I have now had a letter from DEFRA via my MP which is pretty much identical to this one – click here.
These things take a while but I am glad that DEFRA has had to inform all we interested and concerned constituents what they think. Of course the letter still says that they want to stop burning and it still says the England Peat Strategy will be published this year – the clock is ticking.
I’ve also heard from DEFRA, as many others will have done, on general licences for England;
Thank you for your email seeking clarification on publication. To ensure we are sharing these licences as early as possible to give users as much time as possible to familiarise themselves before they take effect on 1 January, we will publish the licences in 2 stages. In the first stage, we will publish the new licence format and include the species and purposes for which lethal control is permitted under the new licences, along with most of the conditions. The second stage will contain further detail in 2 areas, which are at present still being finalised – trapping and protected sites. Stakeholders who have been involved in discussions on these 2 areas will receive further information in due course. As previously stated, we will hold a series of stakeholder meetings once we have published the first stage of the licences. Details will follow. We hoped to give early sight prior to publication to all stakeholders who have participated in the Review’s consultation process, but of overriding importance is to publish stage 1 as soon as we can so that all users have access to most of the core provisions of the new licences.
Sounds like they want to get something out soon, but again, the clock is ticking.
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