Welcome to our update on key land management, farming, planning and energy issues.

Farming and land management

Farm and forestry staff wages annual review

The Agricultural Wages Board was disbanded in 2013, and there is no formal body now appointed in England to agree agricultural and forestry workers’ wages. Nevertheless, the principles which the AWB previously applied –such as grading pay according to an employee’s training and status – remain helpful. Please contact George Chichester if you would like a copy of his latest analysis and proposal for reviewing staff wages, which considers wage levels in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales which all still operate their own wages boards.

National Farmers’ Union unveils vision for net zero emissions by 2040

The blueprint sees farmers capturing more carbon through soil and woodland restoration, growing more energy crops, and improving meat productivity to reduce emissions. Most of the proposed emissions cuts come from ‘bioeconomy’ measures, including carbon capture and storage (which is yet to be developed on large, commercial scales), biomaterials in construction and land-based renewables such as solar and wind. It does not discuss dietary change, notably reduction in meat consumption.

Achieving nature-friendly farming targets will cost £3bn pa

A new report commissioned by the RSPB, National Trust and the Wildlife Trusts says that the UK must spend around £3bn per year to deliver the government’s stated environmental objectives for nature-friendly farming. NB More would need to be spent to recover the natural environment and achieve net zero carbon across all sectors. The charities say that the report shows that achieving the government’s plan would not cost much more than is currently spent on farming support and so is achievable.

CAP reform proposals put environmental and climate ambitions at risk

A report on the EU’s CAP reform proposals says they ‘risk maintaining a damaging status quo and in some cases going back on previous environmental and climate achievements’. The report’s author, the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP), also says that many of the objectives of the new policy are not measurable or result-orientated, which creates a risk they will not be specific or ambitious enough.

Scottish Land & Estates calls for radical and speedy decisions on rural land management

The organisation’s #Route 2050 paper says that decisions on future policy to address the climate change emergency and the rural Scotland’s future outside the EU must be taken quickly otherwise there is a risk of long-lasting negative consequences for the sector. It called for a clear roadmap which policy should take to ensure a ‘resilient, efficient and thriving’ rural sector.

Germany to ban use of glyphosate from 2023

The decision by the German government is part of its plan to protect insects by cutting pesticide use. It acknowledged that it would be demanding for farmers and that it would help them financially during the transition period, which starts in 2020. The chemical will also be banned in gardens and public places. The German Agricultural Industry Association has described the ban as ‘pure symbolism’. However, Austria also banned it in July, and it is restricted in the Czech Republic, Italy and the Netherlands. France is planning to phase it out by 2023. The decision follows a referendum to ‘save the bees’ in February in Bavaria in which 1.75 million people voted on less chemical use and more organic farming and green spaces.

Planning

Community contributions by developers must now be made public

Councils are now legally required to publish details of how much funding developers have provided for local communities, in order to increase transparency, after new rules came into effect in early September.

Property

Glasgow considers proposals to re-forest golf courses

After declaring a climate emergency, the city council has launched a consultation on the future of six of its public golf courses, which are large green spaces in the middle of some of Scotland’s most densely populated areas. Some councillors have suggested that the courses are turned into forests, wetlands or even allotments if they shut.

Shooting

Defra to review the release of game birds in protected areas after legal challenge by Wild Justice

Defra has said that it accepts in principle Wild Justice’s challenge that the release of non-native game birds on certain protected sites could be a ‘plan or project’ for the purposes of the EU Habitats Directive. It is therefore going to conduct a review of the effectiveness of the existing legislation and options for improvement. Wild Justice claims that the release of 43 million pheasants and 9 million red-legged partridges by the shooting industry could damage biodiversity.

Telecoms

Digital divide between urban and rural areas remains wide according to EFRA Committee

Although both broadband and mobile coverage has improved since 2015, it remains poor in many areas. In a particularly critical report, the Committee says that it is ‘not confident that the Government has fully grasped the extent of the problem.’ It says that the current Universal Service Obligation commitment of a minimum speed of 10Mbps is not truly universal and will be obsolete before it is achieved. Looking further forward, the Committee says it is currently unclear how the Government intends to meet its accelerated target of universal full-fibre broadband by 2025. Please contact Robert Paul if you would like to discuss rural broadband and mobile coverage or telecoms issues.