This publication presents official quarterly statistics on tuberculosis (TB) movement testing in cattle in Great Britain. The different TB movement testing regimes in England, Scotland and Wales reflect regional variations in disease incidence, including the Officially TB Free status of Scotland. The release covers pre-movement testing in England and Wales, and post-movement testing in Scotland and the Low Risk Area of England.

The movement testing statistics are obtained from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) work management IT support system, which is used for the administration of TB testing in GB. They are a snapshot of the position on the date on which the data were extracted. The information is subject to regular revision until all test results are available.

This publication was revised on 7 September 2018 to correct the values for post-movement tests and testing occasions in the Low TB Area of Wales.

Related series

• Quarterly publication of National Statistics on the incidence and prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) in Cattle in Great Britain see here.

Next update: see the statistics release calendar

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), part of the MOD, manages the defence estate and supports armed forces throughout the UK and abroad to live, work and train. The 27th annual Sanctuary Awards, held today (22 November 2017) in London, showcased the achievements of teams and individuals working to preserve and protect the defence estate, both at home and abroad.

Winners and runners up were selected from 5 categories and 2 overall winners were chosen to receive the Silver Otter trophy or the Sustainable Business Award.

This year’s winner of the coveted Silver Otter trophy is archaeologist Roy Canham MBE. Roy won the Individual Achievement Award for his 40 years of work to survey and safeguard the over 2,200 historical sites across Salisbury Plain. From the 1970s, he worked with the then newly formed Imber Conservation Group to create a record of the many important archaeological sites on the plain. Roy also led work with the MOD, English Heritage and Wiltshire Council on designing measures to protect this historic landscape while also ensuring that the area could continue to be used by the armed forces for training.

The Sustainable Business Award was won by Army Basing Programme Salisbury Plain for their work to rebase service personnel and their families from Germany and re-role units within the UK by 2020. The scale of ABP’s Salisbury Plain programme is unprecedented with an investment of over £1.3 billion, delivering 1,339 service family accommodation (SFA), 2,600 single living accommodation (SLA) units and extensive technical facilities.

This year’s awards have an international feel with winners and runners up representing areas of the military training estate from all over Great Britain and the world. Winners and runners up are:

Individual Achievement Award

• Winner and Silver Otter Winner: Roy Canham MBE, Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire
• Runner up: LCpl Sheona Macmillan, Project (ANEMOI), Falklands

Heritage Project Award

• Winner: Ballykinler WWI Practice Trenches, Ballykinler, Northern Ireland
• Runner up: Ancient Akrotiri Project, Dreamer’s Bay, Cyprus

Sustainability Project Award

• Winner: Army Basing Programme, Salisbury Plain
• Runner up: Typhoon Propulsion Support Facility, RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland

Environmental Project Award

• Winner: 25 years of Foxglove Covert Nature Reserve, Catterick Garrison
• Runner up: Longmoor Conservation Group Natterjack Toad Project, Home Counties

Utilities Project

• Winner: Maximising MOD Energy Efficient Behaviours – A Partnership Project

The awards were presented by DIO Chief Executive Graham Dalton and Julie Taylor MOD Director General Head Office and Commissioning Services.

Julie Taylor said:

I am pleased to present the Sanctuary Awards this year. It is important that we recognise our staff, partners and volunteers throughout the defence community who play such a vital role in helping us to promote sustainability and preserve the MOD estate. There was a fantastic variety of projects which showcased a great deal of innovation, creativity and community spirit. Congratulations to each of the winners and the runners up.

Graham Dalton commented:

DIO takes its role in maintaining the defence estate on behalf of the MOD very seriously and it is encouraging to see so many others working with us and playing such an active part. There were many worthy winners and nominees and you should all be very proud of your achievements. Thank you to all of you for your support and your hard work.

This year’s Sanctuary magazine was also launched at the awards ceremony. Published annually, the magazine demonstrates how the MOD is showcasing sustainability and protecting and maintaining the defence estate throughout the UK and overseas. You can access Sanctuary Magazine online.

You can also read blogs from each of the winners on the Inside DIO blog

We are seeking evidence on options to support individuals and businesses affected by local air quality plans for NO2.

Our proposals include measures that could be supported through the Clean Air Fund. The Clean Air Fund will provide an opportunity for local authorities to implement additional measures tailored to their area which minimise the adverse effects of local air quality plans.

It was a busy day for the team who stopped a number of waste carriers to see if they had a permit to carry waste, had the correct duty of care paperwork and were describing the waste they were carrying correctly. Officers also checked whether waste was being transported to authorised and legitimate sites where it would be handled correctly.

Senior Environmental Crime Officer Julia Leigh said:

We had a great response from various waste carriers that were stopped, thanking us for carrying out these road stops as they are frustrated with illegal operators undermining their legitimate businesses. It also gave us an opportunity to remind people of the need to use registered waste carriers and comply with their duty of care.

Multi-agency days of action are a valuable tool in preventing and disrupting waste crime. The Environment Agency want to make it very clear to people that everyone has a duty of care to ensure their waste is managed and disposed of correctly by the people they give it to.

Waste being transported with no authorisations is likely to end up at illegal waste sites. Such sites store waste in vast quantities and for long periods of time posing significant risks to health and the environment, like pest infestations and fires, which could lead to water and land contamination plus air pollution from smoke. Illegal waste sites are often the cause of odour complaints too.

Julia Leigh added:

Everyone, including householders, need to make sure that when they have waste removed that they use a registered waste carrier and ensure there is a waste transfer note for the waste taken. If they don’t they risk being fined £5,000. Illegal operators have been filling up sites and leaving the landowner to pay for the clear-up costs. Depending on what waste has been left the cost of this can run into hundreds of thousands of pounds, if not more.

Our enforcement days make sure that the right waste goes to the right place. People who manage waste illegally cost the taxpayer millions every year in clean-up costs. They undercut legitimate business, pose a direct threat to sustainable growth in the waste management sector and take valuable resource from the public sector.

Contact

• For all media enquiries call: 0800 141 2743.
• Email: southeastpressoffice1@environment-agency.gov.uk.
• Follow us on Twitter: @EnvAgencySE

Autumn Budget 2017 announced reforms to improve air quality in the UK.

A £220 million New Clean Air Fund, funded by targeted changes to company car tax and vehicle excise duty for those buying new diesel cars, will support English local authorities to support people and businesses to adapt as measures to improve air quality are implemented.

This document sets out the background of on the government’s policy to improve air quality and details of its plan going forward.