Environment Agency taking action during prolonged dry weather
In this blog post we explore the latest prolonged dry weather situation and how the Environment Agency has already been taking action.
Updated: Fri Aug 05 2022
Woodlands expanded for communities across England
Today we are looking at media coverage of Defra's announcement of funding for England's 13 Community Forests, as well as five regional woodland creation partners.
Updated: Fri Aug 05 2022
Natural England's response to avian influenza in wild birds - August 2022
By Ginny Swaile, Deputy Director Science - Sustainable land and sea use The UK is currently experiencing the largest outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza on record with poultry, captive birds and wild birds all affected. A similar situation is ...
Updated: Thu Aug 04 2022
Nutrient mitigation scheme can help provide the nature and housing we need
By Mel Hughes, Director of Sustainable Development, Natural England Solutions to the pressing issue of how to bring forward plans for sustainable new homes without adding further nutrients to our already polluted waterbodies have been strengthened this week by Natural ...
Updated: Thu Aug 04 2022
Reducing the impact of deer on the natural environment - consultation opens
Wild deer, especially native species, are an important and valued part of our natural heritage, but current levels pose risks to our woodlands. Find out more about the impacts of deer and the deer management strategy being developed.
Updated: Thu Aug 04 2022
Biodiversity indicator data
Our response to inaccurate coverage regarding the publication of biodiversity indicator data in 2022.
Updated: Tue Aug 02 2022
UK Government's action to halt bird flu outbreaks
In today's blog we look at the action being taken across the UK to tackle the devastating bird flu outbreaks.
Updated: Tue Aug 02 2022
Carrier bag charge sees usage plummet by 97%
Today we are looking at media coverage of the latest annual figures for single-use carrier bag usage in England.
Updated: Mon Aug 01 2022
Celebrating the Children and Nature Programme - how learning in nature supports children's mental and physical health, social
"Who wouldn't enjoy witnessing the children having a forward roll race on the grass outside?" Natural England was delighted to be joined recently by representatives from government, the education and environment sectors at Liverpool John Moores University to celebrate the ...
Updated: Fri Jul 29 2022
Environment Agency acts on recent dry weather
Yesterday (26 July 2022), the Environment Agency convened the National Drought Group to discuss the recent period of hot and dry weather and agree actions to protect water resources and the environment in England in the weeks ahead.
Updated: Wed Jul 27 2022
£100 million for frequently flooded communities
Funding will be targeted at eligible communities where 10 or more properties have flooded twice or more in the last 10 years, helping to both accelerate existing projects and deliver new ones.
Updated: Tue Jul 26 2022
Environment Agency issues warning on salmon stocks
Yesterday (25 July 2022), the Environment Agency published the latest annual salmon stock assessment, warning that action is needed if stocks are to stabilise and recover.
Updated: Tue Jul 26 2022
Future Farming Podcast: everything you need to know about the Sustainable Farming Incentive
In the latest episode of the Future Farming Podcast, Cambridgeshire farmer Martin Lines and Sustainable Farming Incentive lead Jonathan Marsden talk all things Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and environmental land management.
Updated: Tue Jul 26 2022
Farm animal health and welfare: help us test the yearly review
The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway supports improvements in farm animal health and welfare. The first step of the pathway is the Annual Health and Welfare Review. Starting this autumn, farmers who keep cattle, sheep and pigs can get funding to pay for a vet or vet-led team to visit their farm and carry out a yearly review. We're now ready to put more of the pathway to the test and we need your help.
Updated: Mon Jul 25 2022
Tigers and hawks in our forests
When you look closely, moths are beautiful, diverse and fascinating in their colours, patterns, size and behaviour. There are around 2,500 species of moths in the British Isles. Many of these are fully or partly dependent on trees and woodland.
Updated: Mon Jul 25 2022
Addressing the possible shortfall of oak for the 2022/23 planting season
As we face the possibility of an insufficient supply of Oak for planting, find out how considering a more diverse mix of tree species can bring value to woodlands.
Updated: Fri Jul 22 2022
Catching fishers' view of the future of Channel non-pressure stocks
In June MMO colleagues visited 21 ports stretching from Kent to Cornwall to speak with commercial fishers about their experiences of fishing for non-quota species (NQS, also known as non-pressure stocks) - and their aspirations for future management of these ...
Updated: Fri Jul 22 2022
Innovation for Sustainable Fisheries: SMARTFISH H2020
SMARTFISH H2020 is an international research project which aims to develop, test, and promote a suite of high-tech systems for the EU fishing sector. The goal is to optimise resource efficiency, improve automatic data collection for fish stock assessment, provide ...
Updated: Fri Jul 22 2022
Plan to tackle nutrient pollution announced
Today's blog looks at Government action to tackle nutrient pollution.
Updated: Fri Jul 22 2022
Apply for the Sustainable Farming Incentive
The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) is now open for applications via the Rural Payments service. Through the SFI, farmers will be paid for looking after the natural environment in the course of their farming. This initial offer will pay farmers for taking care of their soil or assessing the condition of moorland. In this post, we'll share more about the application process.
Updated: Thu Jul 21 2022
Bees' Needs: Why Air Pollution matters to Pollinators
Bees are undeniably beautiful and fascinating insects, but what many people do not always realise is how vital they are for a healthy environment and healthy economy. The vast majority of our food and wildflowers rely on pollination, which bees ...
Updated: Thu Jul 21 2022
Farming Investment Fund - new Slurry Infrastructure grants coming in autumn 2022
Today we're announcing more details about the new slurry storage grants that we will be launching later this year, as part of the Farming Investment Fund. This post gives extra context to the information published today on GOV.UK. We explain what the new grant offers, how to apply and what to look out for over the coming months.
Updated: Thu Jul 21 2022
Farming Investment Fund: Adding Value grants open for applications from 9 June
Following publication of the Adding Value manual on 23 May, the online checker is now open for you to apply. This £30 million fund offers grants focused on supporting farmers and growers to process, diversify and add value to their eligible agricultural products after they are harvested or reared. It offers grants of between £25,000 and £300,000 for up to 40% of eligible project costs. 
Updated: Thu Jul 21 2022
Free business advice: next phase to start in October
Any farmer or land manager who receives BPS in England is eligible for free business advice during the early years of the agricultural transition. The current phase of support will close at the end of August. So far, 6,600 farmers have made use of this free advice. The final phase of support will open in October and will be scaled up.
Updated: Thu Jul 21 2022
How early roll out of the Sustainable Farming Incentive is going - an early update
It's been almost 2 weeks since we opened the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) for applications, so we thought now would be a good time to share an update on how it's going so far.
Updated: Thu Jul 21 2022