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The Latest Breaking News from Defra

Wednesday briefing: Why was the UK so poorly prepared for extreme flooding?

In today’s newsletter: Our environment reporter on what went wrong following Storm Bert and whether widespread flooding might make the government to face up to the country’s leaky defences

The Guardian - UK

Water companies in England ‘using loopholes’ to avoid paying for outages

Ofwat CEO says rules must be changed so that customers left without water get compensation automatically

The Guardian - UK

Mapped: The rural Labour MPs most at risk from farmer inheritance tax backlash

The Tories could take advantage of farmers’ anger to regain dozens of seats lost to Labour in rural areas, as inheritance tax changes prompt fury

The Independent UK

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No hiding place for Labour’s farming minister as Whitehall teems with tweed and gumboots

Farage cosplayed Mr Toad, Victoria Atkins troubled all fashion sense, but Steve Reed won the turnip for his flailing defence of inheritance tax changes

The Guardian - UK

Farm inheritance tax: farmers cannot go green if they are in the red

In villages across the country, irate farmers have accused the government of trying to end the tradition of the family farm by scrapping agricultural property relief, a measure which previously sheltered farms from having to pay inheritance tax on farmland.

The Conversation

Government accused of ‘hammer blow’ to farmers as thousands protest in London

Farmers flocked to Whitehall to protest against changes to inheritance tax and other measures in last month’s Budget.

The Independent UK

England’s national parks facing financial peril due to budget cuts, say CEOs

Leaders warn cost savings will lead to mass redundancies and that spaces could become ‘paper parks’

The Guardian - UK

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NFU chief hints farmers could take more extreme action if government ignores inheritance tax protest

More than 10,000 farmers descended on Westminster on Tuesday to urge the government to backtrack on the levy

The Independent UK

Farmers Descend On London To Overturn Inheritance Tax Change

British farmers massed in London on Tuesday for protests against controversial government plans to change inheritance tax rules for land ownership, which they claim threatens to break up the sector and hit food production.

International Business Times

Farming protest ‘definitely’ on after ‘tough’ talks with minister – NFU head

Tom Bradshaw said the demonstrations would leave an ‘indelible mark’ as farmers seek to lobby MPs to stand up against the Government’s plans.

Evening Standard

Farmers set to protest over ‘completely unacceptable’ inheritance tax changes

Government is insisting the introduction of inheritance tax on farm businesses worth more than £1m is ‘fair’ and closes a loophole.

Evening Standard

Red squirrels ‘to vanish from England’ unless vaccine against squirrelpox funded

Conservation group warns species threatened by exploding populations of grey squirrels who carry lethal virus

The Guardian - UK

Rachel Reeves fightback to woo the City: I’ll ease banking regulations

Chancellor pledges to lift banking regulations to boost growth as she launches fightback against criticism of her Budget

The Independent UK

A dream day for Labour as opposition is reduced to noises off

Reeves is untroubled by a financially illiterate Tory leader, while Starmer allows himself a minor celebration

The Guardian - UK

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Evening Standard

Government defends farm tax changes as support for protests swells

Farmers are planning a mass lobby of MPs and rally next week in Parliament.

The Guardian - UK

Farm income falls in England after extreme weather and subsidy cuts

Defra data shows lower income for most farm types but small boost from payments for nature-friendly schemes

The Independent UK

Farm incomes plummeted by 50% in a year, official figures reveal as fears grow over ‘tractor tax’

Farm incomes are at their lowest since 2015/16, official figures indicate

The Independent UK

Confusion over how many farms will be hit by controversial tractor tax after ‘staggering’ admission

Critics argue that Defra figures suggest Treasury claims that only 28 per cent of farms will be affected are wrong

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Evening Standard

Minister rejects plea by London civil servants to work 4-four day week: 'We're not living in the 1970s'

Pensions minister Emma Reynolds also dismissed claims that a shorter working week for civil servants would save the Government more than £20million

The Independent UK

Minister slaps down civil servants asking for four-day week: ‘This is not the 1970s’

The arrangement would more than halve staff turnover and free up money to hire an extra 2,345 workers, officials say

Evening Standard

Four-day week could save Government £21m a year, civil servants say

The arrangement would more than halve staff turnover and free up money to hire an extra 2,345 workers, officials say.

The Guardian - UK

Wild bird numbers continue ‘alarming’ decline in UK, Defra figures show

All bird species have declined in number, after suffering habitat loss, pesticide use, climate breakdown and bird flu

The Independent UK

‘It’s become so tough I’m looking for a second job’: Inside the farming crisis

Farmers tell Alex Ross that Rachel Reeves’ Budget ‘tractor tax’ is the latest blow to a family industry struggling to survive amid rising costs and extreme weather – as thousands prepare to descend on Westminster this week

The Guardian - UK

Bird flu outbreak confirmed at East Yorkshire poultry farm

Defra says avian influenza confirmed at business in Hornsea, with a protection zone put in place around farm

Evening Standard

Bird flu confirmed on commercial poultry farm

The outbreak in Yorkshire is the first case of the H5N5 strain in non-wild birds in England.

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