Natural England has licensed and authorised 7 new supplementary badger control areas to begin operations in 2020. It has also authorised the licence holders to resume operations in 3 existing supplementary badger control areas in 2020. Licence holders met all the criteria specified in Defra’s guidance to Natural England, dated May 2018.

Table 1: Supplementary control areas authorised in 2020

1 June is the earliest possible date for the start of operations and is the start of the open season. Specific company start dates may vary within this and will be the decision of the company.

The licence holder will decide the start date for control operations within this period. Licence holders carry out operations under a 5-year licence. This allows badger control to take place in the licensed control area every year between 1 June and 31 January inclusive.

Natural England has confirmed to the licence holders the minimum and maximum numbers of badgers they can remove.

Protected sites listed in the Annex Bs are not necessarily part of any active operations. These can, and will only, occur on protected sites where the landowner or occupier has granted permission.

The licences only permit badger control to take place outside these closed seasons:

• controlled shooting – 1 February to 31 May
• cage-trapping and shooting – 1 December to 31 May

The findings come after 2kg of rocket seeds spent six months on board the ISS with British European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut, Tim Peake, as part of his Principia mission. Here they would absorb up to 100 times more radiation than on Earth and be subject to intense vibrations from the stresses and strains of space travel.

When the seeds returned to Earth in 2016, 600,000 children from schools and groups across the UK took part in an experiment, supported by the UK Space Agency, to plant them and monitor their growth, comparing it to that of seeds that had remained on Earth.

The results show that, while the space seeds grew more slowly and were more sensitive to ageing, they were still viable. It suggests that, by taking sensible steps to protect the seeds on their journey, it should be possible to grow plants in space or on another planet for humans to eat.

British ESA astronaut Tim Peake said:

In one of the largest and most inspirational experiments of its kind, more than half a million young people collected reliable data to help the scientists at Royal Holloway investigate the effects of spaceflight on rocket seeds.

When humans travel to Mars, they will need to find ways to feed themselves, and this research helps us understand some of the biology of seed storage and germination which will be vital for future space missions.

Professor Gerhard Leubner and Dr Jake Chandler, both from the Department of Biological Sciences at Royal Holloway, led the research, along with Professor Alistair Griffiths from the RHS, which has been published in the journal Life.

Dr Jake Chandler, from Royal Holloway, said:

Transporting high quality seeds to space and beyond will be crucial for growing plants that support human exploration of space, Mars and other worlds.

Our study found that a six-month journey to space reduced the vigour of rocket seeds compared to those that stayed on Earth, indicating that spaceflight accelerated the ageing process.

Thus, while we should carefully consider protecting seeds from potentially harmful factors including space radiation and mechanical vibration, the seeds remained alive, and the prospect of eating home-grown salad on Mars may be one small step closer.

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) tasked 8,600 schools and groups across the UK to take part in the controlled study, documenting their results as a scientist would. It was part of a project called Rocket Science, led by the RHS Campaign for School Gardening, in partnership with the UK Space Agency.

Alana Cama, Schools and Groups Manager at the RHS, added:

The Rocket Science experiment opened a window into space biology and allowed young people to be at the forefront of innovative research.

This research project did more than just inspire; it furthered our understanding of the challenges around growing plants in unusual environments and the feasibility of growing food on long term space missions in the future. Inspiring a new generation of botanists and biologists will remain a highlight of our mission to enrich everyone’s lives through plants.

Humanity’s drive and ambition to explore will rely upon thousands of research projects, just like this. The RHS looks forward to supporting and nurturing the talent of our young people in more exciting citizen science projects in the future.

Other partners who worked on the research include University of Marburg and Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) and Tozer Seeds.

Join Tim Peake, Dr Jake Chandler and Alana Cama on Monday, 18 May 2020 at 11.30am for a live stream and Q&A. Tune in to find out about life in space as an astronaut and the science behind the project.

Click here to join from 11:30am

The government has agreed a £1.6 billion funding and financing package for Transport for London to protect key services, helping people to stay safe during the pandemic and supporting the capital’s gradual recovery from COVID-19.

TfL operates services for around a billion passengers a year, serving a city of 10 million. More bus journeys were completed in London last year than across the rest of England put together, but the coronavirus pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the tube and bus network.

In order to safeguard services on the network, the government has agreed a package consisting of a mixture of grants and loans based upon a series of conditions agreed by the mayor, Sadiq Khan. This agreement includes increasing service levels as soon as possible to ensure people can follow social distancing guidelines while on the network, making sure those who have no alternative to public transport can travel safely.

A London COVID-19 task force, comprising representatives of the government and TfL, has been established to oversee operational decisions during the crisis. The collective focus will be on taking all practicable steps to increase the number of services as quickly as possible to benefit passengers who have no alternative to public transport.

In order to safeguard services in the future, the package will see the reintroduction of fares on buses and reinstatement of the congestion charge. It will also focus on promoting traffic management and active travel to maximise the benefits of the government’s record £2 billion investment in cycling and walking. This will include efforts to push forward new segregated cycles lines, pavement extension and road closures to traffic, making it easier for people to chooser greener ways to travel.

Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, said:

People should avoid using public transport and work from home wherever possible, but as measures are slowly lifted it is vital that Londoners who need to use TfL services feel safe and secure.

We must drive an increase in services to support social distancing and ensure our capital keeps moving, driving the economic recovery of this country going forward.

This deal will encourage a real move towards greener and healthier walking and cycling options, ease pressure on our public transport and provide certainty and stability for London’s transport services in the future.

In order to reduce the risk of crowding and to encourage vulnerable groups to from using public transport at the busiest times when there is greater risk of transmission and it may not be possible to socially distance, the deal will see the temporary suspension of the Freedom Pass and 60+ card concessions to off peak hours. It will also see temporary suspension of free travel for under 18s and special arrangements will be made to ensure children eligible under national legislation can still travel to school for free. These changes will take place soon as practicable.

To put TfL on a sustainable footing for the longer term and help safeguard its future, the mayor has agreed that the government will carry out an immediate and broad-ranging review of the organisation’s future financial position and structure, including the potential for efficiencies. Two special representatives will represent the government on TfL’s board, its finance committee and its programmes and investment committee, in order to ensure best value for money for the taxpayer.

The mayor has also agreed to increase fares next year on all modes by RPI plus 1%, in line with the proposals in TfL’s own business plan, in order to put the organisation on a more sustainable footing.

The deal, a grant of £1.095 billion and a loan of £505 million, runs until October 2020.

The full terms of the agreement will be published in Parliament at the first opportunity.

• Government agrees deal with technology company Honeywell to manufacture 70 million face masks for frontline workers

• New deal part of plan to unleash potential of UK industry to scale up domestic personal protective equipment (PPE) manufacturing

• The production line has capacity to produce up to 4.5 million masks each month and will create 450 new jobs at the production site

More than 70 million face masks will be manufactured in the UK and delivered to frontline health and care workers following an agreement with a global technology company, the UK government has today announced.

FFP2 and FFP3 masks will be produced over an 18-month period at Honeywell’s site in Newhouse, Scotland, with production set to begin as early as July. Each month will see up to 4.5 million masks roll off the production line, ready for distribution to frontline NHS and social care workers.

It marks a significant moment in the government’s ‘make’ programme, headed up by Lord Deighton, which seeks to unleash the potential of UK industry to scale up domestic PPE manufacturing.

The move supports the government’s continued efforts to ensure PPE reaches those fighting the virus on the frontline, with over 1.25 billion items of PPE delivered to health and social care workers since the outbreak began.

Additionally, the new production line will create approximately 450 new jobs at the Scotland site.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said:

“These 70 million masks are the result of our challenge to UK industry to scale up domestic PPE manufacturing.

“This deal is brilliant news for the whole United Kingdom which will not only deliver the masks we need but create around 450 jobs in Newhouse, Scotland.

“I’m delighted to team up with Honeywell to open up another avenue to get millions of masks to the frontline and strengthen our ongoing response to the outbreak.

Lord Paul Deighton, adviser to the Secretary of State on PPE, said:

“As countries around the world face unprecedented demand for PPE, British industry is stepping forward to make sure vital pieces of equipment reach our workers on the frontline.

“My role is to increase our homegrown PPE supplies, both now and in the future, by investing in the potential of UK manufacturing. This fantastic deal announced with Honeywell today marks a significant step along the way.”

The government has ordered 70 million of the locally produced FFP2 and FFP3 Honeywell SuperOne disposable respirator masks. These are certified to the highest international PPE standards, compliant with EU regulations, and must meet UK quality and safety standards before being delivered to healthcare settings via the NHS Supply Chain from July. 

Will Lange, President of Honeywell’s PPE business, said:

“As a global leader of high-quality personal protective equipment, Honeywell is committed to getting safety gear to those who need it most, including workers on the frontline in the fight against COVID-19.

“Our Newhouse facility has both the physical capacity and technical capabilities to launch a large-scale respirator production line in such a short timeframe, and we are proud of our teams who are bringing new manufacturing capabilities to the United Kingdom as quickly as possible to support the country’s response to the pandemic.”

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said:

“As well as creating 450 new jobs and boosting the local economy it is great a company with manufacturing facilities in Scotland can help ensure our heroic frontline workers have the PPE they need to carry out their lifesaving work.

“Our UK-wide strategy is continuing to manage and supply protective equipment to the people that need it in all 4 nations.”

The agreement announced today is the latest in a number of steps the government is taking to ramp up PPE production and distribution. New collaborations between the government and organisations including Amazon, the Royal Mint and Jaguar Land Rover, will see increased production and delivery across all PPE products.

A PPE distribution network with the NHS, industry and armed forces, and a 24-hour NHS-run helpline that’s received around 35,000 calls since it was set up, have also been established as part of the government’s national PPE plan.

• See further information on the other companies the government is working with to manufacture PPE in the UK.

• Honeywell is a Fortune 100 technology company that delivers industry-specific solutions to help aircraft, buildings, manufacturing plants, supply chains and workers become more connected.

• Honeywell’s Newhouse plant specialises in electronic systems assembly and testing and other advanced manufacturing capabilities for several of Honeywell’s business groups, and will continue to do so alongside the new face mask line.

• Honeywell will produce 60% FFP3 and 40% FFP2 masks, but these percentages are moveable depending on requirements.

• The agreement reached with Honeywell goes a significant way to help satisfy demand for masks for frontline NHS and social care workers.

• The government published its national PPE plan in April.