Noble Foods Co leaked approximately 26,000 litres of untreated waste water from their plant of which an unknown quantity entered the stream in January 2020. The plant slaughters and processes chickens, on Corringham Road in Gainsborough.

The discharge occurred as a result of a series of faults within the company’s treatment plant.

As the effluent leaked from the plant, workers on site blocked a drain in an attempt to contain the spill. But the untreated waste water flooded the area which eventually reached a surface water drain and entered the stream.

Despite their efforts to minimise the damage, staff didn’t follow emergency procedures correctly meaning their efforts were unsuccessful.

While it’s unknown how much untreated waste water entered the stream, samples taken by Environment Agency officers found a toxic level of ammonia in the water. The levels were more than 80 times the natural level.

After an investigation, the Environment Agency deemed the matter could be appropriately handled by way of an enforcement undertaking. As part of the enforcement undertaking the company paid £50,000 to the Lincolnshire Rivers Trust to fund environmental improvements around Lincoln.

Michael Waugh, Regulatory Officer at the Environment Agency, said:

We always aim to get the best result for people and nature. Enforcement undertakings mean those responsible for pollution have the chance to take responsibility for their actions and put things right in a way that directly benefits the environment.

In this case, the extra cash will go to making real improvements to local watercourses including the Brayford Pool, which will be a boon for wildlife and visitors.

Nicola Craven, Project Manager at Lincolnshire Rivers Trust said:

The funds received from this enforcement undertaking will provide valuable financial support to enable river improvement projects in and around Lincoln.

Our planned work around the Brayford Pool and Fossdyke will help improve a range of habitats adding value for both people and wildlife.

Noble Foods has also spent £40,000 on measures to clean up the stream and prevent a repeat pollution, including installing alarms and equipment to stop waste water entering the stream.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

• On 28 January, Noble Food Co committed a single offence contrary to Regulation 38(2) of the Environmental Protection Regulations (EPR) 2016 by discharging effluent into an unnamed watercourse contrary to their environmental permit.

• The Environment Agency is increasingly using enforcement undertakings for suitable cases to restore or enhance the environment, improve practices of the offending business and ensure future compliance with environmental requirements. We will continue to pursue prosecution for the most serious cases.

• The Environment Agency is required to publish details of EUs we have accepted, which we do on a regular basis on our website

• The latest list of enforcement undertakings can be found here: [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-environment-agencys-use-of-civil-sanctions/enforcement-undertakings-accepted-by-the-environment-agency–2] (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-environment-agencys-use-of-civil-sanctions/enforcement-undertakings-accepted-by-the-environment-agency–2)

Mr President,

As this is the first time my delegation has taken the floor, let me begin by thanking you for your astute leadership this year in exceptionally difficult circumstances.

For nearly two decades, the United Kingdom has provided regular updates to the Convention on our progress to clear the Falkland Islands, the only part of UK territory contaminated with mines. I am proud to announce today that clearance operations concluded on Saturday 14 November. The UK and its overseas territories are now free of anti-personnel mines.

The UK has thus fulfilled its obligations under Article 5 of the Convention. In line with Action 25 of the Oslo Action Plan, we will shortly submit a voluntary declaration of completion.

While the Convention entered into force for the UK in 1999, clearance operations in the Falkland Islands could not begin until we had determined the scale and complexities of the task ahead. This commenced with a six-year Joint Feasibility study with Argentina, completed in 2007. This comprehensive study allowed us to fully appreciate the environmental, technical, and logistical constraints we would be up against. This included considering the most effective methods to access mines in challenging locations such as in very remote areas, buried under 10-metre high sand dunes or in swampy peat.

Clearance operations began in 2008 by testing the approach to search for and then remove mines in three areas. The lessons learned from this first operation gave us the confidence to expand the Programme, eventually culminating in the clearance of 122 minefields. Over the course of the Programme, our skilled team built invaluable experience working in unpredictable weather and tackling difficult terrain, developing creative solutions to manage the technical and physical challenges they faced. Indeed, the clearance management processes implemented on the Falklands have informed the universal International Mine Action Standards.

11 years later, we have now released over 23 million square metres of land back to the Falkland Islands community. We are deeply grateful to our diligent international team who have worked tirelessly since the inception of the Programme to ensure the Falkland Islands are now safe.

We are pleased that our Falklands Demining programme team will be joining us virtually on Friday at our side event to discuss the methodologies, best practices and lessons learned on this Programme. We hope the knowledge and insight we have gained will contribute to our shared ambition for a mine-free world by 2025.

Thank you, Mr President.

Homeowners across England will have until the end of March 2022 to have energy efficiency upgrades to their homes completed through the Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme, helping up to 600,000 households save up to £600 on their energy bills.

The scheme funds up to 2 thirds of the cost of green home improvements up to £5,000, or 100% of the cost for homeowners on low incomes, up to £10,000. Measures covered include insulation of walls, floors and roofs, double or triple glazing when replacing single glazing, and low-carbon heating like heat pumps.

The Prime Minister announced the extension of both the Green Homes Grant and the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme in his 10 Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, designed to help the country build back greener and help reach the UK’s key target for net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

£1 billion will be available next year into making new and existing homes and public buildings more efficient, including through the Green Homes Grant voucher scheme and the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

Minister for Climate Change Lord Callanan said: 

The Green Homes Grant scheme gives homeowners and landlords right across the country a cheaper way to make their homes more energy efficient and cut their bills – all while making their contribution to tackling climate change.

Today’s announcement means an extra year to take advantage of this new scheme, helping households and tradespeople who can plan their workload and create new jobs in their communities. I would urge anyone to visit the Green Homes Grants website and see how they could benefit.

As part of his ambitious green recovery plan, Prime Minister Boris Johnson today announced funding for the drive to make homes, and public buildings like schools and hospitals more energy efficient, would continue until the end of the next financial year.

People have been able to apply for vouchers through the Green Homes Grant Scheme since September this year. Although restrictions are in place to help tackle the spread of coronavirus, government guidance is clear that homeowners can still have work done as long as installers follow the COVID-secure guidance.

Chief Executive of the Federation of Master Builders, Brian Berry, said:

The extension of the Green Homes Grant for another year is very positive news, and shows that builders’ concerns have been listened to. This will give the reassurance needed to the building industry to invest in the scheme. Our existing homes contribute 20% of all our carbon emissions and consume 35% of our energy.

Chief Executive of TrustMark, Simon Ayers, said:

Consumer confidence is not only essential to the recovery of the UK’s economy, but also to the protection and creation of key jobs that will support the long-term delivery of quality green home improvements.

We urge any tradespeople who want to be a part of the Green Homes Grant scheme to apply for TrustMark registration and Microgeneration Certification Scheme or Publicly Accessible Standards certification as soon as possible.

1. Find out more about the Green Homes Grant.

2. The PM’s extension for the Green Homes Grant is until the end of March 2022 for the £1.5 billion voucher element, and until the end of December 2021 for the £500 million Local Authority Delivery element.

3. Green Homes Grant vouchers will remain valid for 3 months from the date they are issued or until 31 March 2022, whichever is earlier, and need to be redeemed before the end date on each one. Homeowners can request an extension for circumstances outside of their control.

4. Through the Green Homes Grant Voucher scheme, which opened in September 2020, homeowners (both freehold and leasehold owner occupiers), and landlords can apply for vouchers of up to £5,000 towards the cost of installing energy efficient and low-carbon heating improvements in their homes. Some homeowners on income-based or disability benefits may be eligible for vouchers covering the full cost of improvement, up to a value of £10,000.

5. There are 2 elements to the scheme, a voucher scheme available to all homeowners and domestic landlords and a Local Authority Delivery scheme, through which funding will be allocated to local authorities to support low-income, fuel poor households. The first phase of the Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery scheme launched on 4 August 2020, with the bidding window for local authorities to submit funding proposals.

6. Vouchers will help more than 600,000 households across England to save up to £600 a year on energy bills. Together the 2 elements of the scheme are supporting 100,000 jobs in green construction and helping the UK to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

7. Tradespeople need to be TrustMark registered and have Microgeneration Certification Scheme or Publicly Accessible Standards certification to carry out these home improvements as part of the scheme. This will assure homeowners that tradespeople have been thoroughly vetted and meet the required standards of good customer service, technical competence and good trading practices.

8. The PM also announced that the Energy Company Obligation will be extended from 2022 to 2026 and underlined the government’s commitment to upgrading the worst off-grid homes occupied by low income and vulnerable households through the introduction of the Home Upgrade Grant.

The new appointments are based on a time commitment of three days per month and receive a remuneration rate of £19,190 per annum. The appointments start on 1 December 2020 with Jonathan Kini appointed for a term of three years, Seema Kennedy and David Jones for four years, and Nicola Bruce for five years.

The appointments have been made in accordance with the Code of Practice issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

The Code requires for appointees’ political activities (if significant) to be declared. Jonathan Kini, David Jones and Nicola Bruce have not declared any significant political activity. Seema Kennedy has held public office as a Conservative Member of Parliament.

Nicola Bruce

Nicola is on the Board of the Anchor Hanover Group, the UK’s largest provider of housing and care for older people. She also sits on the Board of CS Healthcare, a mutual private health insurer, where she chairs the Remuneration Committee and is a member of the Risk & Governance Committee. She is also on the Board of Wings Travel Management where she is a member of the Audit & Risk Committee.

Nicola was previously on the Board of the Government’s Money Advice Service, where she chaired the Investment Committee, supporting the merger of Money Advice with Pension Wise and The Pension Advisory Service in 2018.

Seema Kennedy OBE

Seema Kennedy’s background is in corporate law and business. Between 2015 and 2019 Seema was MP for South Ribble before standing down at the last election. As an MP she was Public Health Minister, Immigration Minister and Co-Chair of the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness.

Seema is currently the CEO of a charity which works to protect against gambling harms and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health.

Jonathan Kini

Jonathan Kini is currently the Managing Director of TalkTalk Business. Prior to this, Jonathan has held senior roles in Virgin Media and Vodafone across both B2C and B2B, and most recently worked for Drax Plc as CEO of its Customer Businesses. He is also an advisor to the Bank of England.

He currently chairs the Business in the Community (BITC) Net Zero Carbon Taskforce.

David Jones

David Jones’ background is in software and digital technology where he has worked with several technology organisations on both strategy, investment and governance, including on the management of cybersecurity risks. He has also been CEO and Executive Chair of two successful software start-ups.

David also holds non-executive director roles at Ofcom and Qualifications Wales, and has recently held similar roles at the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board and the Welsh Revenue Authority.

Published 18 November 2020
Last updated 18 November 2020 + show all updates