The NFU has responded to a Defra consultation on environmental enforcement which outlines proposals for a more proportionate, fairer and effective approach to enforcing environmental offences in England and Wales.
The NFU welcomes the opportunity to respond to this consultation and agrees in principle with the aims of the consultation on the introduction of civil sanctions and initial proposals to strengthen the role of the criminal courts.
However before regulatory agencies are awarded the new powers we have outlined the need to be convinced that there is clarity and transparency and that their use will be proportionate and consistent.
We have made it clear that Government must ensure and demonstrate that:
- The new sanctions will not lead to a more complex and less streamlined enforcement regime for agricultural businesses
- A 'no surprises' approach will be taken by regulatory agencies when carrying out enforcement action on businesses. Regulators enforcement policies must provide clarity and transparency about when the sanctions will be used and in what circumstances
- Civil sanction powers will only be awarded to regulators when they have fully met all the recommendations and principles of the Hampton Reviews. This will give business confidence in the process
- Training and guidance is provided to enforcement staff on a regular basis to ensure they are aware of regulators enforcement policies and a consistent and proportionate approach is taken when non-compliance is found
- Advice and guidance will remain the normal response in the majority of cases of non-compliance
To read the full NFU response please click here
- edward walpole-brown 111 - 08/10/2010
Deeply concerned on two issues:
1. That there is no mention within any documents of the effects on the source of water supplies that are required not only by farmers and growers but by the nation as a whole. The Environment Agency states that over half of the nation's water comes from underground supplies. With the government cutbacks and, sorry to say, the profiteering water companies, the agency will not be able to comprehensively assess the effect of the proposed lines. In fact, they are way behind in their mapping.
2. It is disasterous to note that an EEC regulation has imposed that the over 1 billion-worth or orders for replacement rolling stock in this country has lead the order to being given to japan at a time when the Uk can ill afford to lose business.