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Tag: Press Release

  • PRESS RELEASE : Martyn Henderson OBE appointed interim COO for independent regulator for men’s elite football [December 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Martyn Henderson OBE appointed interim COO for independent regulator for men’s elite football [December 2023]

    The press release issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 13 December 2023.

    Martyn Henderson OBE has been appointed as the interim Chief Operating Officer to lead the preparatory work to set up the new independent regulator for men’s elite football.

    Henderson is currently the Chief Executive of the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA). He has been in the role for five years.

    During his tenure Henderson has worked with fans, campaign groups and the industry to introduce licensed ‘safe’ standing in top flight football grounds in England and Wales for the first time in nearly 30 years.

    He supported the live events sector during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the leader of the Government’s Events Research Programme, which oversaw the safe return of live events, for which he was awarded an OBE. He also guided the SGSA through an independent review, which found that the SGSA “is seen nationally and internationally as a centre of excellence on sports ground safety, that punches well above its weight”.

    Henderson is the first appointment to establish the new independent regulator for men’s elite football, which will be tasked with improving the way clubs are financially and operationally run.

    He will take up the new role in early 2024. Further appointments will be announced in due course.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Applications open for new £4 million fund to support smaller abattoirs [December 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Applications open for new £4 million fund to support smaller abattoirs [December 2023]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Farming Minister Mark Spencer said:

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

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

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

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

    John Mettrick, Chair of the Abattoir Sector Group said:

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

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

    Susan Jebb, Chair of the Food Standards Agency said:

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

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

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

    ENDS

    Notes to Editor:

    Eligibility Criteria:

    • When applying for the fund, applicants will need to clearly demonstrate how the item or project they would like to be funded fits in to one or more of the Fund’s outlined aims to: Improve productivity; Enhance animal health and welfare; Add value to primary products; And encourage innovation and investment in new technologies.
    • If successful in the application, Defra will make up 40% of the cost of the item an abattoir applied for.
    • The Fund will be a criteria based scheme. Provided applicants meet the scheme criteria, they will be eligible for support. The detailed eligibility criteria will be provided to applicants when the Fund opens.
    • The application window will be open for 9 months (until 30 September 2024 or until all the money has been allocated to successful applications).
    • Eligible applicants may submit up to three applications, with a total cap of £60,000 per abattoir business across all applications. The minimum grant that can be applied for is £2,000. Detailed information on capital investments by category, aligned with the fund’s goals, will be provided within the application materials.
    • The SAF will be accessible to FSA-approved mobile and static red meat and poultry abattoirs in England only. Applicant abattoirs, not the businesses that own them, must be physically situated in England, or in the case of mobile abattoirs, operate only in England. This covers both producer and privately owned abattoirs.
    • The SAF will be open to red meat abattoirs processing up to and including 10,000 farmed livestock units (LSU) per annum (i.e., bovines, sheep, goats, pigs, farmed venison), and poultry abattoirs slaughtering up to and including 500,000 birds per annum (i.e., chickens, turkeys, geese, ducks, capons, hens). Throughput will be calculated using FSA quality assured throughput data for the 2022 calendar year.
    • Each individual business will count as a single applicant rather than the individual abattoirs themselves, and each business will only be eligible to apply for the maximum grant (£60k), regardless of the number of smaller abattoirs they may own. Businesses already in receipt of other public funds may also be restricted in the amount of funding they can apply for, in line with the UK’s Subsidy Control Act.
    • An application must not relate to items or a project in an abattoir for which the investment is to be installed or used is subject to ongoing enforcement action or a related prosecution with conviction in the previous 12-month period. In these cases, such items will be deemed ineligible for funding.
  • PRESS RELEASE : Boost for electric vehicle drivers as 50,000 public chargepoints installed across the UK [December 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Boost for electric vehicle drivers as 50,000 public chargepoints installed across the UK [December 2023]

    The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 13 December 2023.

    The UK leads the transition to net zero and is on target to install 300,000 public electric vehicle chargepoints by 2030.

    • key milestone passed as new stats show there are now more than 50,000 public electric vehicle chargepoints
    • boost in charging infrastructure will help the country’s transition to electric vehicles
    • moment comes as world-leading zero emission vehicle mandate set to come into effect next year

    The UK has taken another step on the road to zero emission driving as new statistics out today (13 December 2023) show over 50,000 public chargepoints have been installed across the country, making it easier and quicker for electric vehicle owners to recharge their cars.

    Charging options for drivers continue to grow at pace with today’s stats, produced using data supplied to the department by Zapmap, also showing there are 44% more public chargepoints (52,602) than this time last year.

    Today’s figures come as the UK’s world-leading path to reaching zero emission vehicles by 2035 is set to come into effect next year. The zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate requires 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans sold in Great Britain to be zero emission by 2030.

    The mandate ensures the country will have the most ambitious regulatory framework for the switch to electric vehicles (EVs) in the world and the 2035 end-of-sale date puts the UK in line with other major global economies, including France, Germany, Sweden and Canada.

    This mandate is providing the certainty needed to safeguard skilled British jobs in the car industry and is allowing the private sector to scale up investment in charging infrastructure, helping more drivers make the switch and ensuring the country remains on track to reaching 300,000 public chargepoints by 2030.

    Technology and Decarbonisation Minister, Anthony Browne, said:

    Passing 50,000 public chargepoints is a key milestone in our journey to zero emission driving and shows the incredible progress we’ve made to provide the infrastructure for drivers to go electric.

    With government and private sector investment, we are backing drivers by expanding our charging network – creating jobs and putting us well on the way to our target of 300,000 public chargepoints by 2030.

    The UK continues to be a leader in the transition to net zero, with EVs making up 16% of the car market – one of the highest shares in Europe and higher than the EU average of 13%.

    Our approach has already attracted record investment in gigafactories and EV manufacturing, including:

    • Nissan’s recent investment of over £3 billion to develop 2 new electric vehicles at their Sunderland plant
    • Tata’s investment of over £4 billion in a new 40 GWh gigafactory
    • BMW’s investment of £600 million to build next-generation MINI EVs in Oxford
    • Ford’s investment of £380 million in Halewood to make Electric Drive Units
    • Stellantis’ £100 million investment in Ellesmere Port for EV van production

    As part of our Plan for drivers, we intend to consult on ways to make installations cheaper and quicker for chargepoint operators, review the grid connections process for chargepoints, and also consult on the expansion of permitted development rights to make installations easier. Additionally, the government’s Connections action plan will overhaul the way projects access the electricity grid and reduce delay time, positively impacting all types of connection customers including EV chargepoint operators.

    The government also continues to support the rollout of charging infrastructure in local areas. Applications for the first round of the £381 million Local EV infrastructure fund are currently being assessed. This funding will deliver tens of thousands more chargepoints and transform the availability of charging for drivers without off-street parking.

    In addition, the On-street residential chargepoint scheme (ORCS) is open to all UK local authorities. Grants are also available to help businesses make the transition through the government’s Workplace charging scheme (WCS), as well as people in flats and rented accommodation through the Electric vehicle chargepoint grant.

    Additionally, new laws recently came into force to provide EV drivers with easier and more reliable public charging, mandating that prices across chargepoints are transparent, easy to compare and that a large proportion of new public chargepoints have contactless payment options.

    The regulations also require that providers open up their data, so drivers can easily find an available chargepoint that meets their needs. This will make it easier for drivers to locate chargepoints, check their charging speeds and determine whether they are working and available for use.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Doug Chalmers appointed as chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life [December 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Doug Chalmers appointed as chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life [December 2023]

    The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 13 December 2023.

    Doug Chalmers has been appointed as chair of the independent Committee on Standards in Public Life.

    Lieutenant General (Retired) Doug Chalmers CB DSO OBE has been appointed as Chair of the independent Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL) following pre-appointment scrutiny by the House of Commons’ Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee.

    He takes over from Lord (Jonathan) Evans who completed a five-year term.

    Doug began his career in the British Army in 1984 as a Private Soldier. He served in the Army for 37 years.  Over that time, he was stationed in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Germany, Cyprus and the United States, deploying frequently on operations. His final appointment was as the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Military Strategy and Operations), an office he held from 2018 to 2021. He is currently the Master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge and sits on the management board for the University’s Centre for Geopolitics. He is also the Colonel Commandant of the British Army’s Queen’s Division.

    Doug Chalmers said:

    “I am honoured to be appointed as the new Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public life. Over its nearly 29 years the Committee has an established a strong reputation for providing considered and well researched advice to the Prime Minister on how the standards landscape across public life might evolve. That advice has helped establish many of the standards bodies we see today.

    “My time in uniformed service taught me the importance of standards in ensuring sound judgement, behaviour and the building of both trust and confidence. Those years also demonstrated to me that maintaining standards requires active leadership. They also highlighted to me that and that what we mean by standards needs to be constantly discussed and the mechanisms that support them regularly reviewed.

    “My current role at Emmanuel College has given me a wider understanding of excellent academic research available in this area. It has provided me with a feel for the perceptions of the next generation about what standards in public life mean to them.

    “I will do my best to sustain the quality of the Committee’s work promoting the Nolan Principles across all sectors of public life and look forward to working with the members as we consider the next area for review.”

    Doug Chalmers was appointed by the Prime Minister following an open competition under the Cabinet Office Governance Code for Public Appointments. His appointment is for a five-year, non-renewable term and he will take up the role from 12 December.

    Notes to Editors

    1. Interview requests and media enquiries about the work of the Committee should go to Maggie O’Boyle on 07880 740627.
    2. The independent Committee on Standards in Public Life was established by John Major in 1994 to advise the Prime Minister on ethical standards of public life. It advises the Prime Minister on arrangements for upholding ethical standards of conduct across public life in England and promotes the Seven Principles of Public Life, also known as the Nolan principles. The Committee does not investigate individual allegations of misconduct.
    3. The current members of the Committee are: Lieutenant General (Retired) Doug Chalmers CB DSO OBE (Chair) Rt Hon Lady Mary Arden DBE, Rt Hon Dame Margaret Beckett DBE MP (Labour), Rt Hon Ian Blackford MP (SNP) Ewen Fergusson, Baroness Simone Finn (Conservative) and Professor Gillian Peele. The Cabinet Office is completing an open competition to fill the vacancy for an independent member on the Committee.
  • PRESS RELEASE : New strategy to tackle organised crime [December 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : New strategy to tackle organised crime [December 2023]

    The press release issued by the Home Office on 13 December 2023.

    A new strategy has been launched to tackle the domestic and international threat of serious and organised crime.

    A new strategy aimed at tackling the growing threat of serious and organised crime has been announced by the Home Secretary as the government steps up action to clamp down on criminal gangs operating in and against the UK.

    The National Crime Agency (NCA) estimate that there are at least 59,000 people in the UK involved in serious and organised crime and that it costs the UK at least £47 billion each year, equating to the cost of building around 450 new hospitals or supplying around 730,000 more affordable homes outside of London.

    The new strategy, which builds on the work already underway by government and law enforcement, sets out further action to eradicate complex criminal networks, including through the NCA, which received record investment in 2023/24. It also empowers local forces to tackle these illicit crimes in their communities and sets out work overseas to prevent exploitation, such as modern slavery and human trafficking.

    Home Secretary James Cleverly said:

    Serious and organised crime threatens our national security and prosperity, degrades society and causes serious harm to individuals and businesses up and down the country.

    Through investment in innovative and cutting-edge policing capabilities and tactics, collaboration with international partners, as well as creating new criminal offences, we will disrupt and dismantle organised crime groups and those who enable them.

    Through the strategy, the government will strengthen local communities’ resilience to serious and organised crime, ensuring once a gang has been dismantled, the area does not become the target for another group to take its place.

    By rolling out the ‘Clear, Hold, Build’ policing tactic to every police force in England and Wales by next spring, police and local partners will be empowered to ‘clear’ their communities of these gangs, prevent criminals from exploiting the vacuum created by the initial disruption in the ‘hold’ phase, and tackle the local drivers of crime. This will stop further serious and organised crime becoming re-established in the future,  ‘building’ a safer community for the next generation.

    This approach is already in operation in 18 forces across 31 sites to date. In Easington Lane, on the outskirts of Sunderland, there has been a 45% reduction in anti-social behaviour since January 2022 and in Barnet, the Metropolitan Police Service arrested 160 individuals for 272 offences, including murder, aggravated burglary and kidnap, in the first 2 months of the programme.

    The government is also bringing in new powers in the Criminal Justice Bill to ensure the police have the tools they need to disrupt serious and organised crime. This includes prohibiting articles used by criminal gangs, such as templates for 3D printed firearm components, pill presses and vehicle concealments, as well as banning electronic devices such as signal jammers used in vehicle theft.

    The bill will also strengthen Serious Crime Prevention Orders, making it easier for police and other law enforcement agencies to place restrictions on offenders or suspected offenders and stop them from participating in further crime.

    The government will also back UK police with a further £5 million to help them step up their response to organised immigration crime, including work by the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s (NPCC) Modern Slavery and Organised Immigration Crime Unit.

    Noting the international nature of many criminal networks, the strategy highlights the vital work of the new Joint International Crime Centre. Launched in April 2023, this combines resources in the NCA and NPCC to respond to the growing threat from criminality that crosses international borders and impacts the UK. This involves coordinating and supporting the UK’s international law enforcement response, and hosting the UK’s National Extradition Unit, the UK’s Europol National Unit, and the INTERPOL National Central Bureau.

    Today’s strategy also sets out how the government will build on these efforts to tackle exploitation overseas, including modern slavery and human trafficking, with a further £24 million allocated to the Modern Slavery Fund. Since 2016, this has supported thousands of potential victims, as well as protected survivors from further harm.

    The funding will support programmes aimed at preventing exploitation, and protecting victims of modern slavery in Albania, Vietnam and Romania. This includes a project in Vietnam that provides training and employment opportunities to individuals in country who have previously been victims of modern slavery in the UK, or those vulnerable to exploitation by people traffickers.

    It will also support the Modern Slavery Innovation Fund, which is building the evidence base of what works to reduce vulnerability to exploitation and prevent forced labour in UK supply chains. This funding goes directly to non-governmental organisations in more than 12 countries.

    As part of wider efforts to tackle illegal immigration to the UK, which has seen small boat arrivals decrease by more than a third this year, the government has also doubled its funding for Project INVIGOR to £74.1 million for this year and next. This aims to target smugglers’ business model and relentlessly pursue people who facilitate organised immigration crime.

    The strategy also sets out the government’s efforts to tackle economic crime. Through the Fraud Strategy, the government is working with industry, intelligence agencies, and law enforcement to crack down on increased prevalence of fraud as organised crime groups exploit new and emerging technologies to target the public. The Home Secretary has also authorised for the Director General of the NCA to be given the power to direct the Serious Fraud Office, in relation to matters of serious and complex fraud, bribery and corruption.

    The government has made notable progress on the Fraud Strategy commitments to tackle online scams by signing a world-first online fraud charter with 12 of the biggest tech companies to clamp down on online scams and fake advertisements affecting their users. Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Google and others committed to bringing in a raft of measures to help protect people from fraudulent and scam content when using their sites.

    Furthermore, the government is creating new laws through the Criminal Justice Bill that prohibit the possession and supply of SIM farms with no good reason and provide law enforcement with a new power to suspend domain names and IP addresses used for criminal activity including fraudulent purposes. The government will also be launching an anti-fraud communications campaign in the new year to raise public awareness on how to spot and avoid fraud.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Exports Minister fuels energy exports in trade mission to Chile [December 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Exports Minister fuels energy exports in trade mission to Chile [December 2023]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 12 December 2023.

    British Exports Minister, Lord Offord, is leading renewable energy companies to meet Chilean government and business officials.

    British Exports Minister Lord Offord has landed in Santiago, Chile today, where he is leading a trade mission of British hydrogen and renewable energy companies to match them with business opportunities in the country.

    The businesses will be introduced to key Chilean developers and prospective customers at a showcase event hosted in Santiago. The Minister will also be meeting with Chilean developers to better understand their needs and promote how British companies can meet these.

    Lord Offord will meet with Chilean Minister for Energy Diego Pardow, and Minister for Economy Nicolás Grau, to discuss how Chile and the UK can work together to boost trade and support the transition to renewable energy sources.

    Minister for Exports Malcolm Offord said:

    With Chile’s ambition to boost its renewable energy infrastructure, and the UK’s expertise and capabilities in this field, there is a clear opportunity for both our countries to benefit and prosper.

    Chile is one of our most important trading partners in Latin America and with our upcoming accession to CPTPP I want to see trade between us boosted even further.

    The trade agreement with Chile was particularly important to the UK, being the first one signed in 2019. With the UK joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) of which Chile is a member, this trading relationship will continue to grow with businesses in both countries being able to choose the most beneficial agreement to trade under.

    Total trade in goods and services between the UK and Chile in the last year grew by over 13%, reaching £1.9bn. The UK government aims to continue to grow this trading partnership, particularly by supporting Chile to harness its potential in renewables, including low carbon hydrogen, with the world leading expertise from UK companies.

    CPTPP will cut tariffs for goods exporters and provide new opportunities and improved access for services industries, enhancing the bilateral relationship in key sectors such as energy and infrastructure services.

    Chile is a key player in the global race to decarbonise, holding huge reserves of copper and lithium, as well as leading the region in renewable energy development. That’s why so many UK companies are eager to do business in the energy and infrastructure sectors.

    Patricio Maguire, Director of Turner and Townsend Chile said:

    Chile and UK share a long history of cooperation. Green hydrogen and carbon capture industries are another examples of new areas of integration. While Chile has a vast stock of clean energy resources and a mature industrial environment, UK is a leading actor in the decarbonisation industry and, in particular, offers top notch technologies in electrolysis for H2 production.

    As the local branch of a global UK-based consultancy firm, we, at Turner & Townsend are proud to be part of the energy transition industry and look forward to continue to provide our expertise and global footprint at the service of their actors.

    Tom Wills, Development Director at Voar Energy said:

    We are delighted to be participating in this UK trade mission at such an important moment in Chile’s energy transition.

    Chile is set to be a world leader in green hydrogen and at Voar we’re keen to develop relationships with others active in that area, with a particular focus on Power-to-X projects in remote locations and green bunkering / fuel systems for ships.

    Agustin Lopez Munell, CEO of Desitec who are moving their HQ from Argentina to the UK said:

    We are honoured to join the Renewable Energy Trade Mission to Chile. This mission perfectly aligns with our goals to expand our innovative sensor technology into new markets as we transition our headquarters from Argentina to UK, specifically London or Edinburgh. Our goal is to continue educating ourselves about hydrogen and to seek partners with whom we can collaborate on our developments.

    Notes to editors

    The full list of companies joining the trade mission and the regions they are based in are:

    • Turner & Townsend – Yorkshire and Humber
    • 17 Energy – London
    • Carbon Trust – London
    • Desitec – moving their HQ from Argentina to London
    • Hive Energy – South East
    • ITM Power – Yorkshire and Humber
    • UKSOL – South East
    • Wood – South East
    • Voar Energy – Scotland
    • JCB – West Midlands
    • Ricardo – South East
  • PRESS RELEASE : Thousands of illegal wildlife products seized by Border Force [December 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Thousands of illegal wildlife products seized by Border Force [December 2023]

    The press release issued by the Home Office on 12 December 2023.

    Thousands of products containing endangered plant and animal species have been seized by Border Force as part of an intensive international operation to target the criminal networks behind wildlife crime.

    During October – as part of the month long Operation Thunder – Border Force officers made 145 seizures containing thousands of wildlife products which are banned by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora (CITES).

    Seizures included clothes and accessories made from snakeskin and turtle shell, ivory products, as well as consumer health products containing cactus and orchid, crocodile blood and caviar.

    The team also found 53 live birds across three different seizures. Border Force look to rehome any live animals found where possible.

    Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery Tom Pursglove MP said:

    The illegal wildlife trade is driven by criminal gangs and threatens species with extinction, fuels corruption, and deprives the world’s poorest communities of sustainable livelihoods.

    Border Force plays a leading global role in eradicating this damaging illegal trade and our recent successes under Operation Thunder are proof of this.

    Dr Mark Jones, Head of Policy for Born Free, said:

    Wildlife trafficking is serious, organised, transnational, and increasing. It is also closely tied to other forms of serious crime, such as corruption, fraud and money laundering. All too often, criminal gangs view wildlife trafficking as a low-risk high-return activity.

    The work of Border Force in interrupting the trafficking of wildlife products across the UK’s borders is critical to the UK’s efforts to tackle this scourge.

    With so much of the world’s wildlife in crisis, it’s vital that our enforcement agencies are properly resourced to enable this essential and highly specialised work to continue.

    Wildlife crime is estimated to be worth up to £17 billion globally per year, and is the fourth largest international crime according to Interpol, behind only arms, drugs and human trafficking.

    Operation Thunder is a global effort to target the illegal wildlife trade and is co-led by Interpol and the World Customs Organisation. This year saw over 133 countries participating alongside the UK, the highest global participation since the campaign launched in 2017.

    Internationally, there were 2,114 seizures and some 500 arrests. Among the seizures were more than 300kg of ivory, thousands of turtle eggs, 30 tonnes of plants, dozens of big cat body parts and rhino horns, as well as primates, birds and marine species.

    The UK is a global leader in supporting efforts to halt the decline in nature, protect wildlife and restore the natural world. Government work will help to deliver on the ambitious new global deal for nature agreed at the UN Nature Summit COP15 in December 2023, which will protect 30% of our land and ocean by 2030.

    Through the government’s Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, we have committed over £51 million to 157 projects to directly combat the illegal wildlife trade.

    Operation Thunder 2023 ran from 2 to 27 October, leading to the seizures in the UK of:

    • 53 live CITES listed birds
    • 5.5kgs of ivory
    • 434 live plants
    • over 1,000 health supplements containing illegal plant and animal products
    • 1 ceremonial headdress made with big cat fur
    • vulture and falcon eggs and a lesser flamingo feather bracelet
    • 5 seizures of  controlled wood products
    • 26 reptile skin products including crocodile and python

    Non-CITES UK seizures included:

    • 285kgs of cannabis from Thailand
    • 329,000 cigarettes
    • 197kgs of tobacco
    • 102kgs of prohibited products of animal origin

    Border Force is responsible for frontline detection and seizure of items covered by the CITES convention, which tackles the illegal trade in endangered animals and plants. The Heathrow-based Border Force CITES team are specialist officers who are recognised as world leaders in their field.

    Anyone with information about activity they suspect may be linked to smuggling and trafficking of any kind can report it online at gov.uk: Report smuggling – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

  • PRESS RELEASE : The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals has an important role in delivering justice – UK statement at the UN Security Council [December 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals has an important role in delivering justice – UK statement at the UN Security Council [December 2023]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 12 December 2023.

    Statement by UK Legal Adviser Chanaka Wickremasinghe at the UN Security Council meeting on the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals.

    Thank you Mr President.

    I’d like to start by thanking President Gatti Santana and Prosecutor Brammertz for their briefings today and for the latest Report of the Mechanism.

    I’d also like to take the opportunity to pay tribute to the Ambassador of Gabon and his team for their leadership of the Council’s informal working group on tribunals.

    Mr President, today I want to make three points.

    First, the Mechanism’s work has continued effectively and efficiently over the past six months. Most recently, this has included the confirmation of the death of the fugitive, Mr. Aloys Ndimbati. We commend the Office of the Prosecutor for its work and echo the report’s call for continued cooperation between all states to secure the arrests of the remaining two Rwandan fugitives as soon as possible.

    My second point is that the Mechanism’s work remains critical. In the Western Balkans, we’ve seen heightened ethno-national tensions, and concerning use of hate speech by some political figures. Such language entrenches division and holds back countries from providing safe, inclusive, and prosperous environments for their citizens.

    The Court has played an essential role in delivering justice for all, which has in turn, has promoted peace and reconciliation. We therefore welcome progress in the mechanism’s discussions with the government of Croatia on the establishment in Zagreb of an information center on the ICTY. Such centers can promote knowledge and understanding of history which is important in challenging the denial of atrocity crimes.

    Further, the mechanism’s ongoing work with the government of Rwanda remains essential as Rwanda looks to commemorate 30 years since the genocide against the Tutsi in April next year. Given the Mechanism’s critical role, the UK is proud to demonstrate its support through enforcing sentences and in doing so it takes seriously its duty of care to detainees under the supervision of the Mechanism.

    My third point is there remain several abstanding issues which impact the Mechanism’s ability to deliver its mandate and which must be addressed. In particular, we are disappointed by reports of some states blocking cooperation in the Western Balkans. We call on Serbia to fulfill its obligation to arrest and transfer Petar Jojić and Vjerica Radeta to the Mechanism following years of requests.

    The UK is also concerned by the situation of the Rwandan individuals relocated to Niger who have been rendered stateless since 2022 and remain under house arrest. We would welcome further updates on efforts to find a durable solution regarding these individuals.

    Mr President, to conclude, the Mechanism has much important and sensitive work to do, ensuring sentences are properly enforced, its legacy is preserved, and national prosecutions are supported. We see that the Mechanism is well placed to deliver on these ongoing functions, and that it is taking seriously the need to do so in a streamlined way. We look forward to reviewing the Mechanism’s mandate over the coming months.

    Thank you.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Independent review provides recommendations for the management of protected sites on Dartmoor [December 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Independent review provides recommendations for the management of protected sites on Dartmoor [December 2023]

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

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

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

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

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

    Key recommendations include:

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

    Farming Minister Mark Spencer said:

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

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

    David Fursdon, Chair of the Review, said:

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

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

    Marian Spain, Chief Executive of Natural England said:

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

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

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

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

    Further information

  • PRESS RELEASE : Sovereign Base Areas Specialised Committee meeting [December 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Sovereign Base Areas Specialised Committee meeting [December 2023]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 12 December 2023.

    The fifth meeting of the Specialised Committee, co-chaired by the European Commission and the UK government, discussed issues relating to the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus.

    Joint statement by UK government and European Commission:

    The fifth meeting of the Specialised Committee on issues related to the implementation of the Protocol relating to the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus was held on 12 December 2023, co-chaired by officials from the European Commission and the UK Government.

    The Committee was established by the Withdrawal Agreement to facilitate the implementation and application of the Protocol.

    The EU and the UK reviewed the operational phase of the implementation of the Protocol since its last meeting in July 2022.

    Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to the smooth implementation of the Protocol and confirmed the need to finalise technical discussions with the objective of reaching a common understanding on the correct implementation of the Protocol in the area of fisheries (Article 6 of the Protocol) and taxation (Article 3 of the Protocol).

    The co-chairs confirmed that the technical discussions should include legal experts from both sides and be completed promptly.  The Specialised Committee will revert to this issue immediately afterwards.