August

The year has been dominated by two policy eras – the last weeks of the Conservative government and the first few weeks of the new Labour one. But perhaps surprisingly the key messages during these eras have been broadly the same, focussing on water quality, ELMS and nature recovery. 

Defra have announced that the first endorsed action under the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) is now live. GRH6, which focuses on managing priority habitat species-rich grassland, is officially available on GOV.UK. Here's what you need to know to get started.

There has been much written in scientific journals about how conservation is influenced by changing values and beliefs, and the increasingly held view that animals and humans are equal sentient beings resulting in compassionate conservation approaches and ultimately calls for animal personhood. This results in concerns about the management of some species, such as when controlling predators or pests. But are these values and attitudes applied to all animals equally?

Defra have recently updated the guidance for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme. These updates aim to provide clearer instructions and expand the options available to farmers and land managers.