Consultations
Defra: A second volume of guidance on River Basin Management Planning has been published by Defra and the Welsh Assembly Government for consultation (closes 19 May 2008). The guidance outlines the role of environmental quality standards in implementing the Water Framework Directive (WFD), explains the range of new standards that have been developed by the UK environment agencies and considers the way in which the Directive's costs & benefits should be balanced.
The WFD is a challenging Europe-wide plan which considers water not just in terms of individual rivers, lakes or estuaries, but acknowledges its inextricable relationship with ecosystems as a whole. A key consideration in implementing the Directive is whether measures will incur disproportionate cost and the Directive offers welcome flexibility on this point.
The guidance focuses on the 9 river basin districts in England & Wales and one of the two cross-border river basin districts in England & Scotland, each of which is required to have a River Basin Management Plan (RBMP).
Press release ~ Consultation documents ~ Defra - Water Framework Directive ~ Future Water: the Government's water strategy for England ~ Improving surface water drainage: consultation to accompany proposals set out in the Government's water strategy, Future Water ~ Consultation on options for controls on phosphates in domestic laundry cleaning products in England ~ Consultation on draft statutory Social and Environmental Guidance to the Water Services Regulation Authority (Ofwat)
Defra: A national public consultation (closes 23 May 2008) has been launched on options for implementing the outstanding Single Payment Scheme (SPS) aspects of the reforms to the EU fresh & processed fruit and vegetable regime and the EU wine regime.
The reforms include provisions to allocate new SPS payment entitlements in respect of land growing permanent fruit & vegetables and nursery crops, with the potential for similar provisions to be made available in respect of vines. The consultation will seek views on the criteria under which any new entitlements should be allocated.
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