Speciality Food Magazine May 2024

7 specialityfoodmagazine.com Following devastating weather events in the early part of 2024, including StormHenk, Defra announced a package of support for farmers in affected areas this April. Shortly after praising the scheme, the NFU released a statement citing “major issues” with the fund. Hellos said, “We are hearing fromnumerous members who have suffered catastrophic impacts, who have been told they are not eligible for the fund because some of their affected areas are more than 150meters from ‘main rivers’. These include members with 90% of their land saturated or underwater, and huge damage to buildings and equipment.” She continued, “I cannot believe this is what ministers intended when they first launched the fund, which was a welcome and well-intentioned development.” In response farming minister, Mark Spencer, said, “We want to make sure the Farming Recovery Fund offers the support farmers need to recover from uninsurable damage. It’s why we’ve listened and responded to feedback on the launch of the initial phase of this scheme, fully removing the 150 meter limit. “This means that farmers will be able to receive payments for all land parcels which are flooded contiguous to an eligible river. We’ll continue to listen to farmers and look at howwe can expand the scheme and improve support for those affected.” The Farming Recovery Fund was drawn up to support farmers who suffered uninsurable damage to land due to flooding in the early part of 2024, with those eligible able to access grants of £500 to £25,000 to cover recultivation costs. It is aimed at businesses in Gloucestershire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Warwickshire, West Northamptonshire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire, with the NFU, at the time, sayingministers who had driven it forward “will have the thanks of many of our members for whom it will be a lifeline.” Hallos said, “People should be in no doubt about the immense pressure Responding to concerns raised by NFU vice president Rachel Hellos, Defra has confirmed it has altered its Farming Recovery Fund. Defra responds to concerns over Farming Recovery Fund UK farmbusinesses are under thanks to this unprecedented and constant rain. It’s no exaggeration to say a crisis is building. While farmers are bearing the brunt of it now, consumers may well see the effects through the year as produce simply doesn’t leave the farm gate.” Farmers are being contacted by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) outlining support available to them, and how they canmake a claim. The FarmRecovery Fund is part of a broader scheme, the Flood Recovery Framework, which is activated in exceptional circumstances to support councils and communities following severe flooding. The last year has seen exceptionally heavy rainfall across the UK, with 2023 named the sixth wettest since records began in 1836. The government has protected 900,000 acres of agricultural land from the impact of flooding, and is investing £5.6 billion to further protect hundreds of thousands of properties, particularly in rural areas. Environmental group City to Sea and campaigners from 38 Degrees have come together to call for a ban on single-use packaging for food and drink served to eat-in at restaurants, cafes and bars across the UK. They hope their petition will influence the government to follow French legislation introduced in 2023, which could see 180,000 tonnes of packaging saved every year. Plastic pollution remains one of the UK’s biggest environmental issues, and campaigners believe current rules (which don’t affect plastic containers filled with food or drink at the point of sale), don’t go far enough. Steve Hynd, policymanager at City to Sea, said, “There are some areas of life where getting rid of single- use packaging and plastics is really hard. The takeaway sector is one of them. So first tackling the hundreds of thousands of tons of packaging used in eat-in settings is a painfully obvious step. “Single-use cups, boxes and plates are wasteful, unnecessary and can easily be avoided by replacing single-use packaging with reusable cups, crockery and cutlery which get washed instead of thrown away after just one use.” He continued, “This isn’t pie- in-the-sky thinking or even a new idea. It’s how food always used to be served. And it's already law in neighbouring countries like France. If you walk into any food outlet in France, even fast-food restaurants like McDonalds, your meal will now be served in ‘reusable packaging’ - usually just a plate and cutlery. If France can do it, so can we.” Grace de Blaca, campaignmanager at 38 Degrees, added, “The last time City to Sea and 38 Degrees joined forces, we helpedmore than 100,000 people call for a ban on some of our most polluting single-use plastics - and we won. Now, it’s time to take on the pointless plastic pollution scourge of eat-in restaurants.” More than 30 NGOs, including City to Sea, have written to negotiators calling for the ban to be included in future PPWR (Packaging and Packaging Waste) regulations, to cover establishments withmore than 20 covers, minimising impact on smaller retailers. The petition, available to view on the 38 Degrees website, has already been signed by nearly 25,000 people. Campaigners call for ban on all single-use food and drink packaging