Author Archive
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Environment Secretary sets out initiatives to support dairy farmers
Support from the EU to help farmers overcome cash flow problems stemming from current low prices for milk and other produce will be called for today by Environment Secretary, Elizabeth Truss. Ahead of an extraordinary Agriculture Council meeting in Brussels, which will discuss options to help farmers through the current tough times, Ms Truss will urge the Commission to take action to relax some of the checks required on CAP subsidy payments to allow ...
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Cull costs almost £7,000 per badger
DEFRA has been forced to reveal the cost of the UK's badger cull policy in a Freedom of Information request brought by the Badger Trust. The final bill for the taxpayer (including policing costs) is just under £16.8 million, which works out at £6,775 per badger killed. The DEFRA figures show: 2012 badger cull postponement costs - £2,500,000 2013 badger cull cost - £9,818,000 2014 badger cull cost - £4,459,000
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New measures to ensure fair pay
A package of measures to ensure people receive the pay they are entitled to has been announced by the Government, including: doubling the penalties for non-payment of the National Minimum Wage and the new National Living Wage increasing the enforcement budget setting up a new team in HMRC to take forward criminal prosecutions for those who deliberately do not comply ensuring that anyone found guilty will be considered for disqualification ...
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Bird flu restrictions lifted
Restrictions have now been lifted following an incident of avian flu on a Lancashire farm. The move means that all poultry-keeping farms within the ten kilometre restriction zone around the infected premises are now allowed to move poultry and other animals without restriction. A high severity case of avian flu was confirmed in chickens at a farm in Preston on 13 July and action was taken to prevent any spread of the ...
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Faster decision making on shale gas
Shale gas planning applications will be fast-tracked through a new dedicated planning process, the Government has announced. The new measures include: The Communities Secretary actively considering calling in on a case by case basis shale planning applications and considering recovering appeals Identifying councils that repeatedly fail to determine oil and gas applications within the 16 week statutory timeframe requirement (unless applicants agree to a longer period). Underperforming councils’ gas and ...
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Superfast broadband for 95% of UK
More homes and businesses in Wales have been reached by the nationwide rollout of superfast broadband, according to official figures which show that 482,000 properties are now covered. The rollout is delivering superfast access - internet speeds greater than 24 Mbps - to those not covered by existing commercial networks and is on track to take superfast access to 95% of the UK by 2017. More than four out of five ...
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Restrictions lifted on invoice finance
From early next year, businesses will be freed from restrictive clauses in contracts that prevent them from gaining invoice finance, in a move aimed at providing more funding opportunities for small businesses. Around 44,000 businesses receive over £19 billion of funding via invoice finance at any one time, according to the Asset Based Finance Association, which represents the invoice finance industry ...
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Bank lending to business recovering
In its latest forecast, EY’s ITEM Club sees the UK recovery looking encouraging, with GDP expected to grow by 2.7% in 2015. Consumer spending is on the rise and growth in business lending is predicted to move back into positive territory for the first time since 2008. However, banks are having to factor in the possibility of further fines for regulatory breaches, and the tax announcement in the Summer Budget, which will squeeze them further. Other ...
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CMA updates guidance on unfair contract terms
Consumer-facing businesses are being offered help complying with consumer law as the Competition and Markets Authority publishes new guidance on unfair contract terms. The move follows changes to the law in the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which come into force in October this year strengthening two pieces of legislation that target contract terms and notices that could be used to give firms ...
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£500,000 flooding support for rural communities
Six rural areas are to receive a share of a half-a-million pound fund for flood protection, Floods Minister, Rory Stewart, has announced. Under the “Pathfinder Projects” pilot scheme each pilot will support local authorities in developing innovative ways to apply for funding and combine smaller projects into larger and more effective flood risk management packages. The local authorities receiving funding to investigate and assess options are: Northamptonshire County Council
