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Wildlife charity declares 'butterfly emergency'A wildlife charity has declared a national “butterfly emergency” after it...
19/09/2024

Wildlife charity declares 'butterfly emergency'

A wildlife charity has declared a national “butterfly emergency” after its annual Big Butterfly Count recorded its lowest ever numbers.
The count has been running for 14 years. This year’s poor results are partly down to the wet weather but the long-term trend is hugely concerning, says Butterfly Conservation.
It is calling on the government to ban pesticides that can harm butterflies and bees “before it’s too late”.
Butterflies are at “their lowest ebb” on the back of 50 years of decline, said the charity's head of science, Dr Richard Fox.
“Butterflies are a key indicator species; when they are in trouble we know that the wider environment is in trouble too,” he said.
Neonicotinoid pesticides were banned in the UK in 2018 but have been approved four times in a row in emergencies to tackle a virus that attacks sugar beet.
A spokesperson from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs said it was “committed to deliver for nature and will change existing policies, including banning the use of those neonicotinoid pesticides that threaten vital pollinators” - but has given no time scales for doing so.
The Nature Friendly Farming Network, which represents farmers working to improve nature, called for support for farmers and consumers wanting to step away from such products.
"This disastrous decline in butterfly numbers is deeply concerning, but changing the way we manage our farm landscapes can play a critical role in halting biodiversity decline," said CEO, Martin Lines.
He said it was essential to move away from the use of pesticides in farming and instead "embrace nature-friendly alternatives such as creating habitats for pollinators and predatory insects".
But the National Farmers Union (NFU) said many factors, including weather extremes and record temperatures will have played their part in the decline of butterflies.
NFU environment forum chair, Richard Bramley, said: “The inclusion of neonicotinoids in this debate is unhelpful and misleading. There is no clear scientific evidence to show this pesticide use in the decline of butterfly numbers."
This year’s fall in butterfly numbers is thought to have been made worse by the wet spring coupled with the late arrival of summer heat.
Wider data from the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme - one of the longest running insect monitoring schemes in the world – shows yearly fluctuations in butterfly numbers in response to weather conditions amid a long-term picture of decline driven by climate change, habitat loss, pollution and pesticides.
Dr Marc Botham of the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology said 33% of species had shown a significant decline in their abundance on monitored sites in the UK over the past 48 years.
“It’s quite simple really – there’s not enough habitat and what is there isn’t good quality," he said.
"We need to be putting [measures] in place to increase the amount and quality of habitat so that [butterflies and other wildlife] can do better.”

Union votes no confidence in meat plant managementA farmer's union has declared a vote of no confidence in the managemen...
22/08/2024

Union votes no confidence in meat plant management

A farmer's union has declared a vote of no confidence in the management of the Isle of Man's government-subsidised Meat Plant.
The Manx National Farmers' Union (MNFU) issued an open letter calling for action to be taken.
The letter said an increase in cancellations and delays had forced farms to hold stock for longer than could be afforded to or export it, and significant quantities of meat had been disposed of with "questionable excuses as to why".
Isle of Man Meats said that it understood the "seriousness of the concerns which have been raised" but resolving the issues would "take time".
In a statement the company said it was "in a period of change as a result of the embedded, inherited issues that are not easily resolved" and it would take time to overcome them.
"We are doing everything we can to balance the needs of the producers with a sustainable financial business model that is fair and equitable for all stakeholders," it added.
'Rock bottom'
Earlier this year, large quantities of meat were thrown away by the plant due to a freezer failure, and some beef products were recalled and destructed after a faulty packaging machine caused production delays.
The union's letter said the dumping of product to the animal waste processing plant was "unheard of" before the company's current management.
Cancellations and delays meant that "trade customers struggle to have orders fulfilled and have needed to seek product from elsewhere", it continued.
Confidence in the company's ability to service the industry had "now hit rock bottom" and a "poor level of management" was having a "disastrous impact" on local producers.
"Immediate action must be implemented by the shareholders to repair the damage that has been imposed on the agricultural industry and the local food supply chain", the letter added.
A spokesman for the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture said while the management of the plant, which receives about £2m of government funding each year, had sought to make improvements, the facility's performance "in recent times has been challenging".
"DEFA is committed to working with the chair, board, producers, customers and all stakeholders to ensure we can see improvements at the abattoir," he added

Beach cages to help protect threatened birdsBird cages are being placed along beaches to help protect a threatened bird....
05/08/2024

Beach cages to help protect threatened birds

Bird cages are being placed along beaches to help protect a threatened bird.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and Natural England are working together to install the cages along the coast in Cumbria to protect ringed plovers.
The birds are red listed, meaning they have special protection, and the project was set up in response to the growing number of "failed nests", the RSPB said.
RSPB conservationist Steph Leow said only five out of 30 breeding pairs of ringed plover on a three-mile stretch of coast had managed to hatch chicks, and only two had got chicks to a fledgling stage.

Ringed plovers are small birds which can be spotted around shingle beaches, where they nest between April and August.
The birds have seen a 37% UK population decline since 1984, the RSPB said.
The charity added it wanted to encourage people to keep away from the cages when they spotted them on the beach.
Ms Leow said: "We’ve had a brilliant public response so far and we’re also grateful to the various landowners and local councils for their support.
"We have a long way to go, and we likely won’t see results this year, but people are responding to help and that will hopefully lead to an increase in chick survival rates next year."

Nuclear fusion prototype will be ‘UK’s NASA moment’A nuclear fusion energy plant being built in Nottinghamshire has been...
25/07/2024

Nuclear fusion prototype will be ‘UK’s NASA moment’

A nuclear fusion energy plant being built in Nottinghamshire has been described as the “UK’s NASA moment” as it races to become the first of its type in the world.
The work, based at the decommissioned West Burton A power station near Retford, will create a new source of clean energy.
The project, called Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP), was showcased at a launch event on Tuesday in Gainsborough, just over the border in Lincolnshire.
Nuclear fusion recreates the same process which powers the sun and if plans are approved, backers said the project is expected to be constructed by 2040.

The STEP project is being led by UK Industrial Fusion Solutions (UK IFS), which is owned by the UK Atomic Energy Authority.
West Burton A was chosen as the location for the facility in October 2022 by the government.
Prof David Gann, chair of UK IFS, said: “We’re on the cusp of creating an energy source for the world which will be transformative.
"We’re turning science into reality right here in Nottinghamshire.
“It’s a magnificent opportunity for any region to take on.
"We’ll see all sorts of new sectors opening up in robotics, AI [artificial intelligence], engineering, manufacturing and materials, and new companies growing.”

Fusion is the process of combining atomic particles together, releasing huge amounts of energy, and is much cleaner than the nuclear fission currently used by some other power stations, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
It is estimated that hundreds of jobs will be created during the design phase, thousands during construction and hundreds more for the long-term operation.

Last season of excavation starts at Roman fortArchaeologists have started excavating a Roman fort for the final time, me...
04/07/2024

Last season of excavation starts at Roman fort

Archaeologists have started excavating a Roman fort for the final time, meaning some ancient artefacts may never see the light of day.
They are investigating remains at Birdoswald, in Brampton, on the Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site in Cumbria.
This will be the last season of excavations at the site, looking into remains of houses, communal spaces, workplaces, a bath complex and a potential extension of the cemetery area.
"You could go on forever - you could have lifetimes here and you'd still be discovering things," said Newcastle University professor and project co-director Ian Haynes.

"But as far as the big questions that we were hoping to address, I think working as a team between the institutions, we have done pretty well."
Finds from the five seasons of digging at the site will be logged and stored at Tullie museum in Carlisle, where they may go on public display in the future.

Over the course of the five-year project, which began in 2021, Newcastle University archaeology students have also joined the dig.
Student Jessica Pugh said finding artefacts was a "really special thing".
"Each bit of pot is like a memento from someone else's life - someone's spent loads of time making that and they're not remembered in history, but you're the next person to actually hold that piece of pot again," she said.
The dig has been an opportunity for students to get hand-on experience on a dig.
Student Charlie Rousseau-Williams said: "It's been really amazing - I've been looking forward to this for most of my life, it's been my dream since I was eight."
'Varied settlement'
Guided tours are given to spread the word about the importance of the site.
"It's always the way that new questions emerge as you excavate, but we've got a very good sense now, working with our colleagues at Historic England, of just what a varied settlement this was," Prof Haynes said.
The greatest concentration of finds, ranging from household items to slingshot bullets, was unearthed to the north of the wall last year.
Archaeologists said they suggested a deliberately planned community which was thriving and trading, challenging assumptions that civilians were sheltering to the south of the fortifications.
Prof Haynes added: "There is a lot going on here and we've got a better sense of how this place worked 1,800 years ago."

Campaign to protect former golf course from housingA campaign has been launched to protect a former golf course from pos...
20/06/2024

Campaign to protect former golf course from housing

A campaign has been launched to protect a former golf course from possible development.
Residents and the town council in Bradford on Avon want the "ecologically rich" land to be rewilded and turned into a nature reserve.
Chris Alexander, who has made a short film for the campaign, said: "I feel that the biodiversity and the wildlife that has moved into here, outweighs the need for potential housing."
The land has been included as a reserve site in Wiltshire Council's draft local plan but a spokesperson said it would only be considered for development if targets cannot be met elsewhere.

Bradford on Avon Town Council has launched a petition asking Wiltshire Council to remove the former golf course from its draft local plan for housing.
The golf course, running alongside the River Avon, closed in 2007.
It has previously been the subject of housing applications, one of which was rejected in 2008 over concerns the development would involve the "disturbance of large quantities of toxic waste".
"It was a tip at one time, so there is evidence that there are quite a few toxic chemicals underground," said resident, Kate Nottage.
"The run off into the Avon is a risk, the loss of biodiversity is a huge risk."
Despite the concerns, it has been earmarked by Wiltshire Council as a reserve site for up to 120 homes, which could be built up to 2038.

Mr Alexander, of White Space Films, was commissioned to produce a 14-minute film showing the wildlife benefits of protecting the site, near Greenland View, from development.
Cabinet member for development management and strategic planning, Nick Botterill, said: “This is large and complex undertaking.
"We want to be sure that we get it right, so everyone’s views have been considered prior to the plan being submitted to the planning inspector for examination."
The cabinet will consider the results of a consultation about the site's future in October.

Beach art to open Cornish climate change festivalA town in north Cornwall is hosting a series of events about climate ch...
03/06/2024

Beach art to open Cornish climate change festival

A town in north Cornwall is hosting a series of events about climate change on Saturday.
Bude Climate Festival will feature music, comedy, theatre and arts activities from sunrise to sunset.
The festival will open with artist Bill Bartlett creating a large collaborative piece of beach art on Summerleaze Beach.
Events during the day are free and people wishing to attend should book places on the Bude Climate Partnership website, organisers said.
'Renewable art canvas'
Mr Bartlett's art is inspired by the mathematical Fibonacci Sequence - where each number in the sequence is created by adding the previous two together - which also appears in nature.
He said: "Patterns in cells are circle work, from the small, like DNA, to the very big, by which a galaxy is Fibonacci."
In the two-hour session the artist teaches people to use poles, tools and ropes to create sacred geometrical circles in the sand to make patterns.
"Everyone's got a bit of an artist in them, a creative ability," Mr Bartlett said. "When the tide comes in, it's a renewable art canvas."

Activities for children at the festival include storytelling and circus skills, while for older visitors there will be a fashion village and a bicycle maintenance hub.
A series of films about climate change will be shown and there will be a panel discussion about adapting to climate change.
The full list of events can be found on the Bude Climate Partnership website.

Farmers want tougher action for dog attacks on sheepFarmers on the Isle of Man want to see tougher penalties for owners ...
16/05/2024

Farmers want tougher action for dog attacks on sheep

Farmers on the Isle of Man want to see tougher penalties for owners of dogs which attack livestock.

Reports from farmers suggest at least 26 sheep were killed by dogs in 2023, with up to 90 injured.

The Manx National Farmers Union has said the island's courts are "limited" by current legislation regarding livestock protection.

A government spokesman said meetings would be planned to "consider the issues and potential options" to strengthen legislation.

'Distressed'
The MNFU's concerns come after reported incidents over the weekend including several pregnant ewes being chased by dogs, with one later dying.

Secretary Sarah Comish said farmers had also reported "issues with lambing due to the stress on their bodies" and "lambs being savaged to death".

In 2023, the union said 82% of farmers had reported at least one sheep worrying incident involving dogs in the last two years.

The union said farmers had been left feeling "angry, stressed, scared, distressed, frustrated, sad and bewildered".

The MNFU has said it wants to see changes made to the Dog Act that would make it easier for police to investigate and prosecute offending dog owners.

Those powers would include increased maximum penalties, seizing dogs and imposing regulations to ensure dogs are kept on leads on or adjacent to agricultural land.

A spokesman for the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture said that the department was "aware" of the proposals.

He said that Defa staff had met farmers and were due to have further meetings with the union and police.

He added: "The Animal Welfare Act 2023, which will become operational next month, may also present an opportunity to make secondary legislation to address these issues, which may be a quicker solution than amending the Dogs Act, which is primary legislation."

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