig units

– Controlling rodents, flies and as far as possible, wild birds

– Isolating incoming pigs away from the resident herd for at least one month

– Sourcing pig food or ingredients from reputable pig feed companies and never feeding kitchen or catering waste or meat to pigs

– Following the National Pig Association import protocol if importing live pigs

– To minimise the risk of disease introduction and keepers should inspect their pigs at least once a day, staying vigilant for lameness and vesicular (blister) foot or snout/mouth lesions. The advice applies to all pig keepers, no matter how many pigs they own.

Pig keepers and the public are also reminded that it is illegal to feed pigs meat or meat products, and kitchen or catering waste. Doing so endangers the health of the pigs and risks introducing exotic diseases, such as foot-and-mouth disease or African swine fever, into the country.