Gower Salt Marsh Lamb has today (Wednesday 11 August 2021) officially joined the club of UK’s most iconic products, becoming the first new food to receive protected status after the end of the Transition Period with the EU.

The new, independent Geographical Indication (GI) schemes were launched after the end of the transition period and are designed to ensure that popular and traditional products from across the country can obtain special status to mark out their authenticity and origin. This means that shoppers can buy their favourite food and drink with confidence, and producers whose foods are granted GI status benefit from intellectual property protection, so that others cannot imitate them.

With the registration now complete, the meat produced from lambs born and reared on the Gower Peninsula in South Wales has gained full protection and recognition as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). The protection has been given as Gower Salt Marsh Lamb producers were able to demonstrate their meat’s characteristics are essentially and exclusively due to its particular area of production.

Food Minister Victoria Prentis said:

Our new GI schemes guarantee quality and excellence for food lovers at home and around the world.

I am really pleased to see Gower Salt Marsh Lamb gain protected status, and I can think of no better product to kick start our new scheme with.

We want people, at home and abroad, to be lining up to buy British. I would encourage producers from all around the UK to apply to the scheme, so that we can celebrate and protect more of our excellent local produce, and ensure it is given the recognition that it deserves.

Produced using knowledge and skills dating back to medieval times, Gower Salt Marsh Lamb comes from lamb born, reared and slaughtered in the Gower area of South Wales. The meat gains its unique characteristics from specific vegetation and environment of the salt marshes on the north Gower coastline, where the lambs graze over long distances for more than half of their lifetime. It is a seasonal product, available from June until the end of December.

The Gower salt marshes offer unique environment to lambs, where they can graze over the vast flat expanses. Historically, these north Gower salt marshes have supported thousands of sheep and are currently grazed by 3500 lambs per year.

Secretary of State for Wales Simon Hart said:

Wales boasts an outstanding selection of food and drink including cheese, seafood and beer which are all flying the flag for Welsh culinary excellence around the world.

It’s fantastic to see Gower Salt Marsh Lamb added to the list of iconic products from Wales, becoming the first recognised product under the UK’s new and independent schemes.

Guaranteeing the authenticity of Welsh food and drink helps cement our reputation for quality both at home and in new international markets.

The UK Government works to ensure that all culturally and economically important products from across the UK, such as the Gower Salt Marsh Lamb, are appropriately protected from imitation. This is achieved in collaboration with the Devolved Administrations and regional counterparts, who have an advisory role and support applicants.

There are now 17 GIs in Wales in total. This recognition enables inclusion of these iconic products in celebrations of Welsh food and drink.

Dan and Will Pritchard from Weobley Castle Farm, who produce Gower Salt Marsh Lamb, said:

We are so pleased that Gower Salt Marsh Lamb is now officially recognised and registered under the new UK GI schemes.

We are the third generation of Pritchards to farm in this amazing location, meaning that we’ve perfected our way of rearing lamb over the years. We currently produce around 1,000 lambs per year – taking care of the whole process to create meat with a unique, local flavour of samphire and sea lavender.

This recognition means that the reputation of our regional product is protected, and it helps us promote traditional agricultural practices and eliminate non-genuine products.

Following the application to register this specific type of lamb as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), Gower Salt Marsh Lamb has received official recognition of authenticity and provenance, meaning that verified producers can now use the GI logo on their product.

Gower Salt Marsh Lamb has now joined the club of the UK’s most iconic products, such as Scotch Whisky and Wensleydale Cheese, meaning that shoppers will increasingly see the UK GI logo on these products.

New trade deals are opening doors for British agriculture and food and drink businesses around the world. Defra and the Department for International Trade are working in lockstep with partners like the NFU, NFU Cymru, Farmers’ Union of Wales, the AHDB and the Food and Drink Federation to deliver tailored support on the ground for farmers and food producers through our Open Doors programme, which offers free advice and support to potential exporters. 

The Government Actuary’s Department (GAD) has played a central role in new measures to support the UK events market. GAD helped develop a government-backed reinsurance scheme worth over £750 million for event cancellation insurance.

We worked with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) to establish how the government could support the UK’s events sector. This includes music festivals, sports and business events.

The government had previously devised a £500m support programme for the UK’s film and TV production industries which were also badly hit by the effects of the pandemic.

Events impacted

Insurers have paused the sale of cover for risks associated with COVID-19 to businesses since the pandemic first hit early last year. Now that we have reached step 4 of the government roadmap, live events are able to go ahead without restrictions. However, uncertainty around the future outlook for COVID-19, and any public health response, is presenting a barrier to investment in live events for the coming year.

This scheme will allow organisers of events open to the general public to buy cost indemnification cover against the risk that UK Civil Authority restrictions prevent events from legally proceeding, giving organisers across the country confidence to plan events over the next year.

GAD developed a model that estimates how much it would cost insurers and the government to pay event cancellation costs covered under the scheme. This looked at the impact across several event sectors, such as festivals, sports and business events.

Modelling scenarios

GAD worked with DCMS to research each event sector to estimate the expected number and size of events that would occur during the period of government support. We also looked at the estimated number and cost of claims that could arise if UK Civil Authority restrictions prevented events from legally proceeding.

Events cancellation

The scheme is a partnership with the insurance industry in which the government has stepped in with a guarantee to make sure insurers can offer the products events companies need.

Insurers who are members of Lloyd’s of London, including 3 of the leading market players, have so far collectively pledged to make around £35 million of capacity available.

The scheme will run until September 2022 with a review point earlier that year.

Actuary Andy van Buiten was the project lead in GAD. He said: “We supported DCMS by modelling outcomes should UK Civil Authority restrictions be introduced which legally prevent events from proceeding. This initiative will help various sectors in the events industry as they build back better following the pandemic.”

During July, there were three new detentions of foreign flagged vessels in a UK port.

1. In response to one of the recommendations of Lord Donaldson’s inquiry into the prevention of pollution from merchant shipping, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) publishes details of the foreign flagged vessels detained in UK ports each month.

2. The UK is part of a regional agreement on port state control known as the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (Paris MOU) and information on all ships that are inspected is held centrally in an electronic database known as THETIS. This allows the ships with a high risk rating and poor detention records to be targeted for future inspection.

3. Inspections of foreign flagged ships in UK ports are undertaken by surveyors from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. When a ship is found to be not in compliance with applicable convention requirements, a deficiency may be raised. If any of their deficiencies are so serious, they have to be rectified before departure, then the ship will be detained.

4. All deficiencies should be rectified before departure.

Notes on the list of detentions:

• Full details of the ship: The accompanying detention list shows ship’s International Maritime Organisation (IMO) number which does not change throughout the ship’s life and uniquely identifies it. It also shows the ship’s name and flag state at the time of its inspection.
• Company: The company shown in the vessel’s Safety Management Certificate (SMC) or if there is no SMC, then the party otherwise believed to be responsible for the operation of the ship at the time of inspection.
• Classification society: The list shows the classification society responsible for classification of the ship only.
• Recognised organisation: Responsible for conducting the statutory surveys and issuing statutory certificates on behalf of the flag state.
• White (WL), grey (GL) and black lists (BL) are issued by the Paris MoU on 01 July each year and shows the performance of flag state.
• Deficiencies: The deficiencies listed are the ones which were detainable. Further details of other deficiencies can be provided on request.

SHIPS DETAINED IN JULY 2021

Vessel Name: MERIC

GT: 2035

IMO: 9118006

Flag: Palau (grey list)

Company: SHN Group of Company

Classification society: BV

Recognised organisation: BV

Recognised organisation for ISM Doc: Bulgarian Register of Shipping

Recognised organisation for ISM SMC: Bulgarian Register of Shipping

Date and place of detention: 5th July 2021 at Sunderland

Summary: Twenty-two deficiencies with one ground for detention

Defective item	Nature of defect	Ground for Detention
04110 – Abandon Ship drills	Lack of knowledgel	Yes

This vessel was released 10th July 2021

Vessel Name: SERDIKA

GT: 10220

IMO: 9132480

Flag: Belize (black list)

Company: Credo-plus Navigation Ltd

Classification society: Russian Maritime Register of Shipping

Recognised organisation: Russian Maritime Register of Shipping

Recognised organisation for ISM Doc: DNV-GL

Recognised organisation for ISM SMC: DNV-GL

Date and place of detention: 20th July 2021 at Sunderland

Summary: Twenty-two deficiencies with two grounds for detention

Defective item	Nature of defect	Ground for Detention
07106 – Fire detection and alarm systems	Inoperative	Yes
07125 – Evaluation of crew performance	Lack of familiarity	Yes

This vessel was still detained 31st July 2021

Vessel Name: ELKE

GT: 2449

IMO: 9006332

Flag: Panama (white list)

Company: Regency Ship Management SA

Classification society: Polish Register of Shipping

Recognised organisation: Phoenix Register of Shipping

Recognised organisation for ISM Doc: Phoenix Register of Shipping

Recognised organisation for ISM SMC: Phoenix Register of Shipping

Date and place of detention: 20th July 2021 at Scunthorpe

Summary: Twenty-one deficiencies with one ground for detention

Defective item	Nature of defect	Ground for Detention
15150 – ISM	Not as required	Yes

This vessel was released 23rd July 2021

DETENTIONS CARRIED OVER FROM PREVIOUS MONTHS

Vessel Name: SIRIUS 2

GT: 211

IMO: 8977699

Flag: Nigeria (Unknown)

Company: Ambrey Limited

Classification society: Phoenix Register of Shipping

Recognised organisation: Phoenix Register of Shipping

Recognised organisation for ISM Doc: N/A

Recognised organisation for ISM SMC: N/A

Date and place of detention: 12th November 2020 at Southampton

Summary: Twenty deficiencies with five grounds for detention

Defective item	Nature of defect	Ground for Detention
01329 – Report of inspection on MLC, 2006	Missing	Yes
01804 – Electrical	Unsafe	Yes
01199 – Other (certificates)	Other	Yes
10126 – Record of drills and steering gear tests	Not as required	Yes
01326 – Stability information booklet	Not approved	Yes

This vessel was still released 22nd July 2021

Vessel Name: POSEIDON

GT: 1412

IMO: 7363217

Flag: Iceland (White list)

Company: Neptune EHF

Classification society: NA

Recognised organisation: NA

Recognised organisation for ISM Doc: DNV-GL

Recognised organisation for ISM SMC: N/A (SMC issued by Flag)

Date and place of detention: 19th July 2018 at Hull

Summary: Ten deficiencies with two grounds for detention

Defective item	Nature of defect	Ground for Detention
02106 – Hull damage impairing seaworthiness	Holed	Yes
07113 – Fire Pumps	Insufficient Pressure	Yes

This vessel was still detained on 31st July 2021

Vessel Name: TECOIL POLARIS

GT: 1814

IMO No: 8883290

Flag: Russian Federation (Grey list)

Company: Tecoil Shipping Ltd

Classification society: RMRS

Recognised organisation: RMRS

Recognised organisation for ISM DOC: RMRS

Recognised organisation for ISM SMC: RMRS

Date and place of detention: 6th June 2018 at Immingham

Summary: Twenty-seven deficiencies with six grounds for detentions

Defective item	Nature of defect	Ground for Detention
10104 – Gyro compass	Inoperative	Yes
10127 – Voyage or passage plan	Not as required	Yes
15150 – ISM	Not as required	Yes
11104 – Rescue boats	Not properly maintained	Yes
11101 – Lifeboats	Not ready for use	Yes
01117 – International Oil Pollution Prevention (IOPP)	Invalid	Yes

This vessel was still detained on 31st July 2021

Vessel Name: CIEN PORCIENTO (General Cargo)

GT: 106.

IMO No: 8944446.

Flag: Unregistered.

Company: Open Window Inc.

Classification society: Unclassed.

Recognised organisation: Not applicable.

Recognised organisation for ISM DOC: Not applicable.

Recognised organisation for ISM SMC: Not applicable

Date and place of detention: 4 March 2010, Lowestoft

Summary: Thirty deficiencies including seven grounds for detention

This vessel was still detained on 31st July 2021

Notes to Editors

• The MCA is a partner in the Sea Vision UK campaign to raise awareness and understanding of the sea and maritime activities. Sea Vision promotes the importance and economic value of the sector and works to highlight the exciting range of activities and career opportunities available to young people within the UK growing maritime sector.

• Follow us on Twitter: @MCA_media

For further information please contact Maritime and Coastguard Agency Press Office, on: +44 (0) 2380 329 401 Press releases and further information about the agency is available here.

• Three quarters of UK adults have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine as the phenomenal rollout continues

• Two doses provide over 90% protection against hospitalisation from the Delta variant, which is the dominant strain in the UK

• Latest data shows 60,000 deaths and 66,900 hospitalisations have been prevented by the vaccines

Three quarters of adults in the UK have now received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, as the public continues to do what it can to protect themselves, their loved ones and their community.

A total of 86,780,455 doses have been administered in the UK, with 47,091,889 people receiving a first dose (89%) and 39,688,566 people receiving both doses (75%).

Data from Public Health England (PHE) shows COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective against hospitalisation from the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant. The analysis shows the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is 96% effective and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is 92% effective against hospitalisation after two doses.

The latest data from Public Health England and Cambridge University shows that around 60,000 deaths, 22 million infections and 66,900 hospitalisations have been prevented by the vaccines.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

Our incredible vaccine rollout has now provided vital protection against the virus to three quarters of all UK adults. This is a huge national achievement, which we should all be proud of.

It’s so important that those who haven’t been vaccinated come forward as soon as possible to book their jab – to protect themselves, protect their loved ones and allow us all to enjoy our freedoms safely.

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said:

Three in four adults across the UK have now had both doses of the vaccine, which is incredible and a testament to the fantastic work of the NHS, volunteers and everyone involved in the rollout.

Getting two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine is the key to enjoying a host of new freedoms safely – whether that be to enjoy a trip abroad with family or a night out with friends – as we continue to build our wall of protection.

The vaccines are allowing us to reconnect with the things we love, but more than that, they’re protecting the people we love too.

Please make sure to come forward for your jab if you haven’t already as soon as possible.

The government is working closely with the NHS to make it as easy as possible to get a vaccine, including through ‘grab a jab’ pop-up vaccine sites across the country – for example, at London-based club Heaven last weekend (Sunday 8 August) as well as football stadiums and festivals up and down the country.

People can make an appointment through the national booking system either online or by calling 119, and can use a vaccination centre, walk-in centre, or one of the pop-up vaccinations centres that are now in shopping centres, workplaces and high streets.

All adults in the UK are able to get their second doses after eight weeks. This will mean every adult has the chance to have two doses by mid-September.

People will be required to prove they’ve had two jabs to enter nightclubs and other venues where large crowds gather by the end of September.

From 16 August, double vaccinated people will also no longer be required to self-isolate if they are identified as a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case. People will continue to be advised to take a PCR test to detect the virus and variants of concern and anyone who tests positive will still be legally required to self-isolate, irrespective of their vaccination status.

The government announced that double vaccinated frontline NHS and social care staff in England who have been told to self-isolate will be permitted to attend work in exceptional circumstances and replaced by testing mitigations. A limited number of critical workers may also in exceptional circumstances be able to leave self-isolation to attend work if deemed a close contact and informed to do so by their employer.

Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said:

Today marks a historic day for the incredible vaccination programme, with three quarters of UK adults having received both doses of a life-saving COVID-19 vaccine.

It’s been phenomenal to see first-hand the enthusiasm of the British public for the vaccines, which have now prevented over 66,900 hospitalisations and saved at least 60,000 lives.

Getting the jab is one of the most important things you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones – I urge everyone to get booked in and get vaccinated as soon as possible.

The UK government secured access to hundreds of millions of doses of the most promising COVID-19 vaccines early on behalf of the entire UK, crown dependencies and overseas territories. The UK’s medicine’s regulator, the MHRA, was the first in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines, allowing the rapid deployment of vaccines across the country and ensuring the UK has one of the fastest vaccination programmes in the world.

Vaccinated people are far less likely to get COVID-19 with symptoms and even more unlikely to get serious COVID-19, to be admitted to hospital, or to die from it and there is growing evidence that they are less likely to pass the virus to others.

Dr Nikita Kanani Medical Director for Primary Care and Deputy for the NHS Covid-19 Programme, said:

NHS staff have pulled out all the stops to get the lifesaving Covid jab to people as soon as possible and their exceptional hard work rolling out the biggest and fastest vaccination programme in history has meant that three quarters of all adults are now fully vaccinated, including 95 percent people aged 50 and over in England.

Getting the vaccine is the single most important step you can take to protect yourself and others, with hundreds of convenient vaccination sites across the country including pop up clinics in the park and at festivals and walk-in locations too and so if you haven’t already, I would urge you to come forward today and join the tens of millions of people who have already been vaccinated.

YouGov polling also shows the UK continues to be one of the top nations where people are willing to have a COVID-19 vaccine or have already been vaccinated. ONS data published on 9 August shows that more than 9 in 10 (96%) adults reported positive sentiment towards the vaccine, and vaccine hesitancy for those aged 18 to 21 has almost halved from 9% to 5%. The statistics also showed hesitancy has decreased for those aged 16 and 17 from 14% to 11%.

Vaccines are available free of charge and from thousands of vaccine centres, GP practices and pharmacies. Around 98% of people live within 10 miles of a vaccination centre in England and vaccinations are taking place at sites including mosques, community centres and football stadiums.

The Government has today (Tuesday 10 August) opened a consultation on plans for new Local Nature Recovery Strategies across England, as part of the landmark Environment Bill.

The Local Nature Recovery Strategies aim to help drive up the recovery of England’s landscapes and wildlife locally by creating a new tool for local areas to agree priorities and map proposals for nature’s recovery – ensuring more value is placed on nature.

The Local Nature Recovery Strategies will help local communities work together to help identify where we should take action for nature’s recovery as part of building our national Nature Recovery Network (NRN), as well as where nature-based solutions could make a difference to help address wider environmental issues, such as mitigating flood risk and planting trees or restoring peatland for carbon sequestration to mitigate climate change.

The consultation launch follows successful Local Nature Recovery Strategies pilots in Cornwall, Buckinghamshire, Greater Manchester, Northumberland and Cumbria which showed how local groups can work collaboratively together to produce their strategies. Managed by Natural England in conjunction with the local partner organisations, the pilots have informed the policy development and next steps.

Environment Minister, Rebecca Pow, said:

These Local Nature Recovery Strategies will be a key part of our green recovery and help kick-start the creation of over a million acres of joined up habitats which people can enjoy across the country.

I urge local authorities and public bodies alike to take part in our consultation and provide views. Once rolled out nationally, Local Nature Recovery Strategies will underpin the Nature Recovery Network – a flagship element of our 25 Year Environment Plan and a key mechanism for knitting these precious habitats together.

Natural England Chair, Tony Juniper, said:

Restoring our natural world after years of decline will bring a wealth of benefits to people, our environment and our economy. We’re pleased to support today’s consultation opening which will allow our partners to feed into how the Local Nature Recovery Strategies will run.

Natural England has played a key role in developing the Local Nature Recovery Strategies, including running the pilots which used an evidence-based, locally led, collaborative approach. We look forward to the results of the consultation and then supporting rolling Local Nature Recovery Strategies out across England to help create a national Nature Recovery Network that allows nature to thrive for the benefit of people and wildlife.

The area covered by each strategy will vary and be decided on a case-by-case basis by the Secretary of State for Defra, in discussion with the prospective responsible authority or organisation who will lead development of the strategy for that area.

The Nature Recovery Network plans to create or restore 500,000 hectares of wildlife habitat outside protected sites and help species thrive, more effectively linking existing protected sites and landscapes, as well as urban green infrastructure, such as trees, hedgerows, parks, fields, forests, and urban blue infrastructure, such as rainwater tanks, bioswales, rivers, canals, ponds, wetlands, and floodplains.

Further information

• The deadline for responses is Tuesday 2nd November, respondents can submit their consultation response using the online survey provided here.