Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Welsh Affairs Committee
Publisher: Stationery Office
ISBN: 9780215057563
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 78
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Book Description
Dairy farming is of considerable economic and social importance to Wales, accounting for a third of all agricultural production by value and employing thousands of people. The dairy industry in Wales has an estimated total economic output of about £420m, one third (30%) of all Welsh agricultural production. There are 1,901 dairy farmers in Wales who produce 1.5 billion litres of milk per year, 12% of the total UK milk volume. The 224,000 dairy cattle in Wales constitute about 12% of the UK dairy herd. Long-standing cost pressures on dairy farmers came to a head in a crisis in summer last year, 2012, when processors announced a series of milk price reductions to be implemented at short notice. The Committee's key conclusions are: (i) The new voluntary code of practice is an important step forward to redress the balance in the contractual relationship between dairy producer and purchaser; (ii) The Committee urges all dairy processors who have not yet signed the voluntary code to do so; (iii) The code must be given time to work; (iv) Should the voluntary code fail, the UK Government must legislate for a statutory code of contracts.
Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 9780215560919
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 154
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Book Description
The Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee reports that the European Commission's proposed package of measures for the dairy sector is not sufficient on its own to redress the problems facing the UK industry. It warns that farm-gate milk prices remain below the average cost of production and calls on the Government to set out its strategy to improve the state of the UK dairy sector. The MPs call on the Government to ensure that UK dairy farmers are offered written contracts by processors that specify either the raw milk price or the principles underpinning the price, the volume and timing of deliveries, as well as duration of the agreement. The Committee also argues that the forthcoming abolition of EU milk quotas coupled with growing global demand for dairy products creates a significant window of opportunity for UK dairy production. The Committee supports the European Commission's proposal to allow dairy producer organisations to jointly set prices but warned that without greater safeguards this could lead to competitive distortions. In addition, the Committee calls on DEFRA to promptly establish its position on large-scale dairy farming. DEFRA should also provide greater support for innovative research and development in the dairy sector that is focussed on novel uses and processes that add value.
Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Welsh Affairs Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 9780215063359
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 110
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Book Description
The Work Programme is the latest government-contracted employment programme, which aims to support long-term jobseekers into work and off unemployment benefits. Launched in June 2011, the Work Programme replaced a number of previous welfare-to-work programmes and consolidates employment support for a very wide range of jobseekers into a single mainstream programme. Providers, who are predominantly commercial companies, provide support to participants, and receive payments for finding participants sustained employment. In Wales one in nine people who joined the Work Programme in its first two years found sustained employment (defined as 13 or 26 weeks). This is the lowest rate in Great Britain, though not much lower than the average. The Committee's conclusions include: Working Links Wales and Rehab Jobfit-the two providers operating in Wales-must ensure that both they and their subcontractors have specific measures in place to support lone parents; and that Work Programme participants in Wales-unlike those in England-cannot access European Social Fund training and skills courses which is hampering the performance of the Work Programme in Wales and ultimately the opportunities available to the long-term unemployed. Similarly, DWP must enable participants to exit the Work Programme if required in order to access Jobs Growth Wales. The key issue here seems to be that there is a lack of flexibility in and between the various programmes set up to get people into work, and that this lack of flexibility appears to be more marked in Wales
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Food
Languages : en
Pages : 116
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Book Description
Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Welsh Affairs Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 9780215062734
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 140
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Book Description
The costs of housing benefit currently makes up more than a tenth of the UK Government's expenditure on welfare, with costs forecast to reach £25 billion by 2014-15. The Government's policy on under-occupation came into force in April 2013 and it is estimated that 40,000 tenants in Wales will be affected; representing 46% of working age housing benefit claimants living in the social rented sector. This is the highest proportion of any region in Great Britain. There could therefore be a shortage of one and two bedroom homes in Wales to re-house everyone who wants to downsize. If local authorities are struggling to find alternative smaller accommodation for Government should undertake a speedy review of this policy. It is also increasingly urgent for the Welsh Government to continue with its house-building programme, with a particular focus on the building of smaller sized properties: obviously this is a long-term solution that would require additional resources. If no social housing is available, tenants may need to move to the private rented sector and private rental costs would need to be monitored. The costs of moving disabled households who require adaptations are also a concern. There may be a case for exempting disabled households from the policy. The Government's proposal to pay housing benefit direct to social tenants under Universal Credit may result in some tenants being unable to manage their rent payments. The Committee recommends that the Government provide for housing benefit to be paid direct to the landlords in certain circumstances, for example after a specified period of non-payment
Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Welsh Affairs Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 0215072960
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 44
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Book Description
Shale gas represents an opportunity for Wales but it must not come at the expense of Wales's natural environment. Both the UK and Welsh Governments must consider environmental risks, including the traffic and noise caused by commercial shale gas operations as well as the visual impact and other environmental risks associated with fracking. The issue of treatment, transportation and disposal of wastewater is a growing concern: toxic and radioactive water must not be allowed to contaminate water courses. The Government forecasts that nearly 70% of the UK's gas supply will be imported by 2025. It is vital that the UK identifies new sources of gas if it is to safeguard the UK's security of supply. Shale gas production across the UK is currently at the exploratory stage and there is no good data yet on the amount of shale gas in Wales. Should considerable reserves of shale gas be present-as industry representatives predict-it could be a decade before a viable shale gas industry is created in Wales. The UK Government and the Welsh Government should work with commercial companies and others to provide a reliable range of estimates of shale gas available in Wales and assess the overall impact of shale gas supply on the level and mix of energy produced in Wales and the UK. The Welsh Government should also begin to consider how the employment opportunities presented by shale gas production could be maximised
Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 0215081064
Category : Dairy products
Languages : en
Pages : 32
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Book Description
Worldwide pressure on milk prices has resulted from a combination of rising supply and falling demand, partly because of reduced demand from China and a Russian trade ban with the EU. Rapid and wide fluctuations in milk price bring pressure to bear on the UK dairy industry, and farmers have been leaving it in significant numbers in recent years. While there is no single solution to the problems created by these rapid changes in milk prices, it is incumbent on the Government, and Defra in particular, to promote UK dairy produce domestically and in growing export markets. Action to encourage the spread of Producer Organisations, a review of the EU intervention price for milk and clearer regulation on the labelling of dairy products could all assist a struggling industry. The voluntary code of best practice in the dairy industry, introduced after similar price difficulties in 2012, has been adopted by about 85 per cent of dairy producers and welcomed in improving matters as far as it goes. Closer attention is required, however, to the sharpness and frequency of price changes in the dairy market, which affect investment and financial planning. The Groceries Code Adjudicator's role, concerning the relationship between direct suppliers and major retailers, is too restricted to be of assistance to the vast majority of dairy producers, as they are indirect suppliers.
Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Great Britain
Languages : en
Pages : 786
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Book Description
Author: Gabriela Steier
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319180029
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 878
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Book Description
This volume is an inspiring and breakthrough piece of academic scholarship and the first of its kind featuring a comprehensive reader-friendly approach to teach the intricacies of the various aspects of international farm animal, wildlife conservation, food safety and environmental protection law. The selected focus areas are grouped in sections, such as agrobiodiversity, fishing and aquaculture, pollinators and pesticides, soil management, industrial animal production and transportation, and international food trade. Farm animal welfare, environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, and food safety are the core of the selected chapters. Every chapter provides real-world examples to make the complex field easy to understand. With its systematic approach, this book is devoted to anyone interested in the subject, becomes a valuable resource for professionals working in food regulation, and provides a solid foundation for courses and master’s programs in animal law, environmental policy, food and agriculture law, and regulation of these subjects around the world. Through its emphasis on sustainable food production, this work offers a cutting-edge selection of evolving topics at the heart of the pertinent discourse. As one of its highlights, this books also provides “Tools for Change,” a unique compilation and analysis of laws from the major farm animal product trading nations. With these tools, practitioners, advocates, policy makers and other state-holders are equipped with information to start work toward improving farm animal welfare, wildlife conservation, and food safety through the use of law and policy.
Author: J.A. Sidwell
Publisher: iSmithers Rapra Publishing
ISBN: 9780902348691
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 122
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Book Description
Polymeric materials have revolutionised the way we package store and even cook our food. We now buy soft and alcoholic drinks in transparent, lightc099 plastic bottles, and precooked meals in plastic trays which we reheat in a microwave or conventional oven. This state-of-the-art review draws together the legal framework within which the industry must work, with the technological advances being made both in materials performance and the analysis of migrating monomers and additives. An additional indexed section containing several hundred abstracts from the Rapra Polymer Library database provides useful references for further reading.
