What's New

The Government issued this consultation between Christmas and the New Year seeking views on greater transparency of land ownership where it involves trusts. Responses are requested by 21st February. This note sets out more detail.

The Scottish Government has launched a consultation with a view to updating the legislation on the management of wild deer. The consultation follows the report of the Deer Working Group in 2020. The proposed legislative changes seek to improve deer management taking into consideration climate change and biodiversity. Changes to legislation that were made in 2023 include to remove the close season for all male deer, to enable the wider use of non-toxic ammunition and to facilitate night...

Following an earlier note, this update provides more detail on the Secretary of State’s speech to the Oxford Farming Conference. Accompanied by the publication of the Agricultural Transition Plan Update and three years after the original Plan was issued, this sets out a substantial expansion of SFI and other measures phased in over 2024....

Now three years into the Agricultural Transition and with payments delinked, the speech to the Oxford Farming Conference (see press release) by the new Secretary of State, Steve Barclay, was accompanied by the Agricultural Plan Transition Update, continuing to aim for a 70 per cent take of environmental land management agreements by farmers, while making other announcements is support of farming productivity. This note summarises the speech and is supported by the attached DEFRA papers....

The Basic Payment Scheme has now fully ended in England, taking cross compliance with it. This note sets out the updated guidance from DEFRA.

The Welsh Government has confirmed that the vast majority of Cross Compliance for 2023 will continue to apply for 2024, with some amendments to Factsheets and associated sections of the Verifiable Standards which have been updated for 2024 to reflect changes in requirements, good practice and to clarify wording. See the Welsh Government website for more detail.

The Welsh Government has presented its Budget for the coming year. This note has the detail.

The Government has proposed that nitrogen fertiliser be included in a UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. This note has more detail.

Attached is the 2023 version of the CAAV BPS Payment Estimator to assist members with checking 2023 BPS payments in England. The CAAV can accept no liability for its use.

The CAAV is to co-host with the Portuguese valuers association, ASAVAL, a conference on agricultural valuation issues across Europe. More detail, and booking information, is available in this note.

The Scottish Government has presented its Budget for the coming year. This note has the detail.

The Government has made a number of announcements on nutrient neutrality measures for England. This note provides more detail.

The latest edition of England’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was published on Tuesday 19th December. This note contains more detail.

The international COP28 meeting in Dubai on issues of climate change concluded earlier this week. This note looks at the headlines of the agreed declarations.

From 11th December, the previous £250,000 cap on Variable Monetary Penalties has been lifted, enabling the Environment Agency to raise unlimited financial penalties against polluters. This note has more detail.

Ahead of its launch on 15th January, DEFRA and Innovate UK have published the guidance for the next round of the Large R&D Partnerships competition. This note has more detail.

DEFRA has opened a Small Abattoir Fund. This note has a very brief overview.

DEFRA has published the detail of Round 2 of the Improving Farm Productivity Grant. This note gives an overview.

Natural England and the Forestry Commission have jointly published the policy document Our Position on Woodland Creation. This note reproduces some passages from the document.

DEFRA has published more detail on the approach to delivering the 30 by 30 target in England. This note reviews the publication.

The results of the CAAV’s 2023 Written, Practical and Oral professional examinations for Fellowship are being issued this morning to candidates. The note below provides further information, including an Appendix summarising overall statistics.

The Welsh Government Small Grants Scheme for Yard Coverings (Round 2) closes on 15th December 2023. This note sets out the grant funding, with an annex covering the types of works covered, providing up to 40% funding between £3,000-£12,000.

DEFRA has now published the final version of the BNG metric for use in January, along with accompanying guidance: Calculate biodiversity using the biodiversity metric - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). This note provides more information.

This note sets out the changes to Welsh Water Regulations (see website notes on this topic, including amendments in Member Documents/Wales/Water and Flooding/Nitrate Vulnerable Zones) made under The Water Resources (Control of Agricultural Pollution) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 2023, including: extension of the annual limit on land with more than 80% of agricultural area sown as grass to 1st January 2025 and;the introduction of the Enhanced Nutrient Management Plan, as announced in...

This note takes a brief look at the end of cross compliance in England, a signposts readers to the latest Government guidance.

The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill follows last year’s Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act which ended ground rents for new, qualifying long residential leasehold properties in England and Wales. This Bill proposes larger and longer-term changes for owners of houses and flats on existing long leases, appearing in practical terms to bring much of the ground rent system to an end. This note sets out the main provisions of the Bill....

Round 3 of the Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund opens for applications on 11th December. This note has more detail.

Natural England has prepared and published two template documents in relation to habitat management and monitoring for BNG: Template Habitat Management and Monitoring PlanTemplate Monitoring Report There is accompanying guidance published online. This note provides a brief overview....

The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development etc.) (England) (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 2023 No. 1279 extends permitted development rights in England principally in respect of solar power generation facilities. It also makes minor changes to permitted development rights for telecoms masts and open prisons.

Steve Barclay, the new DEFRA Secretary of State, outlined a series of grants, totalling almost £45 million, to a CLA Conference. The details of these grants are to be announced over coming weeks. They are from within the £168 million total funding announced earlier this year by Mark Spencer at the NFU AGM.

On 29th November, the draft Biodiversity Gain Site Register Regulations 2024 were published on Gov.uk, providing the detail on the use and management of the register. These are reviewed here, and we will update members on any significant amendments. Updated 4th December: Information added on fees and penalties...

The COP28 international summit on climate change in Dubai has announced that 134 world leaders have agreed the COP28 UAE Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action. This note provides and overview....

This note reviews the pricing and role of statutory credits for Biodiversity Net Gain in England.

This note looks at the definition and place of irreplaceable habitats within Biodiversity Net Gain.

Biodiversity Net Gain requirements for planning applications become mandatory, for most development, from January 2024. Small sites and infrastructure development have staggered implementation dates: April 2024 and November 2025 respectively. Some types of development, however, are exempt from the BNG requirements. This note provides an overview.

DEFRA has today (29th November) published a series of announcements relating to nature recovery. Drawing a connection to the upcoming COP28 Climate Conference, these relate to a range of ongoing programmes and schemes, as well as providing detail on forthcoming work. This note provides an overview of those announcements relevant for rural work.