In Scotland the government has also announced plans for a green recovery; these plans include £150 million to boost forestry planting and a £10 million capital grant scheme for farm machinery. The impact our country has beyond its borders has also been brought into focus recently with the government proposing a law to make sure that the commodities used by large UK companies are not grown on illegally deforested land, whilst a Sustainable Food Trust study argues that milk from cows is more sustainable than soya milk as it uses 11 times less soya per litre.

FOOD & FARMING

Milk from British cows is better for the planet that soya-based alternatives
A new study suggests that it is more environmentally friendly to produce milk from British cows than it is to produce soya milk alternatives. Demand for soya drives illegal deforestation across tropical rainforests such as the Amazon, therefore the less soya within a product, the better it is for the planet. According to the study by the University of Nottingham and the Sustainable Food Trust, in the UK, while over one million tonnes of soya bean meal is used in British livestock feed each year, approximately 85 litres of milk is produced for each kilo of soya fed to cows. In contrast, just 7.5 litres of soya milk can be made from one kilo of soya beans. As a result, drinking milk from cows in the UK uses 11 times less soya than consuming soya-based alternatives.

UK soft fruit growers to create the world’s first robotic farm
The UK’s largest soft fruit cooperative, Berry Gardens, has forged a consortium which together is delivering project ‘Robot Highways’. The initiative aims to make the soft fruit industry more sustainable by reducing its environmental impact and addressing labour shortages. The project recently received a £2.5 million funding boost from Innovate UK. It will showcase the future of growing, with robots carrying out farm processes such as picking and packing fruit as well as crop management. The consortium also includes Saga Robotics, a leader in robotics in the soft fruit sector, the University of Lincoln and the University of Reading. It will host the biggest known demonstration of robotics and autonomous technologies at Clock House Farm in Kent.

Government guidelines on healthy eating cuts risk of death and are better for the planet
A study using data on more than 55,000 Britons’ eating habits found that sticking closely to Public Health England’s Eatwell guide offers both health and environmental benefits. A research team looked at the guide’s nine key recommendations which included eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables per day, more than 30g of fibre and at least two portions of fish per week. The people who adhered to any five or more of the recommendations had an estimated 7% reduction in their mortality risk. Consuming the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables cuts mortality risk the most; if only this recommendation is met, mortality risk is reduced by 10%. Additionally, the study showed that following between five and nine of the recommendations resulted in a 30% reduction in CO2 emissions, compared to the average daily emissions of diets that adhered with up to two of the recommendations.

British Egg Academy seeking new talent
Eggs are the UK’s fastest growing protein sector, with younger consumers choosing eggs as an affordable and sustainable source of protein. The UK egg sector is worth over £1 billion to the UK economy. Despite this, there is a shortage of people coming into the egg sector and not enough training available for those who are interested. In response, the British Egg Academy has been launched to attract and train new talent. The year-long course is delivered in partnership with Chippindale Foods (Morrison’s own egg operation) alongside other key players in the industry.

Ground breaking deal for sugar beet growers
The latest sugar beet contracts and prices unveiled by British Sugar and NFU Sugar include compensation for growers if their crop is affected by virus yellows disease and a trial of a futures-linked variable priced contract. The Virus Yellows crop assurance fund will be introduced from 2021 and is a three-year £12 million fund, underwritten by British Sugar, covering all new and existing contracts.

The one-year sugar beet contract negotiated for 2021 will pay £20.30 per adjusted tonne with a market bonus triggered when the adjusted EU sugar reference price exceeds €375 per tonne. The bonus would pay growers 10% of the value above this level. The three-year contract for 2021-23 will pay £21.18 per adjusted tonne, with a market bonus triggered when the adjusted EU reference price exceeds €400 per tonne. The bonus would pay growers 25% of the value above this level. The base contract prices are equivalent to those in the 2020 contract. The pilot of the futures-linked variable priced contract will be open to 100 growers and gives them the ability to make their own pricing decisions for 10% of their tonnage. This will be the first time that growers have access to the sugar futures market in the UK.

Covid-19

A culture boost to combat the pandemic
In Scotland, the culture and heritage sectors are to benefit from a £59 million funding package to protect jobs and the industry from the economic effects of Covid-19. A new £15 million recovery fund will support art galleries, studio facilities, comedy and music venues and theatres, among others. It aims to reduce the threat of insolvency whilst also protecting jobs in the sector. The funding also includes £21.3 million for Historic Environment Scotland to support the reopening of properties within its care. An additional £5.9 million will be available to support heritage organisations through committed grants. These culture funds will be delivered through Creative Scotland.

The Welsh government has announced a £35 million Cultural Recovery Fund to support the cultural, heritage and arts sector across the country. There is an online eligibility checker in place and organisations will be able to make applications for support from 14 September. The closing date for applications is 30 September.

In England, there is a £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund, part of the Here for Culture campaign which has been launched to support the arts, culture and heritage industries. Within the recovery package is a £50 million heritage stimulus fund, to restart stalled construction and maintenance projects on heritage sites, with the funding being overseen by Historic England. This is separate from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage which is delivered in partnership with the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Scotland: rural role in the post pandemic recovery
Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing has said that Scotland’s rural economy will be at the heart of the country’s green recovery. An additional £100 million was announced in the Programme for Government to allow Scottish Forestry to increase new planting, alongside £30 million for Forestry and Land Scotland to expand national forests. A further £20 million has also been allocated to increase the supply of young trees.

The Sustainable Agriculture Capital Grant Scheme is a new £10 million pilot scheme that will open for applications later in September and run for five weeks. It is intended to ensure that farmers and crofters also play a key role in a green recovery and will offer grants of up to £20,000 for purchases of new equipment.

Tax increases to combat Covid-19 losses?
According to The Sunday Times, treasury officials are planning to recover the nation’s finances that have been lost due to Covid-19 through a rise in both capital gains tax and corporation tax rates. Rishi Sunak is said to be considering a proposal to increase corporation tax from 19% to 24%, which would raise £12 billion in 2021 and £17 billion in 2023-24. Capital gains tax may be changed to align its rate with the rate of income tax that an individual pays. The pension triple lock, which ensures pensions rise by the highest out of inflation, the country’s average annual wage increase, or 2.5%, may also be scrapped in order to save money; this would break a Conservative manifesto commitment. Cabinet minister Thérèse Coffey has warned the treasury against increasing taxes, arguing instead for tax cuts to help stimulate the economy.

POLICY

UK develops world-leading new law to protect rainforests
The government has published plans to clamp down on illegal deforestation, through proposed legislation that would prohibit large UK businesses from using products grown on land that was deforested illegally. These businesses would be required to carry out due diligence on their supply chains to ensure that commodities used in their products such as cocoa, rubber, soy and palm oil are produced in line with local laws protecting forests and other ecosystems. The businesses would be required to publish information showing where these commodities are produced and businesses that fail to comply would be fined. The proposals would implement one of the recommendations made by the Global Resource Initiative which was formed in 2019 as the government’s independent taskforce responsible for considering how the UK could ‘green’ international supply chains. A six week consultation is running to gather views from UK and international stakeholders.

Department for International Trade steps up engagement with British farmers
As UK trade negotiations intensify, International Trade Secretary Liz Truss has launched 11 new trade advisory groups, to provide knowledge and experience, and to support the UK’s ambitious trade negotiations. An agri-food group is amongst the 11 and its advice will be used to help inform the government’s negotiating position and deliver key industry asks, including securing new market access for products such as beef and whisky.

Germany scraps Brexit talks at EU ambassadors' summit
Germany dismissed plans to discuss Brexit at a high level diplomatic meeting of EU ambassadors because there has been no ‘tangible progress’ in EU-UK negotiations. EU officials now believe the UK government is prepared to risk a no-deal exit when the transition period comes to an end on 31 December. The EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, last week declared he was surprised by the UK “wasting valuable time” in striking a deal. He explained that if the UK’s negotiating stance became more pragmatic and realistic, talks could be rescued. For the EU, “pragmatism” means accepting that tariff-free access to the single market necessitates common standards on environment, state aid, worker and consumer protection – a position rejected by the UK. British officials accused the EU of slowing progress through its insistence that nothing can now progress until the UK has accepted EU positions on fisheries and state aid policy. Talks resumed on 7 September and time is running short to reach a deal.

Sheep compensation in the face of a no-deal Brexit
According to Scottish rural economy secretary Fergus Ewing, the UK government is still planning to develop a Brexit compensation scheme for sheep farmers. It would help offset the impact of losing tariff-free access to the EU market in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Reduced market access would increase supplies on the domestic market and put downward pressure on UK prices with farm leaders warning that this could devastate the sheep sector. Defra secretary George Eustice confirmed a year ago that the government was considering making headage payments or slaughterhouse payments in this scenario, but no further detail has emerged yet.

EU CAP subsidies benefit the rich and fund environmental degradation
A new study shows that area-based CAP payments are exacerbating the inequality between the richest and poorest farmers. Controversially, it also demonstrates that the CAP subsidises farming regions with the most pollution and least biodiversity friendly farming habitats, concluding that that the CAP is unlikely to contribute towards EU green agendas. CAP reform doesn’t change the area-based payment mechanism, however it has been suggested that it should become needs-based similar to means-tested welfare payments. EU agricultural policy reform could reverse this trend and benefit sustainability, however it will require substantial political will. Future plans within England will break the direct linkage between farm and payment size, but perhaps the lesson to take for ELM from this study is that in focusing on “value for money”, Defra should ensure that it is not indirectly forcing the economies of scale.

ENVIRONMENT & NATURAL CAPITAL

Green Homes Grant scheme launches
The Green Homes Grant scheme is due to open by the end of September. It will allow homeowners and landlords in England to obtain funding for up to two thirds of the costs (up to £5,000) of energy saving measures that can be made to homes. Lower income households will be entitled to have up to £10,000 of the costs covered. The types of home improvements which can be funded under the scheme include insulation, the installation of double or triple glazing and low carbon heating. Not only are these improvements part of a green economic restructuring, they could also help households save up to £600 a year on energy bills. The Green Homes Grant scheme is planned to instigate energy-saving improvements to over 600,000 homes across the country and to support over 100,000 jobs in green construction.

Potential applicants can gain a better understanding of how the Green Homes Grants may help them through a five minute energy efficiency survey found on the Simple Energy Advice website, where they will then receive a personalised energy plan. Preparing with an early assessment and obtaining quotes from accredited tradespeople is being recommended as the Green Homes Grant vouchers are likely to be available on a first come first served basis.

Scotland leads global biodiversity action
The Scottish government is leading a global push to ensure action is taken at all levels to protect biodiversity. A statement of intent, known as The Edinburgh Declaration, has been agreed between subnational, regional and local governments across the world, calling on the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity to take bold action to stop biodiversity loss. It calls for greater responsibility and visibility to be given to the role of subnational governments, cities, local authorities and NGOs in delivering a new global framework of biodiversity targets, to be agreed next year.

PROPERTY & DEVELOPMENT

Development: ‘Taxing’ value gain
As part of its latest research, Land value capture: attitudes from the house-building industry on alternative mechanisms, the RICS has issued recommendations to the government to review the current taxation system to ensure it is fair, transparent and holistic. It argues that the government needs to widen its interest in land value capture, as it is still only looking at proposals aimed at developers and not those aimed at landowners or land. Instead the government should examine how it can streamline taxation and best capture funding to ensure that all those who benefit from development pay their fair share. It also recommends that any form of taxation implemented to deliver essential infrastructure provides clarity in its ambitions and is transparent in its distribution and application. Funds should also be ring fenced with priority given to the local area in which the funding was raised. 

Scotland: Support for tenants
Interest-free loans will be made available to residential tenants that are struggling to pay their rent due to financial difficulty arising from Covid-19. The £10 million Tenant Hardship Loan Fund will open later in the autumn and help those unable to access other forms of support for their housing costs. Alongside this, the Discretionary Housing Payment fund which aids tenants in receipt of benefits, will increase by £3 million. Emergency legislation put in place to protect private and social tenants from eviction during the pandemic will be extended by six months, pending approval by the Scottish parliament. Ministers will however introduce new regulations to allow for the notice period for eviction for anti-social or criminal behaviour to return to one month.

OTHER RURAL NEWS

Scotland: what is good land management?
The Scottish Land Commission has published a new Land Rights and Responsibilities Protocol which aims to promote good stewardship and high standards of land management across Scotland. The new protocol highlights that when changes are being proposed to urban or rural landscapes, there is an opportunity to shape and guide the change in a way that will deliver multiple benefits and enhancements for future generations. The protocol suggests that owners and managers should actively consider the long-term impacts of their property on the environment and on local communities, take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, review biodiversity levels, and consider creating publicly accessible green spaces. The protocol is the latest in a series of protocols produced by the Land Commission to encourage practical implementation of the Scottish government’s Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement.

And finally…
Let it rain (chocolate)
Residents of a small Swiss town found that buildings and properties had been dusted in chocolate rain after a glitch in a nearby chocolate factory. Lindt and Spruengli explained that its factory had experienced minor problems with the cooling ventilation system for roasted cocoa nibs, which, when combined with strong winds, resulted in a fine cocoa powder dusting across the town.