Energy & Environment

Get Help with Catch Recording

We are hosting a series of drop-in sessions to help fishers with under-10m vessels with their catch recording obligations. We want to support and enable a profitable, sustainable fishing industry. So improving understanding of how much and which species of ...

Updated: Fri Feb 11 2022

Women in Science: A Reflection

Gender equality is integral to achieving thriving nature for people and planet and addressing the twin crisis of biodiversity loss and climate change, yet fewer than 30% of the worlds scientific researchers are women (UNESCO Science Report). Despite the efforts ...

Updated: Fri Feb 11 2022

An update on the Lump Sum Exit Scheme and delinked payments

It can be difficult for farmers who wish to retire or leave the industry to do so. A lack of capital can prevent them. We think that our Lump Sum Exit Scheme could help them. Last year, we ran a consultation with farmers and other experts, and the findings supported this view. In this post, I'll share a summary and our response. I'll also cover delinked payments and an opportunity for you to help shape our work.

Updated: Thu Feb 10 2022

Watch Episode 1: Land Management Plans and the Sustainable Farming Incentive Pilot

In the Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot, we provided farmers with 3 different land management plan templates. Each template was developed through tests and trials. One of the templates was developed by the North Devon Pioneer tests and trial group. In this video, find out how participants Liz and Bryan, used land management planning to prepare their farm business for the future.

Updated: Thu Feb 10 2022

A year in review - where are we on net zero?

In 2021, the Environment Agency outlined how it would reach net zero by 2030. Here, Sustainable Business Manager Simon Dawes looks back at the challenges and achievements - and anticipates what's yet to come in 2022.

Updated: Tue Feb 08 2022

WWF report on supporting farmers in green transition

Today's coverage looks at Defra's response to a new WWF report, calling on the government to deliver decarbonisation strategies to help farmers shifting towards nature-friendly approaches to tackling climate change.

Updated: Tue Feb 08 2022

Enabling nuclear regulation for a net zero future

The Environment Agency's New Reactors Assessment Team has been leading an assessment of a nuclear power station design since 2017. Here the team's manager, Alan McGoff, reflects on the five year project and looks forward to regulating the nuclear industry ...

Updated: Fri Feb 04 2022

Landscape Recovery: first round now open for applications

The Landscape Recovery scheme is for landowners and managers who want to take a more radical and large-scale approach to producing environmental and climate goods on their land. I'm pleased to say that the application window for the first round of Landscape Recovery pilot projects is now open.

Updated: Thu Feb 03 2022

Future Farming Podcast: Tim Parton on nitrogen-fixing bacteria and nutrient-dense food

In the sixth episode of the Future Farming Podcast, Programme Director Janet Hughes talks to Tim Parton. Tim is Farm Manager at Brewood Park Farm, Staffordshire, where he manages 300 hectares using regenerative agriculture methods. Find out how Tim moved to no-till, reduced insecticide and fungicide use and brewed his own nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

Updated: Wed Feb 02 2022

Greener farming advice during the agricultural transition period

I'm fortunate to be the Director of the Greener Farming and Fisheries Programme in Natural England. There's a wide remit under the greener farming umbrella but one area that I want to focus on here is Natural England's role in ...

Updated: Wed Feb 02 2022

Improving Farm Productivity grants: open for applications

At the end of last year, we published a manual on the Improving Farm Productivity grant, which is part of the Farming Transformation Fund. Today we opened the window for applications. We're also hosting a webinar next week for you to find out more.

Updated: Wed Feb 02 2022

Improving Farming Productivity grant: dairy scoring update

The 2-step application process for the Improving Farm Productivity grant starts with an online eligibility checker. Unfortunately, the online checker was scoring dairy sector applications 'weak' or 'average'. It did not appear possible to score highly. This error was investigated and a glitch in the scoring was identified. It has been fixed. Those who were deterred from applying because of this are encouraged to try again. No one will be disadvantaged because of this.

Updated: Wed Feb 02 2022

Water companies required to do more to protect environment

There has been coverage in the Times, Guardian, Business Green and elsewhere about the Government's priorities set out today for the water industry, including doing more to protect the environment and reduce storm overflows. The new Strategic Policy Statement ...

Updated: Wed Feb 02 2022

Natural England's Climate Change Adaptation Plan

Today we have published our Climate Change Risk Assessment and Adaptation Plan. The plan has been produced, along with many other organisations, to report under the third round of the Adaptation Reporting Power of the Climate Change Act 2008. As ...

Updated: Fri Jan 28 2022

Coverage of Natural England's three new LIFE projects

There has been widespread coverage of our announcement launching three vital nature recovery projects aimed at tackling the climate and biodiversity crisis. The Independent, Evening Standard, ITV News Online, Express and Star & others covered the news positively. The projects - ...

Updated: Thu Jan 27 2022

Introducing the UK Agriculture Partnership

The UK's devolved administrations already work closely to ensure their policies are aligned. However, to share scientific ideas, solutions and innovations, Defra set up the UK Agriculture Partnership. It launched today and we'd like to share a little more about it in this post.

Updated: Thu Jan 27 2022