Environment news

• Farmers lose legal challenge to cancellation of Derbyshire badger cull

  13-05-2020 21:09
  
  Wildlife groups welcome ruling as high court dismisses judicial review by NFU on all groundsFarmers have lost a challenge to the government’s cancellation of the badger cull in Derbyshire in a high court ruling that has been welcomed by wildlife groups.A judicial review of the environment secretary’s decision to halt a planned expansion of the cull to Derbyshire last September brought by the National Farmers’ Union was dismissed on all grounds. Continue reading...
  
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• Seizing the moment: how Australia can build a green economy from the Covid-19 wreckage

  13-05-2020 19:30
  
  As the government prepares plans for economic recovery, investors and green groups alike say this is a once-only opportunity to move towards zero emissionsThis is the first a new series, The Green Recovery, looking at the environmental challenges of a post-pandemic worldThere is a growing case that recovery from the coronavirus offers Australia a chance to succeed where it has failed for more than a decade: to break away from the climate wars and head in a new direction.Here and overseas, the id
  
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• Russian supertrawlers off Scottish coast spark fears for UK marine life

  13-05-2020 19:00
  
  Environmentalists call for crackdown on ‘destructive’ vessels after fleet spottedA fleet of Russian supertrawlers has been spotted fishing off the coast of Scotland in a protected area, raising concerns by environmentalists over the impact of industrial vessels on marine life in UK waters.The 11 vessels, among the largest trawlers in the world, have spent “significant time” fishing in the Wyville-Thomson Ridge, a British special area of conservation (SAC), according to da
  
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• The Citizen's Army: why 1.3m of us could be called up to fight giant hogweed

  13-05-2020 16:00
  
  If government plans get the go-ahead, a volunteer force could be formed to combat the invasive species that transmit disease and harm biodiversity – from floating pennywort to signal crayfish
  Name: The Citizens’ Army.Age: As a concept, ancient; as a mobilised force, still in the planning stages. Continue reading...
  
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• edie launches free Decentralised Energy Toolkit for businesses

  13-05-2020 15:42
  
  edie has today (13 May) launched a new toolkit, in association with UK Power Network Services, to outline and showcase how businesses large and small can explore distributed energy solutions to assist with decarbonisation strategies and give them more control over energy usage.
  
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• BNP Paribas accelerates coal phase-out as BlackRock predicts clean energy future

  13-05-2020 15:12
  
  Corporate bank BNP Paribas is speeding up its phase-out of support for coal projects, while BlackRock has claimed that renewables are still the course of action for the global energy mix. However, other investors that have made low-carbon commitments have been accused of supporting a tar sands oil project in Canada.
  
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• Animals Farmed: Meat plant virus outbreaks, China's cattle imports and Amazon forest fires

  13-05-2020 13:14
  
  Welcome to our monthly roundup of the biggest issues in farming and food production, with must-read reports from around the webUS senators have called for pork producers to be given financial assistance to ensure the “humane euthanization and disposal” of up to 7 million pigs that could be left on-farm due to the high number of meat processing plants in the country either temporarily shut down, or having to slow down because of the coronavirus pandemic. The disposal of farm animals c
  
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• L'Oréal launches €150m social and environmental fund to support coronavirus response

  13-05-2020 12:54
  
  Global cosmetic firm L'Oréal has noted the need to focus on regenerating the environment while also supporting those impacted by the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus, and has responded by launching a €50m social fund to support vulnerable women and a €100m environment fund.
  
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• UK windfarms to spur green job growth

  13-05-2020 12:27
  
  The firms behind the world's biggest offshore wind farm Dogger Bank have outlined plans to create 200 new jobs at the Port of Tyne, while Scottish Power plans to use its wind farms as part of an energy cluster scheme that will support 600 jobs in Scotland.
  
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• UK takeaway food waste rises during coronavirus lockdown

  13-05-2020 08:00
  
  Survey shows food waste generated has risen from £111 to £148 per restaurant per weekCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageFood waste generated by UK restaurants dishing up takeaways during the lockdown has risen as a result of consumers’ “unpredictable ordering patterns” during the pandemic, research has revealed.Unusual fluctuations in demand have led to an increase in food waste generated in takeaway outlets rising from an average of &
  
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• EU's live export trade puts welfare of millions of animals at risk – report

  13-05-2020 08:00
  
  European commission finds welfare gaps, non-compliance and poor planning in trade of animals to North Africa and the Middle-EastThe welfare of millions of cattle, sheep and goats exported from the EU is being put at risk by failings including heat stress, bad planning and a lack of information from the destination country, a new European commission report has found.Among the systemic problems identified were poor planning for high temperatures, an issue that has been raised repeatedly by campaig
  
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• Green energy firms on track to deliver multibillion-pound windfarms

  13-05-2020 07:00
  
  Companies want to power greener economic recovery following Covid-19 pandemicBritain’s biggest green energy companies are on track to deliver multibillion-pound windfarm investments across the north-east of England and Scotland to help power a cleaner economic recovery.Scottish Power plans to “repower” Scotland’s oldest commercial windfarm as part of a £150m scheme to develop a clean energy cluster in central Scotland capable of supplying 100,000 homes with green el
  
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• Green energy firms on track to deliver multi-billion pound wind farms

  13-05-2020 07:00
  
  Companies want to power greener economic recovery following Covid-19 pandemicBritain’s biggest green energy companies are on track to deliver multi-billion pound wind farm investments across the north-east of England and Scotland to help power a cleaner economic recovery.Scottish Power plans to “repower” Scotland’s oldest commercial wind farm as part of a £150m scheme to develop a clean energy cluster in central Scotland capable of supplying 100,000 homes with green
  
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• Country diary: a crawling, sprawling floral underclass

  13-05-2020 06:30
  
  Spetisbury, Dorset: Though a frowned-upon weed, blooming speedwells provide colour in a locked-down gardenMy lockdown love story began when my glance fell on deep blue eyes. In a sunny glade, the spotlight fell momentarily on the searing blue micro-blooms of germander speedwell, Veronica chamaedrys, each 10mm across, and I was hooked.Speedwells are a group of flowers with three same-sized top petals bullying a much smaller fourth, as if six o’clock was the least important time of day. I&rs
  
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• Coronavirus: Does lockdown easing 'follow the science'?

  13-05-2020 05:40 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Why is England pressing ahead with plans to ease lockdown rules ahead of the rest of the UK?
  
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• MPs to vote virtually on Agriculture Bill

  13-05-2020 02:02
  
  The House of Commons is set to undergo its first virtual voting procedure today (13 May), with MPs given one last opportunity to amend the Agriculture Bill which is designed to safeguard agricultural processes and the natural environment.
  
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• Nature crisis: Moths have 'secret role' as crucial pollinators

  13-05-2020 01:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Fluttering creatures of the night are also vital pollinators of plants and flowers, say scientists.
  
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• MPs urge UK ban on chlorinated chicken and hormone-fed beef

  13-05-2020 01:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Hormone-fed beef and chlorine-washed chicken should remain banned in England. the government is warned.
  
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