Sunday 27 May 2012
Renewable Energy
Solar energy remains an excellent investment following the latest round of tariff cuts, the NFU said today. DECC published its response to the consultation on the solar Feed-In Tariffs (FIT) yesterday, promising to put the growing photovoltaics industry on a "more predictable, certain and sustainable footing". A one-month delay ...
Following a unanimous decision by the Bassetlaw District Council planning committee, planning permission has been granted for a 1.2MW Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plant on a farm close to Retford in Nottinghamshire. The plant, which will begin construction in September 2012, will be built at a derelict quarry site adjacent to the applicant’s f...
Solar thermal technology is a proven way of harnessing the sun’s energy to provide heat for both domestic and commercial uses. It can provide financial savings, a 20 year income and reduce carbon emissions for a range of businesses. The technology has been around for a long time with solar hot water systems installed in the 1960’s s...
In the past, Wales has been recognised as one of the innovators of agri-environment schemes in Europe through the Tir Gofal Scheme. But since then, according to the NFU, backwards steps have been taken and regaining that status can only be achieved through a fit for purpose agri-environment scheme. The National Assembly for Wales’ Envi...
Following the latest round of changes to the Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Feed-In-Tariff (FiTs) there is time to still consider PV as a viable, sustainable and affordable renewable technology at both domestic and commercial levels. The next change in FiTs for PV comes on the 30th June 2012, and while this is a tight timescale, the two historic delay...
Local farmers, business people, environmentalists and community leaders took a farmland walk by the River Dove to launch a new five-year Peak District National Park Management Plan. The location, at Lower Hurst Farm near Hartington, was chosen to represent what the plan is aiming for - a flourishing local business that cares as much for its nat...
NFU Cymru met with Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Alun Davies and expressed concern over proposals announced by Welsh Government last week that could potentially see future funding for agri-environment schemes in Wales reduced. The announcement came as part of a statement made by the Deputy Minister on EU Programmes in Wales to the National A...
The Government’s stance on brownfield development as set out in the National Planning Policy Framework has been welcomed by land and environmental institutions. The NPPF was introduced by the Department for Communities and Local Government on the 17th March 2012 and is considered to be an improvement on the draft policy. The policy expl...
Defra has joined Waste & Resources Action Programme to try reduce costs and the environmental impact of the UK soft drinks sector. The project will look at impacts in all parts of the industry and suppliers, to identify areas where action is most needed. Defra has identified the soft drinks sector as a key industry partner in this project. G...
Increasing demand for sites for Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plants could see farmers and landowners across the country being approached by developers looking to build a plant on their land - providing the farmer with a significant rental income. At least 8 well funded AD developers are currently looking for sites throughout the UK to build 1.5 - 2...
Global funding for carbon capture and storage technology, a tool for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, remained unchanged at US$23.5 billion in 2011 in comparison to the previous year, according to a new report from the Worldwatch Institute. Although there are currently 75 large-scale, fully integrated carbon capture and storage projec...
The latest Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) survey on the Campaign for the Farmed Environment (CFE) released today shows it continues to fall short of expectations. Crucially, it is failing to achieve one of its core purposes – retaining and increasing the area of uncropped land to maintain the environmental benefits o...
Leading anaerobic digestion company Biogen UK has been fined £5,000 by Bedford Magistrates’ Court for polluting one mile of a Bedfordshire stream. The Environment Agency said the pollution was avoidable and it should have been notified sooner so that the incident could have been better managed. A large quantity of digestate from an an...
The agricultural industry in England is making significant progress in reducing its greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions, according to a new report published today. The Greenhouse Gas Action Plan’s (GHGAP) first progress report to Government sets out the work the industry is undertaking to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by three million t...
The announcement by the Environmental Agency, effectively approving the process of ’fracking’ for shale gas, will give a green light to energy companies seeking suitable land for exploration. Already energy companies are actively drilling in North East England and there are other potential sites, in Central Scotland, Northern Ireland...
Foyle Food Group has joined with five animal by-product processing businesses to ensure that the Foodchain and Biomass Renewables Association, Fabra, has a wider remit. The move, which the Northern Irish meat processor says underlines a commitment to reduce the environmental impact of its slaughtering, deboning and rendering operations, means F...
Latest government figures reveal that the vast majority of biofuels supplied in the UK are made from imported feedstock, with almost nine out of every 10 litres of foreign origin. The NFU have said that UK biofuel growers have been subject to poor policy making by the Department of Transport, despite the growers making rapid progress with sust...
WWF is urging investors to do more to promote sustainable palm oil, backed by findings from a new survey released during a high-level meeting of investors and producers in Singapore. WWF’s first-of-its-kind Palm Oil Investor Review 2012 surveyed 35 key palm oil sector investors to assess how they are managing the challenges associated wit...
Members of Gillingham and Shaftesbury Young Farmers’ Club (YFC) have been named winners of a competition to promote voluntary environmental schemes on-farm. The Campaign for the Farmed Environment (CFE) competition, launched by Farming Minister Jim Paice in December, challenged YFC members to propose how a farm business could support the ...
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