National News Archive

EU veterinary experts today agreed in Brussels that the 10 year ban on the export of beef and cattle from the UK should be lifted. This means that exports should be able to resume by the end of April or early May.

A meeting of the EU Standing Committee for the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCOFCAH) unanimously approved a Commission proposal to allow the UK to export cattle born on or after 1 August 1996, and beef and beef products derived from cattle slaughtered after 15 June 2005 on the same basis as other Member States.

Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Margaret Beckett, said:

“This is excellent news for the British beef industry. This EU decision is a vindication of controls on BSE and our efforts to eradicate this disease.

“Britain's farmers produce high quality beef which will be in demand across Europe once the ban is lifted.

“We know that our beef is, at the very least, as safe as beef produced anywhere else in the EU.”

Exports of beef and cattle when they do resume will be subject to certain rules. Further information on the date when exports can resume and the procedures to be followed will be published shortly. Cattle born before August 1996 will remain permanently excluded from the domestic market and for export.

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8Mar06

Directors Appointed to Natural England

Dr Helen Phillips has been appointed as Natural England's first Chief Executive and will take up her duties full-time from 27 February. She believes the challenges that lie ahead both in terms of establishing Natural England and working to become the authoritative voice for England's natural environment are pressing, but will be ably supported in this endeavour by the directors team.

She announced that Andy Clements will move from his current role in English Nature to take up the role of Director of Science and Evidence, Adrian Belton has accepted the role of Director for Operational Delivery, and David Young has been appointed Director, Performance and Innovation.

The directors are there to work with the CEO and the Board to shape the future of Natural England and the natural environment. Dr Phillips is pleased the three appointees have such diverse backgrounds. They bring a range of skills, knowledge and experience, gained within both the private and public sectors.

Natural England intend to appoint five directors. They are still to appoint: Finance and Corporate Services, and External Relations.

National News Home Page

13Feb2006

A farm regulation and charging strategy

Defra has launched Partners for Success, their new Farm Regulation and Charging Strategy.

Partners for Success sets out ideas for simplifying rules and cutting red tape for farmers, notably through reduced form-filling. Examples include bringing separate environmental permitting systems together, and options to reduce farmers' workload on cattle movements. This is part of Defra's commitment to reduce administrative burdens on business by 25% by 2009. Wherever possible, Defra will consider using alternatives to regulation to achieve its objectives. Some new controls are inevitable, but they must be innovative, focus on results, and keep bureaucracy to a minimum.

The report and an Action Plan are available on:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/regulation-strategy/index.htm

National News Home Page

Jan 2006

Vision for CAP Reform Paper

This 'Vision for CAP Reform' paper was published just before Christmas, at the same time as the EU Budget talks were drawing to a close, however, much of the paper refers to policy discussions over the past year. It serves to set out the Government's view on the future of the industry and helps us to be aware of their thinking. View the Paper.

Bovine TB Measures

New measures to tackle bovine TB in cattle in England were announced by Defra today.

The measures announced today consist of:

A public consultation on the principle and method of a badger culling policy in areas of high TB incidence in cattle.

The introduction of a requirement for pre-movement testing to reduce the spread of bovine TB through movement of cattle. This requirement will apply to cattle over 15 months of age moving out of 1 and 2 year tested herds.

The introduction of a new compensation scheme to bring into line payments for bovine TB and three other cattle diseases. This follows the findings of a number of independent reports showing serious overpayments under the current bovine TB compensation system.

The Press Release is available on: www.defra.gov.uk/news/2005/051215a.htm

The consultation on controlling the spread of bovine tuberculosis in cattle in high incidence areas in England: badger culling is available on: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/badgers-tbcontrols/index.htm

Extension of SFFS Implementation Group to April 2006

Lord Bach, Minister of Farming and Food, has approved an extension to the SFFS IG to April 2006. The group was due to end in December 2006.

View the full Press Release of 11 November 2005

Sir Martin Doughty to Lead Natural England

Sir Martin Doughty has been appointed as Chair Designate of Natural England, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Margaret Beckett, announced today. Natural England is the new statutory body that will have responsibility for conserving, enhancing and managing the natural environment.

View the full Press Release of 7 November 2005

DEFRA GIVES £2 MILLION BOOST TO QUALITY REGIONAL FOOD AND DRINK SECTOR

Food and Farming Minister, Lord Bach announced on 6 October a £2million boost to support the quality regional food and drink sector.

Defra is providing a further £1million per year for two years from 2006/7 to Food from Britain, the non-departmental body responsible for promoting regional food and drink in England and overseas. This is on top of the £3million Defra has already provided over the last three years to support the sector through the Regional Food Strategy."

This additional funding will allow Food from Britain to continue to support the regional food and drink sector through a range of activities, focusing on trade developments, consumer awareness and
improving business competitiveness.

Lord Bach said: "The success of the Regional Food Strategy so far is a reflection of the hard work of all those involved and especially Food from Britain, the Regional Development Agencies and the regional food groups."

View the DEFRA press release from 6 October 2005

NEW RESEARCH PROGRAMME FOR NON-FOOD USES OF CROPS AND RENEWABLE MATERIALS

A new LINK programme, which will provide grant-aid for research into non-food uses of crops and renewable materials, was launched today by Food and Farming Minister, Lord Bach.

Speaking at the National Non-Food Crop Centre's (NNFCC) conference 'The Green Supply Chain 2005', Lord Bach said:

"From renewable fuels to starch based plastics, from bio-lubricants to plant based pharmaceuticals, the list of renewable products and their uses continues to grow. But, there are areas where the development of crop based products is at an earlier stage of evolution or has come up against barriers. Building a competitive new industry is a major undertaking.

View the Full Press Release - 3 November 2005

Heritage Counts - The State of England's Historic Environment - 2005

England’s Rural Heritage: Threats and Opportunities

Traditional farm buildings, historic parklands traditionally attached to country estates, rural churches and villages are at risk as never before from the pace of change in modern society. This year's Heritage Counts, the annual audit of the state of the nation's heritage, focuses on heritage in the countryside and provides the first and most comprehensive evidence ever on what is being lost and why.

When we think of the English countryside, we think of fields and hedges punctuated by farmhouses and barns. Yet with farming in decline many of these historic buildings are being left to rot, or are being converted to houses, often losing in the process all the characteristics which made them special. Heritage Counts 2005 details these and other risks to the countryside.

It also provides the first hard evidence that investment in repairing farm buildings brings social and economic rewards for the rural communities involved and also for the tourists and visitors on whom the countryside is increasingly dependent.

For more information visit their website www.english-heritage.org.uk

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10/11/2005

Older Cattle to Enter Food Chain Subject to Safeguards

Advice from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) that Defra's proposed robust BSE testing system for older cattle should replace the Over Thirty Months (OTM) rule, was accepted today by the Government. New legislation to replace the OTM rule by BSE testing can now be introduced. However, not all restrictions on the slaughter of British cattle will be lifted. View the full Press Release. 15 Sept 2005

Rural Development Service (RDS)

The Rural Development Service (RDS) in the South West, together with their partner organisations in the region, administer the England Rural Development Programme (ERDP). The ERDP contributes to the delivery of the Government's Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food by helping farmers and foresters to respond better to consumer requirements and become more competitive, diverse, flexible and environmentally responsible.

It also provides help to rural businesses and communities which need to develop and adapt to today's changing economic environment. It consists of:

schemes to conserve and improve the environment or Land-based Schemes (also known as Agri-environment Schemes)
schemes to enable farming, forestry and other rural businesses and communities to adapt to changing circumstances and to develop, or Project-based Schemes

More information about the RDS in the South West region.

The South West RDS also produce an e-newsletter, which provides an update on current issues and points of interest concerning schemes that are being delivered. to view newsletters or to subscribe to them electronically, visit www.defra.gov.uk/rds/sw/newsletter.htm

DEFRA Grants are Making a Difference for Rural Communities and the environment in the South West

Rural communities, rural economies and the environment in the South West have all benefited from Defra's England Rural Development Programme (ERDP), a report out today shows.

View the national ERDP Annual Report 2004 on www.defra.gov.uk
shows that substantial progress is being made towards realising the ambitious environmental, social and economic outcomes envisaged in the Programme.

View the News Release - 18 August 2005

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14/11/2005

Defra - Affordable Rural Housing Commission

In July the Government announced details for the delivery of its Manifesto commitment to establish an Affordable Rural Housing Commission, to identify practical ways in which access to affordable housing for people in rural areas can be improved.

Supported by, and reporting to, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), the new Commission will aim to report quickly on this important issue. View the Announcement

Modernising Rural Delivery

The Secretary of State, Margaret Beckett, has announced the new Rural Strategy which sets out its approach to rural policy and delivery over the next three - five years and incorporates the Government's full response to Lord Haskins' Rural Delivery Review.

The Rural Strategy 2004 sets out the delivery arrangements and how they will be modernised. They are based on further devolution of decisions and delivery and on strengthening the customer focus. They will adopt and build on the principles set out by Lord Haskins in the independent review of the delivery of rural polices in England that he carried out last year. The Strategy contains an Action Plan in the form of a recommendation by Lord Haskins. Executive summary report of the Review of Funding Streams.

Defra Modernising Rural Delivery Newsletter - Issue 1, April 2005

DEFRA - Grants and Funding Information

Defra has launched a new section on Grants & Funding on their website. This provides information about grants and funding streams relevant to Defra's customers. It has been established in the light of Defra's Funding Streams Review - part of the Modernising Rural Delivery Programme. That Review found the current rural funding framework to be complex and confusing for customers, therefore, Ministers decided that the many schemes should fit within a simplified funding framework around three major funds linked to Defra strategic objectives. These are:

Natural Resource Protection
Sustainable Farming and Food
Sustainable Rural Communities

The information is presented clearly and concisely and will be developed in the future to provide a comprehensive resource containing information about all funding available from Defra and its partners. Visit the Grants and funding section of Defra's website for more information.

Food & Farming Research Vital for Sustainable Future

The Sustainable Farming and Food Research Priorities Group (RPG) has been set up as an independent and open source of advice on research priorities on sustainable farming and food. The primary function of the RPG will be to identify the research agenda for Defra so that it underpins the Sustainable Farming and Food Strategy. Its aim will be to achieve better vertical integration in the research community from the Research Council base through to Levy bodies and Industry. At the same time it will develop better cross-sector working and joint initiatives to create better cohesion in the farming and food research area.

First Report from RPG launched on 22 March, with a Ministerial foreword by Lord Whitty.
Regional Rural Research Priorities Board topic of the SFF Delivery Plan. For more information please visit www.defra.gov.uk/science/rpg/research_priorities.htm

Rural Proofing in 2003/2004

The Rural White Paper ‘Our countryside: the future’ (2000) introduced the Government’s commitment to rural proofing policy development and gave the Countryside Agency responsibility for producing an independent annual report, assessing 12 central government departments’ progress.

The Government’s plans to devolve decision making and delivery of programmes closer to the ground makes ‘rural proofing’ at a local level critical to the well-being of England’s rural communities and businesses, according to the Countryside Agency in its annual report to Government published on 7th July 2004. For more information and to view the report visit the Countryside Agency website.

CAP Reform Single Payment Scheme

The CAP Reform will simplify the application arrangements for subsidy payments by replacing ten major CAP payment schemes with one new single payment. Farmers will have greater freedom to farm to the demands of the market as subsidies will be decoupled from production. At the same time, environmentally friendly farming practices will be better acknowledged and rewarded. The implementation of the CAP Reform is central to England's Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food.

Visit the CAP Reform page of Defra's website, which aims to provide the latest guidance on the Single Payment Scheme, with information on policy as it is developed and introduced.

Milk Development Council (MDC)

The MDC was established by the Agriculture Ministers following the re-organisation of the milk industry at the end of 1994. It was set up as a levy-collecting body which then spent levy mainly on funding research and development into production methods.

MDC Datum is a service provided by the Milk Development Council that provides up-to-date market information to those involved in selling and buying milk. The Dairy Market Update is published every two weeks and can be sent direct to you either as an email or a fax by the MDC. For further information please visit the MDC datum website: http://www.mdcdatum.org.uk.