Tag: Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

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

Over £14 million will be available which allow both local authorities and community groups to access funds for new tree-planting projects.

Hundreds of thousands of trees will be planted in communities across England after two major funding schemes reopened for applications today.

Over £14m will be allocated to successful applicants across both funds, which will support tree planting efforts and contribute to Government commitments to treble tree-planting rates across England by the end of this Parliament, planting 30,000 hectares of trees across the UK per year to meet net zero ambitions.

Round 3 of the Local Authority Treescapes Fund (LATF) will see local authorities drive an increase in non-woodland tree planting across our landscapes. Community engagement is encouraged, and local authorities can bring together residents, schools and environmental groups to restore trees in areas outside woodlands, where treescapes are often highly degraded due to neglect or disease. They are particularly valuable trees to society as they can provide the greatest levels of ecosystem services, including wellbeing benefits, and connectivity to support biodiversity.

Round 5 of the Urban Tree Challenge Fund (UTCF) levels up access to nature across the country, planting trees in socially deprived urban areas with low canopy cover, in proximity to healthcare and educational facilities. Trees make our towns and cities healthier and more pleasant places to be, helping to moderate temperatures, reduce pollution, decrease flood risk and improve people’s quality of life. The UTCF supports planting of large ‘standard’ trees and street trees – making an immediate impact to communities and ensuring other organisations who provide planting for smaller trees can continue to do so.

Forestry Minister Trudy Harrison said:

Trees improve people’s quality of lives and are vital to our ambition to reach net zero by 2050. This funding will continue to level up people’s access to nature, which we committed to doing in our recently published Environmental Improvement Plan. We want to see inspiring projects that plant more trees across England.

Forestry Commission Chief Executive Richard Stanford said:

The Urban Tree Challenge Fund and Local Authorities Treescapes Fund will help to promote resilient treescapes in England, support tree planting efforts and improve the urban environment for future generations.

It will see thousands of trees planted in socially deprived urban areas with limited numbers of trees.  Research is clear that streets with trees in them leads to better wellbeing and health outcomes for residents as well as providing important biodiversity in our towns and cities.  The same applies to green spaces in or close to towns and cities and we need more people to have access to quality woodlands and green spaces.

For both funds, there are important developments for the new rounds to help increase applications. These include:

• This round of LATF welcomes individual applications from borough, district and city councils, as well as county councils, unitary and metropolitan boroughs. Previously, these local authorities needed to form groups with each other or county councils in order to apply. This change opens the fund up to many more local authorities.
• The UTCF will now provide 80% funding of standard costs for planting large trees and their establishment costs for three years following planting, compared with funding 50% of standard costs in previous rounds. UTCF will now only require 20% match-funding by the recipient in either money or labour.
• Both funds are now open year-round, responding to feedback on the challenges of meeting application windows previously. The Forestry Commission still strongly encourage applications during the spring/early summer so successful applicants can start their planting later this year, and funding will be allocated to successful applicants on a first-come-first-served basis.

There are several key differences between the Local Authority Treescapes Fund and the Urban Tree Challenge Fund. These include:

• The Urban Tree Challenge Fund specifically funds projects planting new, large ‘standard’ trees, whilst Local Authority Treescapes Fund projects can plant trees of any size – although ‘standard’ trees in urban areas can only be planted where they are replacing trees that have been lost, for example due to disease.
• Whilst both funds support tree planting in urban areas, the Local Authority Treescapes Fund also supports the planting of trees outside of woodlands in rural areas.
• All projects supported through the Local Authority Treescapes Fund must be led by a local authority. The Urban Tree Challenge Fund is also open to projects led by charities, community groups and other organisations.

This announcement follows a new commitment announced as part of the Government’s Environment Improvement Plan, which will see the public benefit from access green space or water within a 15-minute walk from their home, such as woodlands, wetlands, parks and rivers.

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

Innovative pilot provides grants, guidance and advice to reduce the impacts of tree pests and diseases and build the resilience of England’s trees, woodlands and forests.

The Tree Health Pilot is today (Tuesday 7 February) being updated to improve the support available to farmers and land managers dealing with tree pest and disease issues.

The innovative Pilot, running between 2021 and 2024, provides land managers with grants, guidance and advice to reduce the impacts of tree pests and diseases and build the resilience of England’s trees, woodlands and forests ahead of the roll-out of a future nationwide Tree Health Scheme. The Pilot is currently available in London, the South East, the North West and the West Midlands.

Following a successful first year, in which more than 80 expressions of interest were received, Defra has worked with the Forestry Commission to evaluate user feedback and make several key changes to the scheme. These include simplifying the payments process, introducing higher payment rates, implementing a new advice package, and improving guidance.

In line with changes being made across the Countryside Stewardship and the England Woodland Creation Offer schemes, payment rates for standard capital cost items – which are one-off projects such as installing deer fencing and tree shelters – are increasing. Maintenance rates, which help ensure newly planted trees are growing healthily, will increase from £300 to £350 per hectare per year for trees planted in woodland. And to help cover coordination costs for group applications, the fee paid to the group facilitator will rise to £24 per hour.

Today’s announcement follows the publication of the government’s Environmental Improvement Plan, which committed to the publication of a revised Tree Health Resilience Strategy to improve the baseline diversity, health and condition of our trees, woods and forests, and drive the long-term changes needed to adapt to climate change and disease pressures such as ash dieback.

Chief Plant Health Officer Nicola Spence said:

This Pilot supports land managers to deal quickly and effectively with tree health issues. By funding innovative methods to fell and restock diseased trees, for instance, using skylines or horse loggers to reach larch trees in remote areas, and encouraging group collaboration to deal more efficiently with roadside ash – it ensures a comprehensive and targeted approach to better protecting our trees.

We have been able to gather meaningful feedback for the design of our future Tree Health Scheme, with a greater focus on tailoring support to land managers where most needed and equipping them with practical tools to reduce and manage future threats in order to create more resilient treescapes.

Forestry Commission Chair, Sir William Worsley, said:

From lone trees to entire woodlands, a thriving treescape is not only fundamental to our health and wellbeing, but crucial for combatting climate change, improving biodiversity and growing local economies.

These improvements will ensure greater participation in the scheme, better knowledge of the issues around tree health, and swifter action to tackle pests and diseases – all helping to protect our trees now and for future generations.

The Tree Health Pilot covers five tree types, including ash affected by ash dieback, oak trees infested with Oak Processionary Moth, and sweet chestnut infected by sweet chestnut blight. Plants and trees deliver around £15.7 billion each year in social, environmental and economic benefits across England so reducing pest and disease risks is crucial in protecting these vital national assets and the environmental benefits they provide.

The Tree Health Pilot is part of a focus on protecting and enhancing the environment alongside producing food sustainably and will inform our future Tree Health Scheme being rolled out through our landmark Environmental Land Management schemes.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 6 February 2023.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 6 February 2023.

Reforms to crack down on dangerous waste cowboys and illegal practices.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 1 February 2023.

Free–range egg marketing derogation comes to an end following Avian Influenza housing order introduced in October.

Egg labelling changes have been introduced for poultry that have had to be housed due to avian influenza.

From today (Wednesday 1 February), eggs originating from free range flocks in the east of England (Norfolk, Suffolk and parts of Essex) will need to be labelled as barn eggs. The concession will apply to the rest of England from the 27th February. This in line with Egg Marketing Standards Regulations. The commencement date marks the end of the 16-week grace period given after the introduction of a regional (12 October 2022) and subsequent national mandatory housing order (7 November 2022).

In recognition of current elevated input costs facing the industry along with the impacts of AI, Defra will allow the same packaging concessions that were granted last year. This means where other options are not feasible, such as over-stickering or marketing eggs in “barn reared” egg boxes, industry will be allowed the use of direct print to pack or an affixed label on free-range boxes to communicate to consumers that the eggs have come from hens that are now barn reared.

Over the last two years, the United Kingdom has faced its largest ever outbreak of avian influenza with over 300 cases confirmed since late October 2021 of which over 270 have been in England.

The enhanced biosecurity measures including housing mandated by the Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) currently in force in England have been vital in protecting flocks across the country from avian influenza.

Housing combined with stringent biosecurity measures provide greater risk reduction and together these measures have been key in driving the avian influenza case rate down in the face of unprecedented wild bird infections.

The labelling will remain in place until the housing order is lifted.

Farming Minister Mark Spencer said:

Farmers and poultry producers are facing real pressures as a result of this avian influenza outbreak. We hope the labelling concessions announced today will help ease the burden industry is facing.

We are very mindful of the need to maintain consumer confidence in the free-range brand long-term and appreciate the continued cooperation from the sector as we battle this insidious disease.

As required by the legislation, an indication of the farming method must continue to appear on the outer surface of packs containing the eggs in easily visible and clearly legible type.  Eggs must also be stamped with the appropriate code to show that the farming method has changed from ‘free-range’ or 1UK to ‘barn’ production or 2UK. Eggs should not be stamped with two codes.

Industry must put in place one of the requirements for marketing eggs laid on or after the expiry of the 16-week derogation below. These are, in order of preference:

• Eggs are to be sold in “barn egg” boxes in order to clearly display the farming method of the eggs.
• Over-stickering “free-range” boxes by placing a sticker over the “free-range” text in order to obscure or interrupt it leaving the correct farming method (“Barn Eggs”) easily visible and clearly legible to the consumer. The over-lay sticker must be of suitable material to be affixed to allow for good adhesion and to prevent any labels dislodging before sale to the final consumer.
• The use of direct print to pack or an affixed label on free-range boxes where the words “Barn Eggs” are included in the ‘Best Before’ section for domestic sales. The words “Barn Eggs” should be easily visible and clearly legible.

Clear and transparent Point of Sale (POS) signage is also crucial to ensure consumers are not misled, and to avoid undermining consumer confidence in the free-range industry.

This announcement follows new government support for the poultry industry announced last October, allowing compensation to be paid to farmers from the outset of planned culling rather than at the end. This enables us to provide swifter payments to help stem any cash flow pressures and give earlier certainty about entitlement to compensation assisting farmers and producers with the impacts of bird flu.

All poultry and captive birds must be housed in England until further notice. Bird keepers are required to shut their birds indoors and implement strict biosecurity measures to help protect their flocks from the threat of avian influenza, regardless of whatever type or size. Introducing these steps on farm is the most effective way in reducing the risk of disease spreading. The disease could kill your birds if these actions aren’t taken.

These measures will remain in place until further notice and will be kept under regular review as part of the government’s work to monitor and manage the risks of avian influenza.

Public health advice is that viruses currently circulating in birds in the UK do not spread easily to people and food standards bodies advise that avian influenzas pose a very low food safety risk for UK consumers. Do not touch or pick up any dead or sick birds that you find and instead report them using the online reporting system or Defra helpline on 03459 33 55 77.

More information on the current bird flu outbreak can be found in our rolling news story.

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

Tony Juniper marks the launch of the Environment Improvement Plan.

Thank you SoS for inviting me to speak at what is a defining moment for Nature recovery in this country. As your speech emphasised so clearly, Nature is not a nice to have but vital for our survival, and which is why this Environmental Improvement Plan published today is so important, and so welcome.

We now all know that we are facing into a series of environmental challenges that are very serious, pressing and which are connected to one another. At the global level the heating of our planet and the depletion of Nature are twin evils which drive each other on and place our economies and societies in peril. Their effects are very much felt in England where, in Nature terms, we’ve become one of the poorest countries on Earth.

Countries are beginning to recognise that if we are to secure our future we need to tackle these huge challenges, and do it in an integrated and joined up manner. After the UK government helped to forge global common cause at COP 15, the new Environmental Improvement Plan is a very visible demonstration of this country’s commitment to taking the urgent practical steps needed to reach the targets agreed in Montreal, and indeed those set out domestically while that summit was in progress and as required by the 2021 Environment Act.

The result we have before us today is an ambitious and integrated plan, setting out a package that is broad and geared towards hitting targets. What is required now is a concerted effort across government and society to translate its intent into action.

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

The economic benefits arising from Nature recovery are increasingly well understood. Pollination by bees and other insects are worth annually nearly £700 million, sustaining a farming industry worth over £120 billion. In England’s peatlands some 580 million tonnes of carbon are locked away in the ground and out of the atmosphere, at the same time filtering high-quality water into rivers that is worth up to £888 million annually.

A high-quality natural environment attracts visitors and business opportunities. The Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site has brought millions of pounds into the local economy and supports up to 2000 jobs, while the England Coast Path generates spending of more than £18 per person per day and health savings of £62 per trip.

Nature recovery thus makes sense at many levels and must begin with halting its long-term decline by 2030. This will not be simple and will take significant new partnerships and integration of effort across the “Four Fs” of farming, forestry, flooding and freshwater.

Each of these elements has its own distinct pressures and goals, but with a holistic approach they can create a real momentum towards meeting the environmental targets and the basis for doing that is in the plan being launched today.

Action to deliver this five-year plan is already well under way and Natural England is proud to be at the forefront of that. In recent years we have been repurposed and revitalised and we are making great strides in working with a wide range of partners to bring Nature recovery to life.

One example is the way we’ve sought to expand the role of National Nature Reserves, designating new sites and joining up neighbouring ones to enable Nature restoration at significant scale.

Over the last three years we have increased the total area of NNRs by 13,000 hectares – equivalent to almost 15% of the total area declared in the previous 67 years since their inception in 1952. We will continue with this programme of expanding NNR coverage through five new significant designations per year during the course of the EIP.

NNRs are among the battery packs of core protected areas that will power the Nature Recovery Network that we and our partners are creating across the country. Containing the finest examples of wildlife, habitat and geology they will also help to power wider Nature Recovery Projects that are now springing into life.

A great example of this is the Somerset Wetlands, where we declared a super NNR last year, which incorporated six existing NNRs within new lands where Nature recovery can take place and which is also at the heart of a new Nature Recovery Project that is ten times the size and which was announced a week later.

We already have six of these large scale Nature Recovery Projects in place and a further 19 are in the pipeline, many of them, like Purple Horizons in the West Midlands, taking Nature recovery into the heart of towns and cities, where many people lack the health and wellbeing benefits that come with connection to the natural world. This and other projects like it will help give effect to the EIP goal of ensuring that every person is no more than 15 mins walk from green space.

On this theme, today also sees Natural England launch a new Green Infrastructure Framework that gives local authority planners and developers the tools and advice they need to ensure that thriving Nature is firmly embedded in their plans for their communities, giving people more opportunity to enjoy the wonders of the natural world.

Today marks a significant new opportunity to change Nature’s fortunes for the better in this country. The EIP charts an ambitious path, and if we can build the partnerships needed to succeed we could during the years ahead begin to see the transformation that we know we must make, marking the moment when we turn from charting Nature’s decline and instead chart its recovery.

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.