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Category Archives: Defra
More golden balls from Defra: You are spoiling us, Rural Ambassador!
We may have been led to believe that the avalanche of Government announcements on “take out the trash day” last Friday, signalled the end of “work” for the year, but today holds one further surprise. As reported in the Telegraph, … Continue reading
Shifting Baselines
This post isn’t about how our perceptions of environmental change get reset with each generation. It’s about Defra’s budget. Today’s spending Review saw Chancellor Osborne perform some typical numerical tricks, as he sought to position himself nearer to the centre … Continue reading
Natural England steps into the Tumbrel
Liz Truss has apparently already agreed to a 32% cut to the Defra budget for the 4 years from 2016-17 onwards. This impressive feat allows her to sit on the panel which resides over the imposition of cuts on other, … Continue reading
Posted in Defra, George Osborne, Liz Truss, Natural England, SSSis
Tagged cuts, Defra, George Osborne, Liz Truss, Natural England, SSSIs
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Defra budget takes another hit; farmers worried they may have to pay for the Badger Cull
Defra received a further cut to its budget last week, shaving another £83M off. This is on top of the already planned £200M cut to take place this financial year. The Defra budget has declined by around 25% since 2010, … Continue reading
The New Common Agricultural Policy Rules: Can you claim farm benefits for your golf course?
And so it begins again. The Rule Book for the new Common Agricultural Policy has been published – it’s here. There are some welcome omissions – the much derided 50 Trees rule has been consigned to history. The requirement … Continue reading
We need to talk about Defra
Defra – Deathra, the Death-Ray, Deafra, Defer, Defray – just some of the parodic alternative names given to our Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs. Formed in 2001 under a Labour government, when Margaret Beckett was … Continue reading
plus ça change plus c’est la même chose
Just in case you were thinking that under the new Common Agricultural Policy, following its lengthy and expensive “reform” process, that there are more requirements on farmers to deliver public goods for their extremely generous payments (paid for by taxpayers … Continue reading
Beavers: Common Sense may have broken out at Defra
The Beavers of the River Otter in Devon have been under threat of being “rehomed” in a zoo, thanks to pressure from The Angling Trust (no beavers do not eat fish). This was partly due to paranoia that the beavers … Continue reading
Posted in angling, badgers, Beavers, bees, Defra, Liz Truss, Owen Paterson
Tagged badgers, beavers, Bees, Liz Truss, Owen Paterson
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De Mauley’s maturity shows up former boss Paterson
Prince Charles speaks at the Reversing The Trend Conference on meadows (c) Miles King Earlier in the Summer I helped organise a conference on the plight of wildlife-rich grasslands, especially wildflower meadows. Plantlife, Rare Breeds … Continue reading
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