Headline: Request a No-Cost Conservation Restoration Plan by March 14 for Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire and Floods
Request a No-Cost Conservation Restoration Plan by March 14 for Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire and Floods
SANTA FE, N.M. — Landowners impacted by the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire or subsequent flooding now have until March 14, 2025, to request a no-cost conservation restoration plan through the U.S. Agriculture Department’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Claims Office (“Claims Office”) has partnered with the NRCS to offer landowners the opportunity to request a restoration plan for their property. These plans help address natural resource losses and provide cost estimates for recovery actions. NRCS plans will be provided to claimants at no charge and will be utilized by the Claims Office to streamline the claims review process. Through this partnership, NRCS assesses the damage to resources and produces the conservation restoration plans, while the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Claims Office handles compensation for affected landowners.Congress recently extended the deadline for starting a claim to March 14, but those who are impacted are encouraged to begin as soon as possible. Submitting a Notice of Loss (NOL) and requesting a conservation restoration plan are separate steps. To receive compensation based on an NRCS plan, both an NOL and a plan request must be submitted by the new deadline.“We encourage all eligible landowners to take advantage of this opportunity to restore their natural resources,” said Jay Mitchell, FEMA Director of Operations for the New Mexico Joint Recovery Office. “Our partnership with NRCS ensures claimants receive a comprehensive recovery plan tailored to their specific needs; but time is of the essence—requests for these plans must be submitted by March 14.”To request a Conservation Restoration plan:Submit an NOL to the Claims Office: Once an NOL is submitted, your Claims Navigator can help determine if an NRCS plan would benefit your claim. If so, the Claims Office will coordinate with NRCS to initiate the process.Contact the NRCS Directly: Landowners may also request a plan directly by emailing ConservationRestorationPlan@usda.gov or by visiting one of the local NRCS service centers in Mora or Las Vegas. The request form and additional information can be found at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/hermits-peak.Conservation restoration plans address natural resources losses, such as erosion control, debris removal, fencing, and riparian (river) restoration. These plans, developed by certified planners, provide the costs estimated to repair or replace damaged resources and ensure claimants receive fair and transparent compensation for eligible losses. Once the plan has been developed, it is up to the claimant as to whether they utilize it for their claim. The deadline to submit an NOL to the Claims Office is March 14. To submit an NOL, you may visit /hermits-peak to download the NOL form. You can submit the form via email, mail, or in-person at one of the three Claims Offices. Please visit https://www.fema.gov/hermits-peak/contact-us for Claims Office locations and operating hours.For questions, please contact the Claims Office Helpline Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. MT, at (505) 995-7133. Voice messages can be left after hours. Compensation through the Claims Office is not taxable income and will not impact eligibility for other federal benefits including social security or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Contact a tax professional for specific tax-related questions.The Claims Office is committed to meeting the needs of people impacted by the fire and subsequent flooding by providing full compensation available under the law as expeditiously as possible. To date, the Claims Office has paid more than $1.88 billion to claimants. For information and updates regarding the Claims Office, please visit fema.gov/hermits-peak. For information in Spanish, visit fema.gov/es/hermits-peak. You can also follow our Facebook page and turn notifications on to stay up to date about the claims process, upcoming deadlines and other program announcements at facebook.com/HermitsPeakCalfCanyonClaimsOffice. erika.suzuki Wed, 02/26/2025 – 17:03
Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) sent a letter to Brooke Rollins, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), demanding critical answers on recent terminations and the Department’s response to bird flu outbreaks. Cortez Masto’s letter comes after last week’s reports that the Trump Administration fired several USDA employees involved in bird flu response efforts. While the USDA has stated that it’s actively working to reverse these ill-advised firings, the Trump Administration has not been transparent about the impacts it poses to ongoing federal response efforts for recent bird flu outbreaks in Nevada and across the country.
“Reports on the firing of employees at USDA’s National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), and Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) could severely impact or delay efforts to detect, track, research, and respond to the spread of bird flu variants,” wrote Cortez Masto.
Cortez Masto asked that the following information about the terminations be made public no later than March 11, 2025:
The USDA’s strategic vision to combat current and future HPAI outbreaks.
The specific positions of terminated employees, including their roles and responsibilities as it relates to your strategic vision and coordination with federal, state, and municipal officials.
The total number of USDA employees who have been terminated by the Trump Administration, including any positions in Nevada, and a status update on those who have successfully been rehired.
Analysis on how these terminations, rehires, and the ongoing hiring freeze or buy-out offers have impacted bird flu response, coordination with impacted states and municipalities, and efforts to fill key vacant positions – including those in Nevada.
A detailed assessment of ongoing work to fill open positions, as well as the impacts that these firings and rehirings will have on future recruitment at USDA.
The full text of the letter can be found here.
Senator Cortez Masto has pushed multiple Departments under the Trump Administration for detailed, public information regarding the impacts of President Trump’s federal funding freeze, hiring freeze, and terminations on Nevada – including to the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Nuclear Security Administration, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
This new movement offers us the opportunity to reflect on the ethics of our consumption practices more generally, especially when consumers co-ordinate their purchasing on a national scale. As consumers, we all have a responsibility to use our buying power in an ethically conscious way.
A CBC News report on how consumers are using apps to help them buy Canadian products.
Boycotts and buycotts
Most of us as consumers decide what to buy based on the price and quality of goods. But our values play a role in our decision-making: what we buy and where we buy it is influenced by our beliefs. Last year, for instance, many Canadians boycotted Loblaws on the grounds that it was price gouging amid inflation.
A boycott is just one way of altering our habits based on our values. Another way is a “buycott”; that is, intentionally buying products from companies we feel align with our values. The Buy Canadian movement itself is best described as a buycott, but for many, it’s also a boycott of American-made goods.
The reasons behind consumers choices are essential here. For example, we might avoid buying certain cosmetics because we are opposed to animal testing. Or we might vote with our forks and eat at farm-to-table restaurants to combat climate change.
Our choices are often complex and motivated by many concerns: I might buy eggs from my local farmers market not only because I want to support local businesses, but also to encourage the fair treatment of animals and express my frustration with high prices at chain stores.
Social change and co-ordinated consuming
One of the most important reasons behind many of our consuming practices is social change: we want to change the way others, and we as a society, behave. Consuming for social change is particularly effective when it is done by a co-ordinated group that shares certain values.
Consider the practice of buying fair trade coffee: by means of proper certification and product labelling, consumers give coffee companies an economic incentive to treat farmers more equitably.
This is a huge power that consumers have. But with great power comes great responsibility, so when we make co-ordinated consuming efforts, we need to think about how to do so responsibly.
Not all co-ordinated consuming efforts are ethically permissible. Consider a reprehensible but particularly relevant example: in the 1930s, initiatives developed to encourage consumers not to buy Jewish products in Germany, other European countries and the U.S. Such a practice was wrong not only because it was motivated by hatred, but also because it deprived a group of citizens of their freedom of religion.
Another more recent example concerns the Christian American Family Association which boycotted Walt Disney, Ford and other businesses because of their support of same-sex couples. This boycott was wrong not only because it was motivated by discriminatory beliefs, but also because it did not representative how many other people feel.
The moral here is that social change should not only be influenced by well-co-ordinated groups, because the loudest voices are not the only ones, nor are they necessarily the right ones.
Ethical boycotting
How do we make sure that our co-ordinated consuming efforts are ethical? Philosophy professor Waheed Hussain argued that when we act as a co-ordinated group seeking to achieve social change, we should treat our consuming choices as “proto-legislative” — that is, as if they could become legislation.
This is because our efforts in this context are no longer aimed at merely satisfying our self-interest, but the common good, and so the standards should be higher. We should act in ways that are appropriately representative and that do not deprive our fellow citizens of their freedoms. Furthermore, Hussain argued that the reasons behind our consumption practices should be public and subject to scrutiny by our fellow citizens.
When we seek to effect social change across national boundaries, it has been argued that we should not impose our ideals of social change on foreign citizens. In this case our choices are subject to additional constraints. We should respect the values of the target country, for instance, and use our purchasing power in ways that help local workers and communities there.
What this all means for the Buy Canadian movement is a complex question. For instance, it might mean that a boycott of American products should not include some states like Kentucky, whose governor has openly opposed the tariffs. But at the very least, it’s an opportunity for us to reflect on the immense power we have as consumers, as well as the responsibilities that go along with it.
Michael Walschots receives funding from the German Research Foundation. In the past he has received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the German Academic Exchange Service
The Isle of Wight Council is moving to the next stage in the process relating to the proposed closure of five primary schools, driven by a significant decline in pupil numbers and the need to address surplus places.
After a further public consultation on school places, which ended on 3 February, a report published today (Wednesday) recommends these closures to tackle more than 2,300 empty primary school places across the Island.
The proposals will be discussed, and a final decision will be made at the next Cabinet meeting on Thursday, 6 March 2025.
Councillors are being asked to consider the following recommendations:
The closure of Cowes Primary School, Arreton St Georges CE Primary School, Brading CE Primary School, Wroxall Primary School, and Oakfield CE Primary School, all effective from 31 August 2025.
The creation of a 12-place primary resourced provision for children with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) at The Bay CE School (Primary).
These decisions are part of the council’s plan to improve education for all children on the Island in line with its draft education strategy published last summer.
The Island currently has space for 10,724 primary-aged children. As of November 2024, there were 2,311 unfilled school places, up from 1,898 in October 2023.
Schools affected by infant class size rules face particular challenges, as they may have limited ability to save money by changing staffing structures or the use of physical space.
For example, a school with an intake of 60 that only admits 32 pupils must still employ two teachers and maintain two classrooms, even though the budget for that year group may have nearly halved.
Councillor Jonathan Bacon, Cabinet member for children’s services, said: “Nobody proposes the closure of a school lightly, but the number of births on the Island has now reached its lowest level since 1941.
“In 2028, only 890 children will start reception, 514 fewer than started in September 2018. The overall number of primary pupils is forecast to decrease from 9,300 in 2017 to 7,640 in 2027 — the second largest decrease in pupil numbers across the country.
“Our goal is to provide schools that deliver high-quality education and are financially sustainable. While some surplus places provide flexibility, too many can severely impact schools’ finances.
“Schools are funded based on pupil numbers, and fewer pupils mean less funding. For primary schools in 2025/26, this equates to about £4,887 per child per year. If a class with a capacity for 30 pupils only has 20, this results in a potential loss of £48,870 per year.
“The current number of primary school places is unsustainable, leading to inefficient use of resources. By reallocating these resources, we can better focus on improving educational outcomes for local children.
“The council must consider the needs of the children, both now and in the future, when making its final decision on how to address the oversupply of places.
“Our children are the future, and we need a workforce that can adapt and innovate. A high-quality education is essential for building a better future.
“The recommendations in this report offer the best chance for long-term educational improvement and financial stability for schools.”
Source: United States Small Business Administration
WASHINGTON – In response to a Presidential disaster declaration issued Feb. 24, 2025, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the availability of low interest federal disaster loans for Kentucky businesses, nonprofits, and residents affected by the severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides and mudslides occurring Feb. 14.
Under this declaration, the primary counties of Breathitt, Clay, Floyd, Harlan, Knott, Lee, Letcher, Martin, Owsley, Perry and Pike are eligible for both Physical damage loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) from the SBA. Small businesses and most private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in the following adjacent counties are eligible to apply only for SBA EIDLs: Bell, Estill, Jackson, Johnson, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence, Leslie, Magoffin, Powell and Wolfe, as well as Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee and Wise in Virginia; and Mingo and Wayne in West Virginia.
Businesses and nonprofits are eligible to apply for business physical disaster loans and may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.
Homeowners and renters are eligible to apply for home and personal property loans and may borrow up to $100,000 to replace or repair personal property, such as clothing, furniture, cars, and appliances. Homeowners may apply for up to $500,000 to replace or repair their primary residence.
Applicants may also be eligible for a loan increase of up to 20% of their physical damages, as verified by the SBA, for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements include strengthening structures to protect against high wind damage, upgrading to wind rated garage doors, and installing a safe room or storm shelter to help protect property and occupants from future damage.
SBA’s EIDL program is available to eligible small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries, and PNPs that suffered financial losses directly related to this disaster. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for aquaculture enterprises.
EIDLs are for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the business did not suffer any physical damage. They may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster.
Interest rates are as low as 4% for small businesses, 3.625% for PNPs, and 2.563% for homeowners and renters, with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not begin to accrue, and payments are not due, until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms, based on each applicant’s financial condition.
Beginning Thursday, Feb. 27, SBA customer service representatives will be on hand at the Business Recovery Center (BRC) in Perry County to answer questions about SBA’s disaster loan program, explain the application process and help individuals complete their application. Walk-ins are accepted, but you can schedule an in-person appointment in advance at appointment.sba.gov. The BRC hours of operation are listed below:
Business Recovery Center (BRC) Perry County
Hazard Community and Technical College Jolly Classroom Center
1 Community College Drive
Hazard, Kentucky 41701
Opening: Thursday, Feb. 27, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Hours: Monday – Friday – 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Closed: Sunday
Disaster survivors should not wait to settle with their insurance company before applying for a disaster loan. If a survivor does not know how much of their loss will be covered by insurance or other sources, SBA can make a low-interest disaster loan for the total loss up to its loan limits, provided the borrower agrees to use insurance proceeds to reduce or repay the loan.
With the changes to FEMA’s Sequence of Delivery, survivors are now encouraged to simultaneously apply for FEMA grants and the SBA low-interest disaster loan assistance to fully recover. FEMA grants are intended to cover necessary expenses and serious needs not paid by insurance or other sources. The SBA disaster loan program is designed for your long-term recovery, to make you whole and get you back to your pre-disaster condition.
To apply online, visit SBA.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is April 25, 2025. The deadline to return economic injury applications is Nov. 24, 2025.
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) are introducing bipartisan legislation to make it easier for rural workers to live in the communities they serve, as well as address the housing shortage across the nation. The Farmhouse-to-Workforce Housing Act would expand the existing Housing Preservation Grants (HPG) program so rural home owners can create more housing on their property — such as an attached apartment unit or a small home nearby — to be available for rent. Currently, HPGs are underutilized and receive limited funding that only covers small costs and repairs. This legislation would enhance the program for rural housing creation by increasing its funding and expanding eligibility for homeowners who want to participate.
The housing crisis has risen dramatically in recent years. A 2023 study found that Maine is now short more than 80,000 homes, in both urban and rural communities. The study also found Maine faces serious challenges including historic underproduction, aging housing stock, future need, lack of affordability, workforce decrease and a high demand for seasonal homes. The Farmhouse-to-Workforce Housing Act would make it easier for Maine people in rural areas to access housing in the communities where they work.
“Communities all across Maine and the nation are facing a serious housing shortage,” said Senator Angus King. “Unfortunately, one law we can’t repeal in Congress is the law of supply and demand. And right now our rural communities, in particular, are up against a short supply problem coupled with serious demand — leaving many people without a place to live that is affordable or close to their community. It’s a pleasure to work with Senator Moran of Kansas — who knows all too well the challenges rural communities face — on the Farmhouse-to-Workforce Housing Act. This bipartisan, commonsense effort is another step toward combating the housing crisis and ensuring Maine people can live where they work. By making it more affordable for folks to renovate their homes, or build news one, we can help offset the rural housing shortage.”
“There is a high demand for rural housing across Kansas, and it’s important that our housing programs offer creative solutions to address this issue,” said Senator Moran. “Modernizing the Housing Preservation Grants program will help create new avenues for renovating and constructing homes in smaller communities across the country.”
Specifically, the Farmhouse-to-Workforce Housing Act would:
Allow recipients to use HPG money to construct additional housing units either within or outside their home.
Authorize funding for the nationwide program at $200,000,000.
Offer grants of up to $100,000 to low-or medium-income recipients.
Require the original home to be 25 years or older.
Established a required landlord education program to help homeowners learn how to oversee rental housing.
Create a five-year ownership and occupancy requirement upon completion to prevent homeowners from flipping their property at increased values and prevent developers from taking advantage of the program.
Senator King has long been committed to ensuring Maine people across the state can access safe and affordable housing, as well as working with his colleagues on creative solutions to combat the housing shortage. He recently introduced the bipartisan Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act to create nearly two million new affordable homes across the country — including thousands in Maine. He also worked with his Republican colleagues to improve affordability of rural homes and farms through the Access to Credit for our Rural Economy (ACRE) Act of 2023. Additionally, he has worked to expand affordable workforce housing on Mount Desert Island to support the economic development surrounding Acadia National Park. Last year, he co-sponsored bipartisan legislation to expand affordable housing availability in Maine through redevelopment of historic buildings. He also introduced the bipartisan HELPER Act to unlock home ownership for first responders and teachers, and introduced the Manufactured Housing Community Sustainability Act to encourage manufactured home park owners interested in selling their properties to sell to residents rather than developers.
The circular economy offers a fresh approach to how we produce and consume, focusing on reducing, reusing, recycling and recovering. It moves us away from the traditional “make, use, discard” model, creating a more sustainable system to balance the needs of the economy, society and nature. Living within the planet’s limits is vital if we are to fight climate change, biodiversity loss and the twin crises of waste and pollution.
But that’s not all the circular economy is important for. In promoting resource efficiency and reducing dependency on finite materials, it can also encourage innovation and job creation.
Advances in biomaterials, for instance, are providing durable and recyclable alternatives to plastic packaging. And innovative approaches to textiles are enabling manufacturers to make fibres from agricultural waste.
But all this comes at a cost – and raises the question of who should pay. While the circular economy offers promising solutions to environmental and economic challenges, the transition raises critical questions about equity. It’s vital to include the workers and communities from developing countries at every stage of the transition.
Despite the potential of a circular economy to bring long-term benefits to both society and the environment, access to resources is uneven. There are also economic disparities. A lack of funding, insufficient investment and skills gaps make the shift towards a circular economy challenging for some developing countries.
And power dynamics are shifting across industries and regions. The circular transition can hit utility companies (electricity, gas and water) as demand from other firms falls. At the same time, in some countries it can bring significant gains to sectors such as construction – possibly driven by manufacturing firms investing in new buildings after saving money on material and energy costs.
In a recent review of 167 studies of the circular economy, we found that there was limited focus on democratic planning. Communities were not involved enough in decision-making about the transition to a circular economy – especially in low-income countries. Local workers and communities being shut out of decision-making and excluded from opportunities, such as green jobs in renewable energy or sustainable design, could worsen inequalities. This is particularly the case in low-income areas with limited resources and economic resilience.
In developing countries, persistent problems including low wages and poor working conditions can continue even as circular practices gain momentum, unless these concerns are integrated into the model. In the fashion industry, for example, workers face the same precarious working conditions regardless of whether they are working with virgin or recycled materials.
And new tensions are emerging over who benefits and loses in the transition to a circular economy. For example, a textile factory owner in the Tamil Nadu region of India voiced concerns that slower fashion cycles – promoted by circular initiatives in wealthier countries – could threaten jobs and livelihoods, making the case (in the words of one interviewee) for “much faster fashion”.
Without careful planning, textile workers in developing countries could lose their livelihoods in the transition to a circular economy. Ruma Dey Acharya/Shutterstock
Among textile manufacturers, secondhand clothing was seen in a negative light as it might decrease the need for new products. The recycling industry on the other hand was booming in the same area and was seen as a positive thing. This was reflected in the words of a textile factory manager: “It’s my message (to not) reuse, we can recycle so that we get some work in the future.”
Nevertheless, even recycling was not considered to be a purely positive thing. Many cotton farmers dependent on traditional production face disruption to their livelihoods as recycled textiles gain popularity.
This is in stark contrast to the narrative in the developed economies, where circular strategies advocating “buy nothing” or slow fashion cycles are championed for their environmental benefits.
A path forward
To ensure the circular economy benefits everyone, it is crucial to address its social dimensions. Policies and strategies often overlook marginalised voices, particularly in developing countries. Inclusive circular economy models must be rooted in local contexts, reflecting the unique socio-economic realities of these regions.
Grassroots entrepreneurs in places where resources are scarce are well positioned to create innovative, locally tailored solutions. Supporting their efforts can lead to practices that address the challenges of their communities while contributing to broader circular goals. Recognising and nurturing this local capacity is essential for a sustainable and fair transition.
International organisations, national governments, and businesses play a pivotal role in driving inclusivity. Initiatives should be judged not only on environmental and economic outcomes but also for their impact on jobs, livelihoods, education, equity and justice. Businesses must engage with local communities to share knowledge, resources, costs and profits equitably between developing and developed nations.
This could be funding local innovators, supporting small enterprises or promoting cross-border collaboration on circular practices. For example, circular economy finance and international partnerships can help develop affordable energy solutions for low-income communities and engage developing countries in circular value chains to collect and process e-waste components. International frameworks, such as the EU’s Just Transition Mechanism, must ensure that no one is left behind. And businesses should guarantee living wages in global circular supply chains.
There’s a risk the circular economy could perpetuate inequalities. That’s why it is vital to reach people at even the far end of supply chains to ensure they are included in decisions and transitions. An equitable circular economy is not just an environmental or economic necessity – it’s also a moral imperative.
Anna Kristiina Härri receives funding from the Strategic Research Council of Finland. She is affiliated with the Greens in Finland.
Jarkko Levänen has received funding from the Research Council of Finland and Business Finland.
Sukyung Park does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United States Senator for Kansas – Jerry Moran
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and James Lankford (R-Okla.) introduced legislation to promote research on how grazing can support wildfire mitigation, fuels reduction and post-fire recovery.
Several states have implemented pilot programs in which animals like goats and cattle, called “ungulates,” have grazed on prescribed areas of land containing highly flammable grasses and shrubs to mitigate fire risk. These pilot efforts have successfully reduced vegetation that can fuel rapid fire growth. However, limited scientific research has been conducted on optimal grazing land management techniques that also protect against other environmental harms.
To address this critical research gap, the Wildfire Resilience Through Grazing Research Act would add the “Grazing for Wildfire Mitigation Initiative” to the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s High-Priority Research List.
“Using grazing as a way to reduce wildfires is both beneficial to our ranchers and important to eliminating the grasses that accelerate fires on the prairie,” said Sen. Moran. “Kansans have faced devastating wildfires in recent years and understand the importance of proactively working to keep our land healthy and free of undergrowth that can make these fires worse.”
“As devastating wildfires pose increasingly severe threats to our communities, we need to explore out-of-the-box approaches to blunt these disasters,” said Sen. Padilla. “Grazing animals like goats and cattle have been successfully used to reduce the hazardous brush that fuels wildfires. Expanding our understanding of novel grazing strategies can make it a cost-effective tool to save lives and protect homes.”
“As the people of Lahaina continue to recover from the devastating wildfires in 2023, we recognize just how necessary it is to pre-emptively reduce wildfire risk,” said Sen. Hirono. “As wildfires occur with increasing frequency across the country, this legislation is a crucial step to help strengthen community resilience by studying the implementation of grazing as a strategy for reducing vegetation that can fuel wildfires. I’m glad to join my colleagues in introducing this important bill to help prevent wildfires and protect our communities.” This legislation is supported by the Kansas Livestock Association.
“The Nature Conservancy welcomes this bill as a jump start for the utilization of grazing as a tool for wildfire risk reduction,” said Whitney Forman-Cook, Senior Policy Advisor for Forests and Fire at The Nature Conservancy. “In our Roadmap for Wildfire Resilience, we recommend federal land management agencies research and implement new strategies for forest and rangeland fuels reduction treatments at landscape scales. Targeted grazing satisfies that call for a new, cost-effective approach to promoting both drought and wildfire resilience while maintaining rangeland health.”
The Wildfire Resilience Through Grazing Research Act would:
Support research and development of grazing land management techniques for wildfire mitigation and recovery by driving research at land-grant colleges and universities like the Kansas State University, University of California system, University of Hawai?i at M?noa and Oklahoma State University.
Promote the dissemination of information on these wildlife grazing land management techniques to public and private landowners, land managers and livestock owners, including land management activities that protect against negative environmental impacts and improve soil health.
The humanitarian situation in Somalia is worsening as drought, conflict and soaring food prices push millions toward extreme hunger, UN agencies warned on Wednesday.
New food security assessments indicate that 4.4 million people – nearly a quarter of the population – could face “crisis” levels of food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or higher) between April and June 2025, marking a sharp increase from 3.4 million people currently experiencing acute hunger.
“Worsening drought, erratic rainfall and ongoing conflict are eroding livelihoods, pushing families deeper into crisis,” said Etienne Peterschmitt, head of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Somalia.
The hunger crisis is expected to be most severe among internally displaced persons (IDPs), pastoralists with limited livestock and farming households that have exhausted their food supplies.
Consecutive climate shocks
Somalia has suffered consecutive climate shocks, with below-average rainfall in late 2024 severely reducing crop yields, depleting water sources and leading to livestock losses. The effects of erratic rainfall and riverine flooding in key agricultural areas – such as Hiraan, Middle Shabelle and Middle Juba –further devastated crops.
As a result, food prices remain high, worsening food insecurity for millions of Somalis already struggling with poverty and conflict-driven displacement.
According to the latest report by the global food security tracker, IPC, 1.7 million children under five are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition in 2025, including 466,000 with severe acute malnutrition – an increase of 9 per cent compared to last year.
Nearly two-thirds of these cases are concentrated in southern Somalia, where food insecurity is most extreme.
Children most at risk
“Past climate events demonstrate that children are the most affected, facing severe malnourishment and diseases that increase their risk of death and long-term developmental issues,” said Nisar Syed, Officer-in-Charge for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Somalia.
He underscored the need to urgently implement better prevention measures, emphasising a multi-sector approach.
This must combine immediate humanitarian response with long-term investments in resilience and health systems, he added.
Multiple pressures
Somalia’s food crisis is driven by multiple, overlapping factors: the 2024 Deyr rainy season (October–December) brought below-average rainfall, impacting both agropastoral communities and urban dwellers reliant on local food markets.
The upcoming Gu season (April–June) is also forecast to be drier than normal, raising fears of further crop failures.
At the same time, conflict and insecurity continue to displace families and disrupt livelihoods. Fighting in central and southern Somalia has hindered access to markets and aid, making it harder for affected communities to access food and basic services.
“Recurrent climate shocks, protracted conflict, disease outbreaks and widespread poverty, among other factors, have aggravated the humanitarian crisis in Somalia,” said Crispen Rukasha, Head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Somalia.
“Aid agencies are doing their best to save lives, but they urgently need adequate funding to meet the most critical needs at this juncture in Somalia,” he stressed.
Droughts are a constant threat in Somalia, in the horn of Africa.
Action stations
The agencies warned that without swift intervention, the situation could deteriorate to catastrophic levels.
Though they are working to scale up food assistance, nutrition and livelihood support, programmes could be forced to scale down or stop altogether amid “critically low” funding.
“Famine was narrowly avoided in 2022 due to large-scale humanitarian support, which is needed again to provide immediate assistance while implementing longer-term solutions,” said El-Khidir Daloum, UN World Food Programme (WFP) Country Director in Somalia.
“However, funding shortfalls are forcing us to prioritize and reduce assistance at the worst possible time,” he added, urging greater international support.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press release
UK sets out biodiversity commitments to protect nature
Commitments set out during conference as COP16 negotiations resume in Rome on delivering global nature goals
The UK has today (Wednesday 26 February) outlined its commitment to the implementation of UN COP15 biodiversity framework by publishing its National Biodiversity Strategy & Action Plan (NBSAP) – showing how we intend to meet all the global targets and goals .
The resumed session of the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) in Rome, Italy, will focus on unresolved items from Calì, Colombia in October 2024, including an international strategy to mobilise finance for nature and the mechanism to review global progress against the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).
A partnership between Defra, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, the NBSAP commits the UK to achieving all 23 of the Global Biodiversity Framework targets at home and outlines how its four countries will work together to fully implement each of these, including commitments to:
Expand protected areas to at least 30% of the land and seas
Reduce pollution from all sources to levels that are not harmful to biodiversity
Enhance biodiversity and sustainability in agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries, and forestry
Ensure sustainable, safe and legal harvesting and trade of wild species
The NBSAP draws on commitments made by the UK, its Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies – which make a significant contribution to global biodiversity – to summarise our collective ambition to work together to address biodiversity loss.
Achieving these goals to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 will be part of the global pathway towards a world living in harmony with nature by 2050.
Nature Minister Mary Creagh said:
“The UK continues to drive progress on nature protection and restoration both at home and across the world.
“It’s never been more important to tackle the nature and climate crises, and that’s why we will continue to press for concerted action to ensure full implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework.
“There is more work to do with our international partners, and the UK will be at the forefront of negotiations in Rome.”
Ruth Davis, the UK’s Special Representative for Nature, said:
“We need urgent action to address the nature crisis and that means working to halt biodiversity loss both internationally and at home.
“The launch of the NBSAP is a signal of the UK’s commitment to match international co-operation on nature with domestic activity to protect and enhance our natural world.
“We will continue to play our part in achieving our international nature targets, while working with other nations to make a difference across the globe.”
Natural England Chair Tony Juniper said:
“Nature underpins our economy, health and security. We rely on ecosystems for food, water and air, for resilience in the face of climate change and in sustaining our physical and psychological wellbeing.
”Just five years remain for us to meet the ambitious but critical Global Biodiversity targets agreed by world leaders at COP15. It is crucial that we ramp up action and work together to protect and restore our natural environment, including for the benefit of future generations.
“The Plan published today sets out how international commitments will translate into action on the ground across the UK and we look forward to working with government and our many partners to deliver what’s needed to recover nature.”
The Plan published today sets out how international commitments will translate into action on the ground, so that we can deliver the changes needed to recover nature.”
The UK is also supporting other countries to ensure that this global agreement is implemented, including by sharing technical and scientific expertise with partners all around the world, and supporting work to halt and reverse nature loss across the globe.
The Government is committed to protecting and restoring nature, and has launched a rapid review of the Environmental Improvement plan so that we can now meet our domestic and international targets and re-establish the UK as an international leader on the environment, as part of the Plan for Change.
We will honour the UK’s international commitments to deliver 30by30 – protecting 30% of the UK’s land and sea by 2030 – to ensure that at least 30% of the Earth’s land and ocean is being effectively conserved and managed by 2030, and to playing our part in achieving the global 30by30 target adopted at the UN Biodiversity Summit COP15 in December 2022.
Additional information:
Blueprint for halting and reversing biodiversity loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030, jointly published by Defra, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, summarises the UK’s response to the GBF to drive action at UK level to change the global picture.
In December 2022, 196 Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity came together to agree the GBF, which consists of four goals and 23 targets, with the overall mission of halting and reversing biodiversity loss globally by 2030 to put nature on a path to recovery for the benefit of people and planet,
The UK will also support other countries to deliver the National Biodiversity Strategy, from sharing technical and scientific expertise with partners all around the world, to supporting work to halt and reverse nature loss across the globe.
In today’s Wall Street Journal, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins lays out the Trump Administration’s comprehensive plan to bring down the price of eggs.
“The Biden administration did little to address the repeated outbreaks and high egg prices that followed. By contrast, the Trump administration is taking the issue seriously. To that end, today I am announcing a comprehensive strategy to combat avian influenza. The Agriculture Department will invest up to $1 billion to curb this crisis and make eggs affordable again. We are working with the Department of Government Efficiency to cut hundreds of millions of dollars of wasteful spending. We will repurpose some of those dollars by investing in long-term solutions to avian flu, which has resulted in about 166 million laying hens being culled since 2022.”
With the fulfillment of her term, and the nomination of Brian Quintenz to succeed her, Commissioner Christy Goldsmith Romero will step down from the Commission upon Mr. Quintenz’s confirmation, and retire from federal service. Commissioner Goldsmith Romero said, “It’s been a tremendous privilege to serve in the federal government for 23 years. Following my wonderful tenure at the SEC and as the Special Inspector General for TARP at the Department of the Treasury, it has been a joy to be a CFTC Commissioner and serve alongside my fellow Commissioners and the CFTC staff. History has shown how sound regulation plays a critical role in U.S. financial markets being the envy of the world, and I am honored to have played a part in promoting U.S. markets and protecting investors and customers.” “I congratulate my friend and fellow Commissioner, Christy Goldsmith Romero, on her retirement from decades of dedicated federal service” said Acting Chairman Caroline Pham. “Throughout her distinguished career, she has worked tirelessly to protect the American public and address risks in banking and financial services. I have appreciated her notable accomplishments towards our shared goal of supporting the CFTC’s robust enforcement program—to hold those who break the law accountable and deter bad actors from causing harm to our markets. In particular, Christy has been a thought leader in combatting fraud and addressing cybersecurity in new technologies such as AI and blockchain as sponsor of the CFTC’s Technology Advisory Committee. I will miss her partnership and collegiality on the Commission.”Commissioner Goldsmith Romero is a well-regarded, trusted, and internationally recognized leader in financial regulation and oversight. She has served as a Presidential appointee since 2012, was twice unanimously confirmed by the Senate, has testified before Congress 14 times, and was recently nominated to be the FDIC Chairman and Board Member. Her work has received substantial media coverage, and she is a sought-after speaker. Commissioner Goldsmith Romero led the CFTC during a time of expansion of derivatives markets and amid geopolitical uncertainty. Her overriding priority has been to ensure that markets work well—that they remain vibrant, resilient and have integrity. She has visited farmers, agricultural and energy providers, and critical mineral providers, and met with exchanges, trading platforms, clearing houses, banks and brokers.During her term, Commissioner Goldsmith Romero prioritized risk management, focusing on the Commission’s mission to promote market resilience. Her work led to increased surveillance to ensure prices for food and fuel were not artificially increased by fraud or manipulation. She led the drafting of the CFTC’s first proposed rule on cyber resilience for banks and brokers, which garnered a unanimous Commission vote. She spoke about resilience to climate risk, given the impact of severe climate events on agricultural and energy markets. Commissioner Goldsmith Romero built on her career-long enforcement record of combating fraud and other illegality and of advancing investor and customer protection. She changed the CFTC’s routine practice of settling all cases without requiring defendants to admit their misconduct and called for stricter penalties for recidivism and violations of anti-money laundering laws. She proposed the creation of a National Financial Fraud Registry, and advocated that Congress define “retail customer” for derivatives markets.Commissioner Goldsmith Romero has been a leader at the CFTC on future of finance issues. She promoted responsible innovation and competition in the CFTC’s regulation of trading of digital assets and engaged with technology innovators. She sponsored the CFTC’s Technology Advisory Committee, to which she added technology experts in cryptocurrency, stablecoins, blockchain, digital identity, AI, fintech, and cybersecurity. The committee examined emerging technology and cyber resilience and released first-of-its-kind reports on “Decentralized Finance” and “Responsible AI in Financial Markets.”Commissioner Goldsmith Romero was the first AANHPI lawyer to serve as a CFTC Commissioner and the first LGBTQIA+ Commissioner. She thanks President Biden for her nomination, the U.S. Senate for its unanimous confirmation, and her current and former staff and CFTC for their outstanding public service.About Commissioner Goldsmith RomeroCommissioner Goldsmith Romero was sworn in as a CFTC Commissioner on March 30, 2022, after being nominated by President Biden and unanimously confirmed by the Senate. In June 2024, President Biden nominated her to be the FDIC Chairman and Board Member (nomination returned by the Senate in January 2025).Prior to becoming a CFTC Commissioner, she served for 12 years at the Department of Treasury, including for a decade as the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP), after being nominated by President Obama and unanimously confirmed by the Senate. She continued to serve in that position throughout President Trump’s administration and the beginning of President Biden’s administration. There, she led a nationwide law enforcement and audit watchdog office conducting oversight over TARP, the government’s response to the financial crisis that covered banks, derivatives, housing, the automotive industry and insurance. She testified before Congress and served as a non-partisan Congressional resource on the U.S. financial system, the global financial crisis and TARP. SIGTARP returned more than $11 billion to taxpayers and other victims, a 27 times return on investment. SIGTARP developed a unique ability to find hidden fraud in banks. SIGTARP investigations led to criminal charges against 465 defendants (including 75 bankers sentenced to prison and 121 homeowner scammers sentenced to prison), as well as civil charges by the DOJ, the SEC & others against 25 entities including large financial institutions.Commissioner Goldsmith Romero served for six years at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including as counsel to two SEC Chairs, Christopher Cox (R) and Mary Schapiro (I), after serving on the staff of the Enforcement Division. She also was an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center teaching a class on the SEC and securities regulation, and at the University of Virginia Law School teaching classes on cryptocurrency regulation and federal oversight. Prior to joining the SEC, she worked at national law firms including Jenner & Block, Snell and Wilmer, and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, and served a federal clerkship.
RALEIGH, N.C. – Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Bubar announced today that the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina collected over $20 million in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2024. Of this amount, over $14 million was collected in criminal actions and over $6 million was collected in civil actions.
Additionally, the Eastern District of North Carolina worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $27,680.71 in cases pursued jointly by these offices.
The Eastern District of North Carolina’s successful collection efforts included the identification and recovery of over $800,000.00 transferred and concealed by criminal defendant Shephard Spruill, who participated in fraudulent billings to Medicaid by abusing his access to patient information. In another example of successful enforcement, the Eastern District of North Carolina recovered over $500,000 from civil defendant Michael Robinson for amounts fraudulently obtained from farm assistance programs run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The recovery of funds fraudulently obtained from such government programs is vital for ensuring the preservation of important public resources.
The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.
The Eastern District of North Carolina also aggressively pursued criminal and civil asset forfeiture remedies to disgorge criminals of their ill-gotten gains and recover funds that can subsequently be remitted to the victims of financial crime. Working with partner agencies and divisions, this office collectedover two million in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2024. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.
In addition to those deposits, during Fiscal Year 2024, the Eastern District of North Carolina, in partnership with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, seized and processed for forfeiture nearly $5 million in Tether (USDT) cryptocurrency that is alleged to be proceeds of cryptocurrency confidence investment schemes, a type of fraud scheme in which fraudsters develop romantic or other personal online relationships with a victim and then convince them to invest substantial sums of money through fake apps that are designed to look like legitimate cryptocurrency exchange apps, but instead deceive the victim into believing that they are earning high rates of return on their investments while really funneling the cryptocurrency directly to the fraudsters’ personal wallets. Even larger cryptocurrency seizures and forfeitures are anticipated and in progress in the coming year as law enforcement works aggressively to combat this devastating form of criminal activity.
Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
February 25, 2025
Durbin asked for unanimous consent from the Senate to pass a resolution in support of NIH; Republicans rejected it
WASHINGTON – Today, in a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) asked for unanimous consent (UC) to pass a resolution he introduced with U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), as well as 21 other Senators, that would pledge support for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as President Trump and Elon Musk continue to illegally cut funding and resources at NIH. The resolution simply says that the work of NIH should not be subject to interruption, delay, or funding disruptions in violation of the law, and it reaffirms that the NIH workforce is essential to sustaining medical progress. U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) rejected Durbin’s UC request.
“All the progress we have made [at NIH], all the progress we hope to make is in danger because of Donald Trump and Elon Musk. That’s right—these two men promised to bring down the price of eggs, gasoline, and make housing more affordable. None of that has happened. Instead, they are carrying out an unprecedented and devastating campaign to cut research funding for cancers, ALS, Alzheimer’s, dementia, and infectious diseases,” Durbin said. “Instead of making life better for Americans, they want to slash research funding for the National Institutes of Health.”
Durbin continued, “NIH funding is why people are beating cancer, why babies are being spared from preventable illnesses, why HIV is no longer a death sentence, why progress is being made on dementia and other neurological diseases.”
Since the start of this Administration, the White House has unleashed a lawless, chaotic attack on everything from funding for farmers to biomedical research.
“Let me tell you this—there is nothing to cheer about when it comes to [cutting] medical research. It was this bizarre memo from the Office of Management and Budget that illegally froze federal grant funding. They even prohibited the recipients of federal grants and medical research from physically meeting in the same place… The cuts that were announced by this Administration were quickly halted by a federal judge… but it seems even though the Court made a ruling, this Administration is still holding up funding, in violation of the court’s order. As a result, NIH has delayed awarding approximately $1 billion in grant funding—delaying research at institutions nationwide,” Durbin said.
Durbin spoke about how the Administration’s cuts to NIH is harming one of his constituents, Dr. Timothy Koh—a Professor of Kinesiology and Nutrition at the University of Illinois Chicago. For 15 years, Dr. Koh has been researching why people with diabetes develop wounds that do not heal, as well as researching treatments to address these wounds. While having steady federal funding for his research through the years, Dr. Koh was recently informed that his NIH grant application is on hold because of the federal funding freeze. His current grant is scheduled to end on Friday, and if his grant is not renewed, he will have to lay off lab staff and will see major setbacks in his research. Dr. Koh recently said, “It’s going to potentially put an end to my research career, and we won’t be able to develop these new therapies for diabetic [patients].”
“Make no mistake: under the Constitution, Congress is supposed to have the ‘power of the purse’ and over the past decade, bipartisan members of Congress have worked on a bipartisan basis to [increase] NIH’s funding [by 60 percent]… We did this because we know that NIH funding leads to new cures and treatments for patients in need, it supports well-paying jobs nationwide, and it cements our global leadership,” Durbin continued.
Illinois universities and hospitals receive approximately $1.2 billion in NIH funding—which supports 14,000 jobs in the state and $3.5 billion in economic activity. Reports indicate that 1,200 NIH employees have been fired so far under President Trump and Musk’s direction—from experienced vaccine researchers to the next generation of scientists, to the Acting Director of the NIH’s Alzheimer’s and dementia program. Further, President Trump and Musk have reportedly ended a popular trainee program that brought 1,600 young scientists just out of college to the NIH’s world-renowned campus in Maryland to help run labs.
Durbin concluded, “NIH research leads to the new cures and treatments that extend, improve, and save lives which is why I am introducing a resolution today to simply say of Senators on both sides of the aisle: let’s pledge support to make NIH an exception. Let’s not let wanton cuts stop something very valuable. This resolution is straight-forward—it says that the work of NIH should not be subject to interruption, delay, or funding disruptions in violation of the law, and it reaffirms that the workforce of the NIH is essential to sustaining medical progress… This is not controversial—Americans get sick on a bipartisan basis—shouldn’t we support medical research on a bipartisan basis? For as long as I can stand, for as long as I can speak, I will fight to protect NIH and the medical research it supports… I hope my Republican colleagues wake up and join me before it’s too late.”
Van Hollen and Alsobrooks—whose state is home to NIH’s campus—helped lead the introduction of today’s resolution with Durbin. Along with Durbin, Van Hollen, and Alsobrooks, today’s resolution was cosponsored by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tina Smith (D-MN), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Chris Coons (D-DE), Peter Welch (D-VT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Angus King (I-VT), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Jack Reed (D-RI).
“The dedicated civil servants at NIH work tirelessly on behalf of the American people to develop medical advancements that save lives. Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s reckless efforts to attack the agency are not only throwing this critical work into chaos, they’re also flat-out illegal. It’s disgraceful that Republicans refuse to join us in defending what has been a long record of bipartisan investment in biomedical research that helps Americans live longer, healthier lives,” said Van Hollen.
“The Marylanders who work at NIH are contributing to lifesaving research and medical advancements. To stop this work will literally cost lives. The President and this Administration are no longer just targeting civil servants—they’re targeting the American people,” said Alsobrooks.
Video of Durbin’sremarks on the floor is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the floor is available here.
Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the floor is available here for TV Stations.
On Valentine’s Day 2025, heavy rains started to fall in parts of rural Appalachia. Over the course of a few days, residents in eastern Kentucky watched as river levels rose and surpassed flood levels. Emergency teams conducted over 1,000 water rescues. Hundreds, if not thousands of people were displaced from homes, and entire business districts filled with mud.
For some, it was the third time in just four years that their homes had flooded, and the process of disposing of destroyed furniture, cleaning out the muck and starting anew is beginning again.
Historic floods wiped out businesses and homes in eastern Kentucky in February 2021, July 2022 and now February 2025. An even greater scale of destruction hit eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina in September 2024, when Hurricane Helene’s rainfall and flooding decimated towns and washed out parts of major highways.
Scenes of flooding from several locations across Appalachia in February 2025.
Each of these events was considered to be a “thousand-year flood,” with a 1-in-1,000 chance of happening in a given year. Yet they’re happening more often.
The floods have highlighted the resilience of local people to work together for collective survival in rural Appalachia. But they have also exposed the deep vulnerability of communities, many of which are located along creeks at the base of hills and mountains with poor emergency warning systems. As short-term cleanup leads to long-term recovery efforts, residents can face daunting barriers that leave many facing the same flood risks over and over again.
Exposing a housing crisis
For the past nine years, I have been conducting research on rural health and poverty in Appalachia. It’s a complex region often painted in broad brushstrokes that miss the geographic, socioeconomic and ideological diversity it holds.
There is considerable local inequality that is often overlooked in a region portrayed as one-dimensional. Poverty levels are indeed high. In Perry County, Kentucky, where one of eastern Kentucky’s larger cities, Hazard, is located, nearly 30% of the population lives under the federal poverty line. But the average income of the top 1% of workers in Perry County is nearly US$470,000 – 17 times more than the average income of the remaining 99%.
This income and wealth inequality translates to unequal land ownership – much of eastern Kentucky’s most desirable land remains in the hands of corporations and families with great generational wealth.
When I first moved to eastern Kentucky in 2016, I was struck by the grave lack of affordable, quality housing. I met families paying $200-$300 a month for a small plot to put a mobile home. Others lived in “found housing” – often-distressed properties owned by family members. They had no lease, no equity and no insurance. They had a place to lay one’s head but lacked long-term stability in the event of disagreement or disaster. This reality was rarely acknowledged by local and state governments.
Eastern Kentucky’s 2021 and 2022 floods turned this into a full-blown housing crisis, with 9,000 homes damaged or destroyed in the 2022 flood alone.
“There was no empty housing or empty places for housing,” one resident involved in local flood recovery efforts told me. “It just was complete disaster because people just didn’t have a place to go.”
Most homeowners did not have flood insurance to assist with rebuilding costs. While many applied to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for assistance, the amounts they received often did not go far. The maximum aid for temporary housing assistance and repairs is $42,500, plus up to an additional $42,500 for other needs related to the disaster.
The federal government often provides more aid for rebuilding through block grants directed to local and state governments, but that money requires congressional approval and can take months to years to arrive. Local community coalitions and organizations stepped in to fill these gaps, but they did not necessarily have sufficient donations or resources to help such large numbers of displaced people.
Affordable rental housing is hard to find in much of Appalachia. When flooding wipes out homes, as Jackson, Ky., saw in July 2022 and again in February 2025, it becomes even more rare. Michael Swensen/Getty Images
With a dearth of affordable rentals pre-flood, renters who lost their homes had no place to go. And those living in “found housing” that was destroyed were not eligible for federal support for rebuilding.
The sheer level of devastation also posed challenges. One health care professional told me: “In Appalachia, the way it usually works is if you lose your house or something happens, then you go stay with your brother or your mom or your cousin. … But everybody’s mom and brother and cousin also lost their house. There was nowhere to stay.” From her point of view, “our homelessness just skyrocketed.”
The cost of land – social and economic
After the 2022 flood, the Kentucky Department for Local Government earmarked almost $300 million of federal funding to build new, flood-resilient homes in eastern Kentucky. Yet the question of where to build remained. As another resident involved in local flood recovery efforts told me, “You can give us all the money you want; we don’t have any place to build the house.”
It has always been costly and time-intensive to develop land in Appalachia. Available higher ground tends to be located on former strip mines, and these reclaimed lands require careful geotechnical surveying and sometimes structural reinforcements.
If these areas are remote, the costs of running electric, water and other infrastructure services can also be prohibitive. For this reason, for-profit developers have largely avoided many counties in the region. The head of a nonprofit agency explained to me that, because of this, “The markets have broken. … We have no [housing] market.”
Eastern Kentucky’s mountains are beautiful, but there are few locations for building homes that aren’t near creeks or rivers. Strip-mined land, where mountaintops were flattened, often aren’t easily accessible and come with their own challenges. Posnov/Moment via Getty Images
There is also some risk involved in attempting to build homes on new land that has not previously been developed. A local government could pay for undeveloped land to be surveyed and prepared for development, with the prospect of reimbursement by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development if housing is successfully built. But if, after the work to prepare the land, it is still too cost-prohibitive to build a profitable house there, the local government would not receive any reimbursement.
Some counties have found success clearing land for large developments on former strip mine sites. But these former coal mining areas can be considerable distances from towns. Without robust public transportation systems, these distances are especially prohibitive for residents who lack reliable personal transportation.
Another barrier is the high prices that both individual and corporate landowners are asking for properties on higher ground.
The scarcity of desirable land available for sale, combined with increasingly urgent demand, has led to prices unaffordable for most. Another resident involved in local flood recovery efforts explained: “If you paid $5,000 for 30 acres 40 years ago, why won’t you sell that for $100,000? Nope, [they want] $1 million.” That makes it increasingly difficult for both individuals and housing developers to purchase land and build.
One reason for this scarcity is the amount of land that is still owned by outside corporate interests. For example, Kentucky River Properties, formerly Kentucky River Coal Corporation, owns over 270,000 acres across seven counties in the region. While this landholding company leases land to coal, timber and gas companies, it and others like it rarely permit residential development.
But not all unused land is owned by corporations. Some of this land is owned by families with deep roots in the region. People’s attachment to a place often makes them want to stay in their communities, even after disasters. But it can also limit the amount of land available for rebuilding. People are often hesitant to sell land that holds deep significance for their families, even if they are not living there themselves.
Rural communities are often tight-knit. Many residents want to stay despite the risks. AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley
One health care professional expressed feeling torn between selling or keeping their own family property after the 2022 flood: “We have a significant amount of property on top of a mountain. I wouldn’t want to sell it because my papa came from nothing. … His generation thought owning land was the greatest thing. … And for him to provide his children and his grandchildren and their great-grandchildren a plot of land that he worked and sweat and ultimately died to give us – people want to hold onto that.”
She recognized that land was in great demand but couldn’t bring herself to sell what she owned. In cases like hers, higher grounds are owned locally but still remain unused.
Moving toward higher ground, slowly
Two years after the 2022 flood, major government funding for rebuilding still has not resulted in a significant number of homes. The state has planned seven communities on higher ground in eastern Kentucky that aim to house 665 new homes. As of early 2025, 14 houses had been completed.
Progress on providing housing on higher ground is slow, and the need is great.
In the meantime, when I conducted interviews during the summer and fall of 2024, many of the mobile home communities that were decimated in the 2022 flood had begun to fill back up. These were flood-risk areas, but there was simply no other place to go.
Last week, I watched on Facebook a friend’s live video footage showing the waters creeping up the sides of the mobile homes in one of those very communities that had flooded in 2022. Another of my friends mused: “I don’t know who constructed all this, but they did an unjustly favor by not thinking how close these towns was to the river. Can’t anyone in Frankfort help us, or has it gone too far?”
With hundreds more people now displaced by the most recent flood, the need for homes on higher grounds has only expanded, and the wait continues.
Kristina Brant has received funding from the National Science Foundation and United States Department of Agriculture to support her past and ongoing research in rural Appalachia.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Mausam Budhathoki, Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling
The tourism and aquaculture sectors have been working together in Oban, on Scotland’s west coast.Rab Woods/Shutterstock
In many coastal regions, tourism and fish farms are vital industries that drive economic growth. Yet, they often compete for space, raising concerns about how to balance these two sectors without compromising the environment or local livelihoods.
In Oban, on the west coast of Scotland, the twin industries of tourism and aquaculture are learning to coexist – and even thrive together. Coastal communities can face economic challenges due to the seasonal nature of tourism as well as often limited job options. Their reliance on coastal resources, which are increasingly affected by environmental changes, can heighten the difficulties.
Aquaculture in high-income countries hasn’t always had the best reputation. Public perception can be negative due to concerns about the environmental impact and resource use. But when it’s practised sustainably, aquaculture can in fact help meet global food demands and contribute to the UN’s sustainable development goals, a blueprint for economic growth that’s equitable and environmentally aware.
Our recent study explored how tourists perceive aquaculture during their holiday and whether exposure to fish farms influences their willingness to consume locally farmed seafood. The results suggest that integrating aquaculture and tourism can increase awareness of sustainable seafood and create economic opportunities.
Oban’s coastline is home to salmon farms, shellfish cultivation, including mussels and oysters, and new seaweed farms. All of these sit in waters popular for marine tours. The tours attract visitors eager to learn more about local wildlife and history. But, aquaculture often faces criticism due to its impact on the landscape and marine ecosystems.
This tension is not unique to Oban. Across Europe, aquaculture growth has stagnated despite its potential to improve food security and sustainability. Regulatory challenges and conflicts over space are significant hurdles. This is especially true in coastal communities where the acceptance and support of the community – known as a “social licence to operate” – is crucial.
But our study offers a promising solution: aquaculture–tourism integration. By showcasing aquaculture as part of the tourism experience, Oban can educate visitors, encourage greater acceptance of sustainable farming practices and boost the local economy.
What tourists think about aquaculture
We surveyed 200 tourists on marine tours in Oban to understand how they view aquaculture. The responses revealed three main types of tourists. These are those with multiple motivations (visitors drawn by nature, socialising and learning); “relaxers” (tourists seeking rest and relaxation, often with little previous knowledge of aquaculture); and outgoing nature enthusiasts (active travellers who value wildlife and environmental conservation).
Despite their different motivations, most tourists responded positively to seeing fish farms during their tours. The most notable shift was among the “relaxers”, who were more interested in eating locally farmed seafood after learning about sustainable farming practices. This shows how education and direct experience can reshape the way seafood production is perceived.
Aquaculture sites are often viewed as eyesores, but our findings show that when framed as part of local culture, they can actually enrich the tourist experience. Tourists appreciated learning about sustainable seafood production as the boats approached floating net cages and began to view aquaculture as a positive part of the community.
Marine tours could include stops at aquaculture sites to let visitors see the operation, hear from farmers and even sample the products. This would present an opportunity to engage tourists and encourage a connection with the industry – potentially building trust with the public.
A successful hybrid venture in the seas around Rhodes, Greece.
This kind of integration offers several advantages. First, it can drive economic growth by attracting tourists interested in sustainable food and environmental practices. This can create a new revenue stream for both the aquaculture and tourism sectors. For example, a small farm on the Greek island of Rhodes partners with a diving centre to offer marine biology tours and dives around its site. Visitors learn about sustainable aquaculture and swim with sea bream in net pens, exploring how these practices support environmental conservation.
Beyond the economic benefits, it can also raise environmental awareness. As tourists learn about sustainable seafood farming, they are more likely to support more environmentally friendly food production in general.
By understanding how aquaculture contributes to food security, public perceptions could shift, leading to broader acceptance of aquaculture as a solution for global food challenges. And positive experiences of aquaculture not only shift perceptions but also make it easier for operators to win support from the community and encourage a more responsible approach to farming practices. However, it’s important that these efforts are honest and truly focused on environmental and social responsibility.
While many of the benefits are clear, there are challenges. Both aquaculture and tourism can damage the environment. Tourism can lead to habitat disruption and pollution, while poorly managed aquaculture can affect water quality and marine biodiversity.
But when farms are regularly visited as part of tourism activities such as boat tours or guided farm visits, there is a greater incentive to maintain high environmental standards. Nonetheless, careful planning and regulation are essential to ensure both sectors operate sustainably without harming ecosystems.
Another challenge is the aesthetic impact of aquaculture, a common issue with industrial food production. Fish farms inevitably alter coastal landscapes, but operators can choose design solutions that balance production needs with preserving the outlook.
Finally, competition for resources and space can lead to conflicts between tourism and aquaculture. Coastal communities must manage these demands carefully to ensure both sectors can thrive. This requires collaboration between tourism operators and aquaculture farmers to prevent clashes over infrastructure and resources.
Oban’s successful integration of aquaculture and tourism offers a model that can could be replicated by coastal communities globally. But barriers, such as the remoteness of some farms or regulatory requirements, may limit feasibility. However, by transforming fish farms into educational attractions, Oban demonstrates how sustainable practices can benefit both sectors.
With a focus on cooperation, education and responsible farming, an integrated approach between tourism operators and aquaculture companies could strengthen the reputation of local seafood. Ultimately, it offers a sustainable model for coastal communities.
Mausam Budhathoki receives funding from the EATFISH project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (Grant 956697).
Dave Little receives funding from EATFISH project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (Grant 956697).
PEKIN, Ill., Feb. 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Alto Ingredients, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALTO) a leading producer and distributor of specialty alcohols, renewable fuels and essential ingredients, announced it will release its fourth quarter and year-end 2024 financial results after the close of market on Wednesday, March 5, 2025.
Management will host a conference call at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time / 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time and will deliver prepared remarks via webcast followed by a question-and-answer session. How to participate:
To listen to the webcast, visit the Alto Ingredients website.
To receive a number and unique PIN by email, register here.
To dial directly twenty minutes prior to the scheduled call time, dial (833) 630-0017 domestically and (412) 317-1806 internationally. Please ask to join Alto Ingredients.
The webcast will be archived for replay on the Alto Ingredients website for one year. In addition, a telephonic replay will be available at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, through 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. To access the replay, please dial (877) 344-7529. International callers should dial 00-1 412-317-0088. The pass code will be 5306551.
About Alto Ingredients, Inc. Alto Ingredients, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALTO) is a leading producer and distributor of specialty alcohols, renewable fuels and essential ingredients. Leveraging the unique qualities of its facilities, the company serves customers in a wide range of consumer and commercial products in the Health, Home & Beauty; Food & Beverage; Industry & Agriculture; Essential Ingredients; and Renewable Fuels markets. For more information, please visit www.altoingredients.com.
We cordially invite you to the 2024 Financial Results Media Conference of Ascom Holding AG, for media representatives and analysts, which will take place as follows:
Date: Wednesday, March 12, 2025 Time: 10:00 a.m. to approx. 11:30 a.m. CET Location: METROPOL, Fraumünsterstrasse 12, 8001 Zurich, Metropol Location & Contact. Room: Big Hall (ground floor) Registration:info@ascom.com. We kindly ask you to submit your registration by Friday, March 7, 2025.
A live audio webcast with synchronized slides including questions and answers will be available on Webcast Link.
Ascom will publish the media release on March 12, 2025 at 06:30 a.m. CET.
Following the media conference, the speakers will be available for a short interview upon request.
In June 2024, a 66-year-old woman was admitted to the Medical Intensive Care Unit at Intermediate Hospital Katutura in Windhoek, Namibia. She was diagnosed with pneumonia, and tests showed that the organism responsible for her severe illness was resistant to all antibiotics except tigecycline. At the hospital, the pharmacy department had to obtain a compassionate clearance permit to procure and import tigecycline for the patient.
“The patient completed the course, stabilized, and was discharged from the intensive care unit to a general ward. Unfortunately, due to various complicated comorbidities, the patient eventually passed away”, said Ms Taimi Ipinge, a Chief Pharmacist at Intermediate Hospital Katutura.
Tragically, this type of resistance to antibiotics is all too common in Namibia, as with elsewhere in the world.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness, and death. As a result, the medicines become ineffective and infections persist in the body, increasing the risk of spread to others.
AMR is one of the top global public health and development threats. It is estimated that bacterial AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million global deaths in 2019 and contributed to 4.95 million deaths.
In 2019, Namibia recorded 451 deaths attributable to AMR and 1,900 deaths were associated with AMR.
Acting to stop AMR
The Government of Namibia recognizes that AMR is a threat to health security across the country and region and that a range of health system interventions are necessary to protect the population’s health and ensure good progress towards universal health coverage (UHC).
The Government responded to the overuse of antibiotics by setting up a national multi-sectoral AMR governance to guide, oversee, coordinate, and monitor AMR-related activities in all sectors to ensure a systematic and comprehensive implementation of Namibia’s National Action Plan on AMR.
In November 2021, Namibia commemorated its first World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW). In 2023, MoHSS in collaboration with AMR quadripartite organizations, commemorated the week under the theme of ‘Preventing antimicrobial resistance together’ with the slogan ‘Antimicrobials: handle with care’. The event brought together the Ministry of Health and Social Services, the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, and the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism.
Namibia launched its infection prevention and control action plan and national guidelines. WHO provided support to a range of activities for this including distribution of information, education and communication materials around infection prevention and control, regional orientation on quality standards, in-service training focal points, and training on water, sanitation, and hygiene for hospital quality improvement plans. Thanks to capacity-building support from WHO, Namibia also reached a significant milestone for the first submission of data on AMR to GLASS in December 2023.
“AMR is extremely serious. If left unchecked it means we are heading to a world where medical treatment of routine ailments or operations is life threatening and a greater number of people might stop responding to drugs. It challenges all our efforts to strengthen health systems and achieve universal health coverage. WHO commends the Namibian Government for the strategic and multiple approaches taken through collaboration between sectors and work across the region to raise awareness amongst the public,” said Dr Richard Banda, WHO Representative to Namibia.
Strengthening health security
Namibia’s response to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is part of the broader effort to strengthen health security across the country. By integrating a One Health approach and engaging key sectors, Namibia is actively working to strengthen its health systems, improve surveillance, and ensure that it is prepared to respond to emerging health threats. The launch of the National Tripartite One Health Strategy 2024-2028 further underlines the government’s commitment to safeguarding public health, both within the country and in collaboration with regional and international partners.
The UHC Partnership operates in over 125 countries, representing over 3 billion people. It is supported and funded by Belgium, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Japan, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and WHO.
New York, NY, Feb. 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Diamond Equity Research, a leading equity research firm with a focus on small capitalization public companies has initiated coverage of ConnectM Technology Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: CNTM). The in-depth 32-page initiation report includes detailed information on the ConnectM Technology Solutions’ business model, services, industry overview, financials, valuation, management profile, and risks.
• Diversified Innovative AI-Powered Platform Driving Scalable and Recurring Revenue Streams: At the core of ConnectM’s strategy lies its proprietary Energy Intelligence Network (EIN), which integrates AI-powered heat pumps, EV solutions, and distributed energy systems. The platform enables efficient cross-selling across diverse verticals, thereby enhancing customer lifetime value and lowering acquisition costs. This results in predictable, high-margin revenue streams derived from product sales, software subscriptions, and managed services agreements.
• Pioneering Leadership in the $2 Trillion Electrification Transformation: ConnectM is strategically positioned at the forefront of the global shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy, tapping into a $2 trillion electrification market. Its early mover advantage is strengthened by a robust 10-patent IP portfolio and over 120,000 connected assets that drive powerful network effects and data intelligence. This pioneering stance not only differentiates ConnectM but also establishes a solid foundation for sustainable long-term growth.
• Robust, Vertically Integrated Business Model Fueling Consistent High Growth: ConnectM has achieved 20 consecutive quarters of revenue growth, with a current run rate projected at $26 million and break-even cash flow expected by 2025. Its vertically integrated approach, encompassing product design, AI technology, and owned service networks, minimizes dependence on third-party providers. Moreover, a shared revenue model with service partners further amplifies potential profitability while mitigating operational risks.
• Strategic Acquisitions Accelerating Synergistic Market Expansion: The company has strategically augmented its market presence through targeted acquisitions, including MHz Invensys, projected to contribute $15 million in revenue by 2027. Additional acquisitions, such as DeliveryCircle and Green Energy Gains, have significantly strengthened its foothold in last-mile logistics and building electrification. This well-defined M&A pipeline is potentially set to unlock further synergistic growth opportunities across the smart energy solutions landscape.
• Solid Financial Foundations Supported by Strong Institutional Backing: ConnectM benefits from robust institutional support, with shareholders as of recent filings including Cowen, Geode Capital, Polar Asset, and Jane Street, while insiders hold a significant 33% stake. The company’s de-leveraged balance sheet, achieved by a recent conversion of $13.7 million in debt to equity, reinforces its financial resilience. Furthermore, the secured $25 million in strategic financing positions ConnectM for continued expansion and technological innovation.
• Capturing Exponential Growth Prospects Amid Robust Market Tailwinds: The electrification of buildings, transportation, and distributed energy systems is still in its early stages, offering substantial exponential growth potential. AI-powered heat pumps, a key component of the EIN, represent an opportunity comparable to the EV market but with superior potential margins of 30–40% and lower competition. These favorable market tailwinds are expected to drive sustained demand and accelerate ConnectM’s expansion trajectory.
• Valuation: ConnectM is targeting the $2 trillion energy transition with its AI-powered Energy Intelligence Network (EIN), optimizing electrification, distributed energy networks, and smart mobility. Its platform-driven strategy positions it for accelerated growth, operational efficiency, and sustained profitability. We have assessed ConnectM’s valuation using a blended approach, incorporating discounted cash flow (DCF) and comparable company analyses. Under our DCF approach, we assumed a 12.5% discount rate and a terminal growth rate of 1.5% to estimate the present value of projected free cash flows. For the comparable company analysis, we utilized the EV/Revenue multiple of similar renewable energy products and technology companies to establish a market-based valuation benchmark. By integrating both these approaches, we have arrived at a valuation of $3.25 per share contingent on successful execution by the company.
About ConnectM Technology Solutions, Inc.
ConnectM Technology Solutions, Inc. is a vertically integrated holding company based in Marlborough, MA that provides digital platforms and services for electrification and decarbonization across the U.S., offering solutions for solar energy, HVAC, EV integration, and smart energy management.
About Diamond Equity Research
Diamond Equity Research is a leading equity research and corporate access firm focused on small capitalization companies. Diamond Equity Research is an approved sell-side provider on major institutional investor platforms.
Diamond Equity Research LLC is being compensated by ConnectM Technology Solutions, Inc. for producing research materials regarding ConnectM Technology Solutions, Inc. and its securities, which is meant to subsidize the high cost of creating the report and monitoring the security, however the views in the report reflect that of Diamond Equity Research. All payments are received upfront and are billed for research engagement. As of 02/26/25 the issuer had paid us $17,500 (as part of $35,000 annual contract payable in three upfront installment payments for the first year of coverage), which commenced on 01/30/25 with the second and third installment of $8,750 due in the following two three-months period. Diamond Equity Research LLC may be compensated for non-research related services, including presenting at Diamond Equity Research investment conferences, press releases and other additional services. The non-research related service cost is dependent on the company, but usually does not exceed $5,000. The issuer has not paid us for non-research related services as of 02/26/2025. Issuers are not required to engage us for these additional services. Additional fees may have accrued since then. Although Diamond Equity Research company sponsored reports are based on publicly available information and although no investment recommendations are made within our company sponsored research reports, given the small capitalization nature of the companies we cover we have adopted an internal trading procedure around the public companies by whom we are engaged, with investors able to find such policy on our website public disclosures page. This report and press release do not consider individual circumstances and does not take into consideration individual investor preferences. Statements within this report may constitute forward-looking statements, these statements involve many risk factors and general uncertainties around the business, industry, and macroeconomic environment. Investors need to be aware of the high degree of risk in small capitalization equities including the complete loss of their investment. Investors can find various risk factors in the initiation report and in the respective financial filings for ConnectM Technology Solutions, Inc. Please review initiation report attached for full disclosure page.
Grants to arms companies seemingly waived through on a regular basis
FOI requests reveal that over £3.5 million in grants have been awarded to major arms companies since January 2023
‘When Scottish public money has been awarded to arms companies involved in the manufacture of F-35 jets used as part of Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, looking the other way can is no longer an option’ – Neil Cowan
Amnesty International has today warned MSPs that the Scottish Government is not taking seriously its concerns about public funding for arms companies.
The organisation said Deputy First Minister and Economy Secretary Kate Forbes failed to adequately address Amnesty’s concerns about awarding public money to arms companies linked to states accused of serious human rights violations – and told MSPs to demand ministers acknowledge their international obligations.
The warning comes ahead of a Scottish Parliament debate today (Wednesday 26 February) on ending all Scottish Government support for arms companies involved in the sale of arms to Israel, led by the Scottish Greens.
Recent freedom of information (FOI) requests submitted to the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise by Amnesty revealed that over £3.5 million in grants have been awarded to major arms companies, including ones linked to Israel and Saudi Arabia, since January 2023. The FOI responses also confirmed no company has ever failed Scottish Enterprise’s human rights checks.
Following the FOI disclosures, Amnesty wrote to Kate Forbes on 11November 2024. In the letter, Amnesty Scotland expressed concern that Scotland may be failing to meet its international obligations and called on Forbes to launch an urgent review of Scottish Enterprise’s human rights checks and of Scottish Enterprise’s funding for arms companies. After receiving a response to that letter on 23 February, Amnesty have described it as “not good enough” with ever growing concern that the issue is not being taken seriously by the Scottish Government. In the letter, Forbes failed to respond directly to questions around the monitoring and impact of the grants and instead placed responsibility on Scottish Enterprise.
Neil Cowan, Scotland Director at Amnesty International UK, said:
“The Deputy First Minister’s response to our letter is not good enough. It underlines our deep concern that the Scottish Government is not taking seriously its potential indirect complicity in international humanitarian law violations or crimes against humanity, including genocide.
“We have repeatedly stated our view that, with grants to arms companies seemingly waived through on a regular basis, the credibility and robustness of Scottish Enterprise’s human rights checks are seriously undermined.
“When Scottish public money has been awarded to arms companies involved in the manufacture of F-35 jets used as part of Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, looking the other way can is no longer an option.
“MSPs should use today’s Scottish Parliament debate to demand the Scottish Government acknowledges its international obligations in relation to funding for arms companies and takes urgent steps to ensuring those obligations are being met.”
Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh Reviews Research Facilities at CSIR-IMTECH, Chandigarh, inspects Microbe Repository and takes update on ongoing projects Dr. Jitendra Singh launches New Tulip Garden & Agri-Startups at CSIR-IHBT, Palampur
From 50 to 9,000 Startups: India Emerges as Global Biotech Innovation Hub- Dr. Jitendra Singh
Floriculture Mission Expands to 1,000 Hectares, Generating ₹80 Crores for Farmers
Science and Technology Minister Dr. Singh Inaugurates Key projects at CSIR-IHBT, Palampur
Posted On: 26 FEB 2025 5:54PM by PIB Delhi
CHANDIGARH, February 26: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh, inspected Microbe Repository and other facilities at the CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology (CSIR-IMTECH) here and also took an update on the ongoing projects in the institute.
During the review, Dr. Jitendra Singh highlighted that microbial technology is a crucial pillar of biotechnology, emphasizing its growing significance in shaping the next generation industrial revolution.
Dr. Jitendra Singh credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the groundbreaking New BioE3 Policy, which places a renewed focus on biomanufacturing and bio foundries. He underscored India’s rapid progress in the biotech sector, stating, “India’s bioeconomy has witnessed an extraordinary surge from $10 billion in 2014 to over $130 billion in 2024, with projections to reach $300 billion by 2030.”
The Minister also recalled the recent launch of India’s first indigenous antibiotic, Nafithromycin, developed to combat resistant infections. He noted that the number of biotech startups in India has grown exponentially from just 50 in 2014 to nearly 9,000 today, solidifying India’s position as a global hub for biotech innovation. Furthermore, he informed that India now ranks third in the Asia-Pacific region and 12th globally in bio-manufacturing, underscoring the increasing importance of CSIR-IMTECH in driving pioneering research in microbial genetics, infectious diseases, fermentation technology, environmental microbiology, and bioinformatics.
CSIR-IMTECH, a premier research institute in microbial biotechnology, hosts a repository of over 14,000 microbial strains through its Microbial Type Culture Collection and Gene Bank (MTCC). This national repository not only provides authenticated cultures to researchers and industries but also supports key regulatory authorities, including IPC, BIS, and NBA, in microbe-related concerns. The institute is at the forefront of harnessing microbial resources for scientific and industrial applications, addressing unmet needs in healthcare, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and environmental sciences.
Connecting virtually with CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (CSIR-IHBT), Palampur, Dr. Singh inaugurated several new facilities and participated in critical scientific discussions. He joined the EMBO Workshop on High Elevation Plant Adaptation in a Changing Climate (HEPACC) and the Industry, Farmer & Academia (IFA) Meet, emphasizing that such initiatives reflect the Government of India’s commitment to scientific advancement, economic empowerment, and sustainable agriculture.
Dr. Jitendra Singh also virtually inaugurated a New Tulip Garden at Palampur in Himachal Pradesh, commending the CSIR-IHBT Palampur team for their scientific interventions that have enabled wider tulip cultivation even in other seasons, a model that can be replicated in other regions. Additionally, he launched products developed by agri-startups that have been supported by the institute, fostering innovation in the agricultural sector.
Dr. Jitendra Singh lauded CSIR-IHBT for leading multiple national missions, including: CSIR Floriculture Mission – Expanded floriculture to 1,000 hectares, benefiting 3,800 farmers across Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, and Ladakh, generating an income of ₹80 crore. Aroma Mission. Millet Mission. Immunity Mission. Waste to Wealth Mission. Phenome India-CSIR Health Cohort Knowledgebase. CSIR Precision Agriculture Mission
The Minister also inaugurated state-of-the-art facilities, including Autonomous Green House, Heeng Seed Production Centre, Heeng QPM Facility, Ornamental Bulb Processing Facility and Phyto-Analytical Facility.
Additionally, he laid the foundation stone for the Phyto factory Facility and dedicated a Cement Concrete Road from Floriculture Junction to Chandpur R&D Farm.
Dr. Jitendra Singh emphasized that by integrating scientific research, industry collaboration, and government policies, the rich biodiversity of Himalayan states can be harnessed for economic prosperity, benefiting farmers and advancing India’s scientific ecosystem.
A new resource has launched this week for homeowners and landlords who want to learn how to improve the energy efficiency of their home.
The ‘A House Like Mine’ project, is a new partnership between Oxford City Council, Low Carbon Hub, and Cosy Homes Oxfordshire that aims to showcase how home-owners and landlords can improve the energy efficiency of their home – helping to make it warmer, healthier, cheaper to run and more environmentally friendly – whatever their budget.
The project features 12 real-life homes from across Oxford which received a Whole House Plan detailing the steps they could take to improve the energy performance of their homes. The case studies includes how homeowners could prioritise work on their homes and the potential impact on their energy performance rating.
About the case studies
The 12 case studies feature eight homeowners and four landlords across a range of property types – from Victorian terraces to modern flats – which aim to show the different ways that people could improve the energy efficiency of their homes:
The guide covers a range of different property types, including:
Pre-1900s mid-terrace, Kingston Road, Oxford
1950s semi-detached, Marston, Oxford
1900s detached, Botley, Oxford
1950s steel-framed ‘Howard House’, Rose Hill, Oxford
1920s semi-detached, Rose Hill, Oxford
1930s semi-detached, Rose Hill, Oxford
1940s semi-detached, St. Clements, Oxford
Pre-1900s mid-terrace, Osney Island, Oxford
Pre-1900s end-terrace, Jericho, Oxford
1950s end-terrace, Blackbird Leys, Oxford
1900s mid-terrace, Littlemore, Oxford
1990s top-floor flat, Temple Cowley, Oxford
How to use the resources
The case studies take a ‘fabric first’ approach, prioritising improvements to the house to reduce heat loss. This means starting with upgrades like insulation – whether that’s cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, or internal wall insulation – to create a solid foundation for further improvements.
The project emphasises that homeowners are not required to install all the measures at once. Instead, they are encouraged to take a step-by-step approach – starting with smaller measures or room by room.
A House Like Mine was funded by the MCS Foundation, Oxford City Council, Oxfordshire County Council, and Lucy Group, and delivered with support from the Zero Carbon Oxford Partnership (ZCOP).
Housing emissions in Oxford
The Zero Carbon Oxford Roadmap found around 60% of Oxford’s carbon emissions come from buildings, with residential buildings accounting for 29% of total emissions.
Oxford has the goal of becoming a net zero carbon city by 2040 and decarbonising buildings is key to this.
Comment
“A House Like Mine aims to help everyone in Oxford get access to the information and support they need to live in a healthy and energy efficient home. This project highlights how many ways there are to make your home more energy efficient, whatever your house type, personal circumstance, or budget.”
Councillor Anna Railton, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Zero Carbon Oxford, Oxford City Council
“A House Like Mine is centred around encouraging people to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. By creating case studies with real people and real houses, we are showing what energy improvements could be possible in a range of house types across Oxford. We want people to see these stories, recognise ‘a house like mine’ and be inspired to act.”
Notice: Pilot Program begins March 1, 2025. Submission of the Digital Agriculture form is limited to select flights. Please see flight listings here
Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture Declaration Form
ALOHA AND WELCOME TO HAWAI‘I!
Many plants and animals from elsewhere in the world can be harmful to our unique environment, agriculture, and communities. Please help to protect Hawai‘i by not bringing harmful pests into our state.
YOU ARE REQUIRED BY STATE LAW TO FILL OUT THIS AGRICULTURAL DECLARATION FORM FOR ALL INBOUND FLIGHTS FROM THE CONTINENTAL U.S. TO HAWAIʻI.
Any person who defaces this declaration form, gives false information, or fails to declare, prohibited or restricted articles in their possession, including baggage, or fails to declare these items on cargo manifests is in violation of Chapter 150A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, and may be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable, in certain instances, by a maximum penalty of $25,000 and/or up to one year imprisonment. Intentionally smuggling a snake or other prohibited or restricted article into Hawaiʻi is, in certain circumstances, a Class C felony punishable by a maximum penalty of $200,000 and/or up to five years imprisonment.
One adult member of a family may complete this declaration for other family members.
The Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture (“HDOA”) is committed to maintaining an environment free from discrimination, retaliation, or harassment on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, or disability, or any other class as protected under federal or state law, with respect to any program or activity. For more information, including language accessibility and filing a complaint, please contact the HDOA Non-Discrimination Coordinator at (808) 973-9560, or visit HDOA’s website at https://hdoa.hawaii.gov/non-discrimination-notice/#english
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ6: Commemorative activities for 80th anniversary of victory in War of Resistance LCQ6: Commemorative activities for 80th anniversary of victory in War of Resistance ***********************************************************************************
Following is a question by the Hon Chan Yung and a written reply by the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, in the Legislative Council today (February 26): Question: This year marks the 80th anniversary of victory in the War of Resistance, and it is learnt that the Government will host a series of commemorative activities. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council: (1) whether it will set up a “Preparatory Committee for commemorative activities for the 80th anniversary of Hong Kong’s victory in the War of Resistance” led by the Working Group on Patriotic Education, and extensively invite the participation of representatives of community organisations to co-ordinate the relevant activities; if so, of the expected time to commence such work; (2) of the key activities to be hosted to commemorate the 80th anniversary of victory in the War of Resistance, so as to strengthen the sense of patriotism among the public while disseminating the message of peace; (3) how it will take the opportunity to make good use of the rich resources of the history of the War of Resistance in Hong Kong to promote the development of red tourism; and (4) how it will collaborate with the relevant Central authorities and other cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in jointly commemorating the 80th anniversary of victory in the War of Resistance? Reply: President, Having consulted the relevant bureaux, a consolidated reply in response to the questions raised by the Hon Chan Yung is as follows: This year marks the 80th anniversary of victory in the War of Resistance. The Chief Executive announced in the 2024 Policy Address that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government will host commemorative activities to strengthen the sense of patriotism. In terms of implementation, the Working Group on Patriotic Education led by the Chief Secretary for Administration will co-ordinate relevant bureaux and departments in launching a series of commemorative activities, including: (a) The HKSAR Government will host a solemn official ceremony at the Hong Kong City Hall Memorial Garden on September 3, the Victory Day of the War of Resistance, to honour the occasion. The commemoration will feature a rendition of the national anthem, ceremonial flag raising, a Rifle Volley by the Police Rifle Squad, an observation of silence, and bowing in tribute. The attendance at the ceremony will include the Chief Executive and senior government officials, representatives of the organs of the Central People’s Government in Hong Kong, former Chief Executives, members of the Executive Council, members of the Legislative Council, representatives of war veterans’ groups, HKSAR deputies to the National People’s Congress, HKSAR members of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, representatives of District Councils, representatives of Heung Yee Kuk, representatives of district organisations, members of uniformed groups and youth groups, etc; (b) With the funding and support from the Home Affairs Department, three major associations, namely the Hong Kong Island Federation, the Kowloon Federation of Associations and the New Territories Association of Societies, will organise activities on September 3 to commemorate the victory of the War of Resistance. Examples of these activities include a talk by veterans to recount their experiences during the War and a film show about the War, with a view to deepening the understanding among members of the public about the historical events of the War of Resistance on the Mainland and in Hong Kong and fostering their sense of patriotism; (c) The Hong Kong Museum of History (HKMH) under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) is currently liaising closely with the National Museum of China on co-organising a large-scale thematic exhibition scheduled to launch in early September for a period of about three months. The exhibition will mainly feature our country’s unyielding spirit of resistance during the War, as well as contents on Hong Kong people’s support for the Mainland compatriots, and the three years and eight months of Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, with a view to giving Hong Kong citizens (particularly the younger generation) a better understanding of the War of Resistance; (d) The Hong Kong Museum of the War of Resistance and Coastal Defence (MWRCD) is planning to collaborate with the Guangdong Museum of Revolutionary History to jointly organise a thematic exhibition on the 80th anniversary of victory in the War of Resistance. The exhibition will focus on an overview of the anti war activities of the Chinese Communist Party in Guangdong Province and Hong Kong during the War of Resistance. Through the display of valuable exhibits, historical photographs and multi-media programmes, the exhibition aims to enlighten the public about the history of the War, thereby promoting and inheriting the spirit of patriotic education; (e) The LCSD museums will also organise a diverse array of public and educational programmes, including thematic talks, workshops, field trips, and film screenings to raise public awareness of the history of the War of Resistance; (f) The LCSD will, from August to December, organise a thematic talk “Reapproaching the Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong from interactive map, 1941-1945” and a book display “Days of War” at the Hong Kong Central Library, as well as book displays, photo exhibitions and thematic talks at public libraries in different districts to introduce relevant collections and information, so as to enable citizens to learn about the history of the War of Resistance as well as the unity and resilience of the Chinese people in the fight for peace. These include the thematic talk cum roving exhibition “War of Resistance in Hong Kong: Sai Kung” to be held in Sai Kung District, guided tours of the Hong Kong Sha Tau Kok Anti-war Memorial Hall to be held in North District, and thematic talk series “Wartime Sham Shui Po” to be held in Sham Shui Po District, etc; (g) In terms of teachers and students, the Education Bureau (EDB) has always attached great emphasis on the education about the history of the War of Resistance, and continuously organises relevant activities for teachers and students to help them understand the history of the War and the heroic deeds of the martyrs, experience the indomitable spirit of the Chinese nation, learn to cherish peace through remembering history, as well as cultivate their sense of identity, belonging, responsibility and patriotic spirit. On teacher training activities, the EDB plans to organise an academic seminar on the 80th anniversary of victory in the War of Resistance, lecture on the contributions of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Independent Brigade of the East River Column, visits to places such as the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison Exhibition Center at Ngong Shuen Chau Barracks, the Hong Kong Sha Tau Kok Anti-Japanese War Memorial Hall, and the Wu Kau Tang Martyrs Memorial Garden, as well as a study tour for teachers in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area themed on the footprints in relation to the War of Resistance. On student activities, the EDB plans to roll out the “Visual Narrative of the War of Resistance: Territory-wide Creative Competition”, the History e-Reading Award Scheme themed on the 80th anniversary of victory in the War of Resistance, the second “Learn from Museums – Novice Curator Training Programme” co-organised with the Hong Kong Museum of the War of Resistance and Coastal Defence, as well as field study activities related to the history of the War of Resistance in both the local region and the Mainland; and (h) The Information Services Department is actively planning to collaborate with relevant government organisations on programme production under the theme of “Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of Victory in the War of Resistance”, so as to promote patriotic education through storytelling in a vivid manner. To make good use of the abundant resources relating to the history of the War of Resistance in Hong Kong to promoting characteristic tourism, the Tourism Commission, in collaboration with the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), has been taking forward the Enhancement of Hiking Trails (the Project) since 2018 to enhance the tourism supporting facilities of 20 hiking trails in country parks which are popular and with tourism potential. The Project covers hiking trails relating to war history, namely Lion Rock Historic Walk, Shing Mun War Relics Trail and Luk Keng War Relics Trail. The AFCD completed the enhancement works at Lion Rock Historic Walk in December 2023, whereas those at Shing Mun War Relics Trail and Luk Keng War Relics Trail are expected to be completed progressively in 2026. In addition, the AFCD installed at the Robin’s Nest Country Park interpretation panels about its war relics and the deeds of nearby villagers at the War of Resistance, and produced a video for broadcasting on social media platforms, thereby showcasing the history of the War of Resistance at the Robin’s Nest Country Park. The HKSAR Government will continue to encourage the trade to make better use of the abundant resources relating to the history of the War of Resistance to develop more unique tourism products covering different themes of in-depth tours. Besides, to preserve the history of the War of Resistance in Hong Kong, the MWRCD has commenced relevant historical research with a view to providing related historical information for the War of Resistance heritage trails to be set up by responsible government departments in the future. The information will offer the public an insight into the history of the War of Resistance, and enrich their travel experience.
Ends/Wednesday, February 26, 2025Issued at HKT 15:30
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is a question by the Hon Jimmy Ng and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, in the Legislative Council today (February 26):
Question:
In the report on the 2023 Manpower Projection published by the Government in November last year, it was projected that the manpower shortage in Hong Kong would be widened to 180 000 by 2028. In particular, skilled technical workers, manual labourers and service industry workers would experience manpower shortage. It was projected that there would be a shortage of 147 000 to 162 000 workers in total by then. Some members of the industrial and commercial sectors are worried that the problem of manpower shortage will limit the development of relevant sectors, and they have urged the Government to introduce more targeted measures to address the problem. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the respective numbers of quotas used under the various sector-specific labour importation schemes so far; whether the authorities will study increasing the quotas for such schemes to address the problem of manpower shortage, as well as expanding the relevant schemes to cover more sectors with manpower shortage; if so, of the details;
(2) as the Government launched the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS) in September 2023 under which the general exclusion of the 26 job categories as well as unskilled or low-skilled posts from labour importation would be suspended for two years, of the number of labour importation applications approved under the ESLS so far and the number of workers involved, together with a breakdown by 26 job categories; whether the authorities will extend the ESLS or even regularise it; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3) as it is learnt that applications under the ESLS and sector-specific labour importation schemes are in general required to be subject to a manning ratio of imported labour to full-time local staff (i.e. 1:2), but such a requirement may be waived under special circumstances, whether the authorities have waived the manning ratio requirement in respect of individual applications under such schemes in the past; if so, of the details; whether consideration will be given to relaxing the manning ratio requirement of such schemes; if so, of the details;
(4) whether consideration will be given to relaxing the requirement that wages of workers imported under the ESLS and sector-specific labour importation schemes should not be lower than the prevailing median monthly wage of a comparable position in the market; if so, of the details;
(5) as employers participating in the ESLS and sector-specific labour importation schemes are currently allowed to deduct up to 10 per cent of the wages of imported workers as the accommodation fee for the period that the imported workers occupy the accommodation provided by their employers, whether the authorities will consider raising the percentage; if so, of the details; and
(6) whether it will introduce more new measures to address the problem of manpower shortage in the future; if so, of the details?
Reply:
President,
To cope with the challenges brought by manpower shortage and on the premise of ensuring employment priority for local workers, the Government has enhanced the mechanism for importation of labour. On June 19, 2023, the Labour and Welfare Bureau introduced the Special Scheme to Import Care Workers for Residential Care Homes (Care Workers Scheme) for the residential care home (RCH) sector. On July 17, 2023, the Development Bureau (DEVB) and the Transport and Logistics Bureau (TLB) respectively launched sector-specific labour importation schemes for the construction and transport sectors. In addition, the Labour Department (LD) has implemented the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS) since September 4, 2023 to enhance the coverage and operation of the Supplementary Labour Scheme (SLS) including suspending the general exclusion of the 26 job categories as well as unskilled or low-skilled posts from labour importation for two years.
In consultation with the DEVB and the TLB, our reply to the Hon Jimmy Ng’s questions is as follows:
(1) Since the launch of the Care Workers Scheme and sector-specific labour importation schemes, a total of around 23 800 quotas for importation of workers were approved as at January 31, 2025. A breakdown by labour importation schemes is as follows:
Labour Importation Scheme Quota ceiling Quotas approved
Care Workers Scheme 15 000 Around 7 200 (Note 1)
Labour Importation Scheme for the Construction Sector (Construction Sector Scheme) 12 000 9 109 (Note 2)
Labour Importation Scheme for the Aviation Sector (Aviation Sector Scheme) 6 300 5 823
Labour Importation Scheme for the Transport Sector – Public Light Bus (PLB)/ Coach Trade (Transport Sector Scheme) 1 700 (PLB: 900 Coach trade: 800) 1 700
Note 1: Including the new quotas approved since the implementation of the Scheme in June 2023 and the quotas for renewal in respect of care workers previously imported through SLS. Note 2: Quota allocation is on a rolling basis, i.e. quotas will be released for new application after the completion of the relevant construction projects. As of end-2024, there were a total of 9 109 approved and active quotas under the Scheme.
For the Care Workers Scheme, the Government reviewed the manpower situation of care workers in the RCH sector and in July 2024 announced that it would provide additional 8 000 quotas in the coming three years. Having regard to the overall demand for and supply of care workers in the RCH sector, the Secretary for Labour and Welfare will make timely adjustments to the number of overall quotas, as well as the number and pace of quotas allotted in each batch, with a view to responding flexibly and swiftly to changes in the manpower supply and demand in the RCH sector. Regarding the Construction Sector Scheme, on the premise of ensuring priority for local workers’ employment, the DEVB will carefully consider the allotment of the remaining quotas based on the labour market condition and construction project needs, and take note of the updates on manpower forecast to continuously monitor the use of quotas. In respect of the Aviation Sector Scheme, the TLB will make reference to a number of relevant factors such as the results of the latest airport manpower survey conducted by the Airport Authority Hong Kong, the implementation of the Scheme, stakeholders’ views, etc. to decide the future direction of the Scheme. Besides, TLB and the Transport Department are reviewing the implementation of the Transport Sector Scheme and assessing the manpower demand of the sector in the coming few years. We shall announce the way forward of the Schemes in good time subject to the review results.
(2) From September 4, 2023 to January 31, 2025, 6 762 applications involving 47 474 quotas of imported workers were approved under ESLS. A breakdown of the number of quotas of imported workers approved by the 26 job categories, unskilled/ low-skilled posts and other posts is at Annex.
The LD has been closely monitoring the implementation of ESLS and has commenced the review of ESLS. The LD will fully consider the views of stakeholders including employer associations and labour organisations in mapping out the way forward.
(3) According to the general requirements of the sector-specific labour importation schemes and ESLS, employers shall fulfill a manning ratio of 2:1 for full-time local employees to imported workers. Under the Construction Sector Scheme, individual applications with special circumstances, such as applications involving special trades/ disciplines with very limited local supply (e.g. overhead linesman (high voltage)), will be exempted. For ESLS, exceptions include farm workers for which the standard of manpower requirement is specified by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. On the Care Workers Scheme, subvented RCHs and contract RCHs may for every two full-time local employees apply to import a maximum of one care worker only (i.e. a 2:1 ratio), and private RCHs and self-financing RCHs may for every full-time local employee apply to import a maximum of one care worker only (i.e. a 1:1 ratio). The Government has no plan to further relax relevant requirements.
(4) to (6) To safeguard employment priority for local workers, applicant employers of respective labour importation schemes must undertake local open recruitment and give priority to employing suitable local workers to fill the vacancies at a salary not lower than the prevailing median monthly wage of a comparable position in the market. At the same time, employers approved to import workers are required to sign a Standard Employment Contract (SEC) with imported workers, and shall pay a salary not lower than the median monthly wage of a comparable position. Besides, in accordance with SEC, the employer may deduct the actual cost of accommodation in respect of a period that an imported worker occupies the accommodation from the wages payable to the worker for the corresponding period or 10 per cent of the amount of wages (excluding any overtime pay) payable to the worker for the corresponding period, whichever is the less.
As explained in items (1) and (2) of the reply, the Government has been closely monitoring and reviewing the implementation of labour importation schemes. Relevant bureaux have been implementing appropriate measures in light of the situation to enhance the arrangement and operation of the Schemes. The LD has also commenced the review of ESLS. In addition, the Government will continue to adopt a multi-pronged strategy, including promoting training and retraining, providing appropriate employment support and driving technology adoption for productivity uplifting, to address the manpower shortage problem.
The Government is also exploring the introduction of a new channel under the General Employment Policy and the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals to attract a specified number of young non-degree talents possessing relevant professional technical skills and experience to apply for entry into Hong Kong to join the skilled trades facing acute manpower shortage.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Accelerating Green DevelopmentGreen Industries171. Development of green industries is a major international trend and key to addressing global climate change. The combination of green finance and green technology will accelerate the build-up of multi-faceted industry clusters, thereby creating huge business opportunities and financing needs, and making contribution to green transformation and development.Green Finance172. We launched the Sustainable Finance Action Agenda last year, setting out goals for the banking industry to achieve net zero. We also launched the Roadmap on Sustainability Disclosure in Hong Kong. It provides a well defined pathway for large publicly accountable entities to adopt the International Financial Reporting Standards – Sustainability Disclosure Standards no later than 2028. This will make Hong Kong one of the first jurisdictions to align its local requirements with the Standards.173. To continuously support local green-finance talent training, we will extend the Pilot Green and Sustainable Finance Capacity Building Support Scheme to 2028. Over 5 700 applications have been approved under the Scheme.Green Technology174. The HKSTPC will develop the InnoCentre in Kowloon Tong into a leading green technology hub – “GreenTech Hub”, bringing together more than 200 green technology companies. The HKSTPC will invite financial and business institutions, universities, institutions supporting business, etc, to become partners of the admitted companies and provide support such as talent training, testing and application scenarios, and business matching.Green Shipping175. The Government will provide tax exemption for green methanol used for bunkering. Meanwhile, the Government will implement the Action Plan on Green Maritime Fuel Bunkering to develop Hong Kong into a green maritime fuel bunkering centre.Green Aviation176. To provide support for the decarbonisation of the international and local aviation industry, we are promoting the application of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) at the HKIA. The AA completed a relevant study last year. We will announce an SAF consumption target this year.Green CityWaste Reduction and Recycling177. To enhance waste reduction at source, the Government will allocate an additional funding of $180 million for increasing the number of residential food waste smart recycling bins and food waste collection facilities across the city, as well as expanding the recycling network and increasing waste recovery.Waste to Energy178. I·PARK1, Hong Kong’s first waste-to-energy facility for treating municipal solid waste, is expected to commence operation this year. Moreover, we have invited the open tender for I·PARK2, the second large-scale facility with an expected treatment capacity of 6 000 tonnes per day. It is a major step towards “zero landfill”.Charging Network for Electric Vehicles179. There are more than 100 000 electric vehicles in Hong Kong, about eight times of that five years ago. The Government will launch a $300 million subsidy scheme in the middle of the year. It is expected that the scheme will provide impetus for the industry to install 3 000 fast chargers across Hong Kong by 2030 to be used by 160 000 additional electric vehicles.Green Transformation of Public Buses and Taxis180. The Government has announced the Green Transformation Roadmap of Public Buses and Taxis and earmarked $470 million under the New Energy Transport Fund to subsidise franchised bus operators in purchasing about 600 electric buses. Also, $135 million were earmarked to subsidise the taxi trade in purchasing 3 000 electric taxis. In addition, the Funding Scheme to Trial of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Heavy Vehicles is now open for application.Smart and Green Mass Transit Systems181. Last year, the Government invited expressions of interest for the smart and green mass transit system projects in Kai Tak, East Kowloon and Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen and Yuen Long South NDAs. The Government will continue to take forward the projects with an innovative mindset, and strive to invite tenders for the Kai Tak project this year and the East Kowloon and Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen and Yuen Long South NDAs projects next year respectively. Sustainable Development of Agriculture and Fisheries Industries182. We will continue to take forward the Blueprint for the Sustainable Development of Agriculture and Fisheries to assist the upgrading and transformation of the agriculture and fisheries industries. The Government has reserved a site in Sheung Shui for the agriculture sector to set up the first multi-storey, modernised and environment-friendly livestock farm. For the fisheries sector, the first batch of marine fish-culture licences at Wong Chuk Kok Hoi and Mirs Bay will be issued in the middle of the year the earliest. We are also proactively working to establish a brand building and certification system for leisure fisheries and farming, as well as local agricultural and fisheries produce. Land and Housing SupplyLand Supply183. We need a sufficient supply of land to create the capacity for supporting the development of new industries, injecting new impetus into our economy, and providing a better living and leisure environment for our people.184. The Government will closely monitor market situation and development, and roll out sites in a paced and orderly manner. Having learned from past experience that land shortage would constrain Hong Kong’s development, we must persist with our work on planning and land creation. The pace of rolling out sites to the market can be adjusted in the light of actual circumstances. 185. The commercial property market has been facing considerable challenges in the past few years. In view of the high vacancy rates of offices in recent years and the relatively ample supply in the next few years, the Government will not roll out any commercial site for sale in the coming year to allow the market to absorb the existing supply. We will also consider rezoning some of the commercial sites into residential use and allowing greater flexibility of land use. To tie in with the relevant work, we will also extend the deadline for completing in-situ land exchange for commercial sites in the town centre of HSK/HT NDA. 186. The Land Sale List of the coming year comprises eight residential sites. There will also be railway property development projects, projects undertaken by the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) as well as private development and redevelopment projects. Taken together, the potential land supply for the whole year is expected to have a capacity for providing about 13 700 units, similar to the projected annual demand for private housing as announced in the Long Term Housing Strategy. The sale arrangements will be announced on a quarterly basis having regard to market situation and relevant circumstances.187. We will prepare land for the production of about 80 000 private housing units in the coming five years. About 65 per cent of the land comes from the NM and the Tung Chung New Town Extension. The above projection has yet to take into account the supply from development projects undertaken by the URA and other private development projects.Housing Supply188. On public housing supply, the Government has identified sufficient land for meeting the supply target of 308 000 public housing units over the next 10 years. Coupled with Light Public Housing, the total public housing supply in the coming five years will reach 190 000 units, which is about 80 per cent higher than that of the first five year period since the current term Government took office.189. On private housing supply, it is estimated that the completion of private residential units will be on average over 17 000 units annually in the coming five years, representing a decrease of about eight per cent over the annual average of the past five years. The potential supply of first hand private residential units for the next three to four years will be around 107 000 units. Infrastructure DevelopmentTransport Infrastructure190. The Government will strive to commence the detailed planning and design of the South Island Line (West) project this year. The construction works of the remaining sections of Route 6, namely the Central Kowloon Route and Trunk Road T2 and Cha Kwo Ling Tunnel, are entering the final stage. The Central Kowloon Route project is expected to be completed by the end of this year while Route 6 will be fully commissioned next year.Professional Development of Construction Industry191. I have set aside $15 million for the work of the Centre of Excellence for Major Project Leaders over the next two years to enhance the professionalism, innovation capabilities and cost-effectiveness management of the construction industry. The Centre will organise summits and various events to promote exchanges and co-operation transcending geographical and sectoral boundaries.192. To attract more young people to join the construction industry, we and the Construction Industry Council (CIC) will jointly allocate funding totalling about $95 million to continue the provision of on-the-job training subsidies to trainees enrolling in part-time construction-related degree programmes over the next two academic years. It is anticipated to benefit about 1 000 trainees.193. The CIC will allocate around $150 million to subsidise the construction industry to provide on the job training for about 2 500 graduates of degree programmes in engineering, architecture, surveying, planning and landscape architecture. This will assist more young people in obtaining professional qualifications. A Caring and Inclusive CommunitySupport for Youth194. The Government has just raised the upper age limit for participants of the Youth Employment and Training Programme to 29 and introduced workplace attachment opportunities in the GBA to help young people enhance their employability. The estimated expenditure for the Programme next year is around $100 million.195. In the coming year, we plan to offer around 4 000 short term internship placements in bureaux and departments and public organisations for tertiary students. Students who aspire to pursue a career in public service may take the opportunity to broaden their horizons and better plan for their future career development.196. The Hong Kong Housing Authority has launched the “Well Being ??? Start Up” Programme on a pilot basis, offering rent-free shop premises in its shopping centres for young people to trial their business plans. The Programme has received ardent support from different sectors of the community. The Authority will expand the programme and appeal to private landlords for support.Caring for the Elderly197. The Government will, in the next financial year, increase the number of vouchers under the Residential Care Service Voucher Scheme for the Elderly by 1 000 to 6 000 in total and increase the number of vouchers under the Community Care Service Voucher Scheme for the Elderly by 1 000 to 12 000 in total, involving an annual expenditure of about $1,710 million and $900 million respectively.198. The Working Group on Promoting Silver Economy will implement measures in five areas, namely boosting “silver consumption”, developing “silver industry”, promoting “quality assurance of silver products”, enhancing “silver financial and security arrangements”, and unleashing “silver productivity”. Relevant policy bureaux are taking forward their work.199. The HKMA will collaborate with the Hong Kong Association of Banks to formulate industry guidelines this year, with a view to encouraging banks to offer elderly-friendly electronic banking services.Support for Working Families200. As at the end of last year, about 50 000 households were receiving allowance under the Working Family Allowance Scheme, involving around 170 000 persons, inclusive of some 70 000 children. In 2025-26, the estimated expenditure for the Scheme is about $2.1 billion. The Government has increased the rates of the household and child allowances under the Scheme by 15 per cent across the board with effect from April last year.Child Protection201. The Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Ordinance will come into effect next January, creating a wider protection web for children. The Government will provide an additional annual provision of $186 million to increase emergency places for residential child care and strengthen professional support for child abuse victims and their families.Support for Persons with Disabilities202. The Government will set up 14 Integrated Community Rehabilitation Centres across the territory in phases to provide persons with disabilities who require medium to high level care with flexible and integrated community support services through a case management approach. Besides, 1 280 additional day community rehabilitation and home care service places will be provided for persons with disabilities, involving about $160 million additional annual expenditure.203. Starting from the third quarter of this year, the Government will regularise the Pilot Project on Enhancing Vocational Rehabilitation Services to provide training to persons with disabilities according to their personal interest and abilities to enhance their employment opportunities. The annual expenditure involved is about $100 million and it is expected to benefit about 10 000 people.Women’s Development204. The Government is committed to women’s development and launched the Women Empowerment Fund in June 2023 with an annual funding of $20 million. To date, the Fund has provided funding support to women’s groups and non governmental organisations for launching over 240 projects, empowering women to excel. This year, a two year pilot mentorship programme will be launched, pairing female university students with women leader mentors to promote women’s workplace development.District Services and Community Care Teams205. Last year, the Chief Executive announced that the Government would regularise the establishment of District Services and Community Care Teams and increase their funding by 50 per cent in the next term of service. Since the launch of the Community Care Teams, they have paid visits to about 390 000 households and provided around 43 000 times of support services. The Government will further enhance the provision of caring services.Enhancement of Public Healthcare System206. To develop primary healthcare, the Government will upgrade the District Health Centre Expresses in Central and Western District, Eastern District and Yau Tsim Mong District into District Health Centres this year, with a view to strengthening the community healthcare system.207. The Government is progressively implementing and completing the 16 works projects, which entail a total of about $190 billion, under the First Hospital Development Plan. Taking into account the latest demographic structure, planning and development situation in Hong Kong, we will review the distribution, scale and priority of projects under the Second Hospital Development Plan, and will make the announcement in due course.208. Furthermore, the Government and the HA are reviewing the structure and levels of subsidisation for public healthcare, with a view to strengthening the financial sustainability of public healthcare services and providing better support for patients with serious or critical conditions as well as those with financial difficulties. The outcome of the review will be announced this year.Combatting Illegal Betting209. In recent years, quite some members of the public have expressed concerns about the problem of illegal basketball betting in Hong Kong. According to the latest assessment of the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), the turnover of illegal basketball betting reached $70 billion to $90 billion last year. To combat illegal betting activities in an effective manner, the Government will explore regulating basketball betting activities and invite HKJC to submit a proposal.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is a question by the Hon Edward Leung and a written reply by the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, in the Legislative Council today (February 26):Question: It has been reported that a domestic cat fell to its death from a building in Pak Shek Kok, Tai Po, earlier on. The flat in question was repeatedly found by members of the public in August and December last year with domestic cats perched precariously on the glass balcony fence. The Hong Kong Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals had followed up and given advice, but was unable to effectively prevent the incident concerned. Moreover, there are views that the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance (Cap. 169) does not have sufficient deterrent effect as the threshold for prosecution is rather high (e.g. it is difficult to prove that the domestic cat was caused “any unnecessary suffering” before falling to its death in the aforesaid case). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:(1) of the respective numbers of reports received by the authorities in the past three years of cats being in dangerous positions, and the respective numbers of cases of cats falling from a height resulting in injury and death; the number of prosecutions instituted by the Government in respect of such cases under Cap. 169, and the number of convicted cases and the average penalty imposed by the court;(2) as it is learnt that some cases of cats falling from a height resulting in injury or even death involve keepers who have not installed cat safety nets at home, have left windows open or have even kept cats on balconies, whether the authorities have instituted prosecutions and obtained convictions in such cases; whether they will consider amending the legislation to stipulate that it is an offence for any person who knowingly or recklessly performs an act prejudicial to the life or well-being of an animal, so as to strengthen the protection of the rights and interests of animals under the law; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and(3) given that the Government, in its paper submitted to the Panel on Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene of this Council on May 22, 2022, proposed to amend Cap. 169 to introduce a positive “duty of care” for animals, and it has been reported that the Government is preparing to amend the legislation, whether the Government will, at the same time, make reference to the approach in the Protection of Children and Juveniles Ordinance (Cap. 213) by authorising the Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation to take timely possession of an animal where there is reason to believe that the animal is likely to be in moral or physical danger, and to recover from the pet owner the costs of caring for it during that period; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?Reply:President, The Government adopts a multi-pronged approach to curb acts of cruelty to animals. This includes exploring raising penalties for offences under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance (Cap. 169) (the Ordinance) to enhance deterrence, taking stringent enforcement actions against illegal acts, and continuing to enhance relevant public awareness through education and promotion activities. Having consulted the Security Bureau, the reply to the question from the Hon Edward Leung is as follows:(1) and (2) At present, the Ordinance clearly stipulates that any person who does or omits to do any act which causes unnecessary suffering to an animal is liable to the offence of cruelty to animals, and could be sentenced to a maximum fine of $200,000 and imprisonment for three years upon conviction. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) and the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) are responsible for enforcing the Ordinance. In the past three years (i.e. from 2022 to 2024), the AFCD received 15 reports of cats in dangerous positions or suspected to have fallen from a height resulting in injury and death, among which 10 cases involved cats falling from a height resulting in injury and death. After investigating the abovementioned cases, there was no evidence to suggest that someone had contravened the Ordinance. The HKPF does not maintain a breakdown of the number of reports and cases related to cats. The Government has been studying amendments to the Ordinance, where one of the directions being explored is to impose a positive “Duty of Care” on persons responsible for animals, requiring them to take proper care of the welfare of animals (including diet, environment, health, and behaviour). Meanwhile, the AFCD has been actively promoting information on the fulfilment of the “Duty of Care” through various channels such as thematic website, social media and roving exhibitions.(3) At present, the Ordinance already empowers the HKPF and the AFCD to seize the animals involved when there is reason to suspect that an offence under the Ordinance is being or has been committed, and the AFCD will arrange for their care as necessary. In addition, we will also study amending the Ordinance to empower the Court to require a person convicted of contravening the Ordinance to pay for the cost of taking care of the detained animals.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ20: Prevention of cruelty to animals LCQ20: Prevention of cruelty to animals ***************************************
Following is a question by the Hon Doreen Kong and a written reply by the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, in the Legislative Council today (February 26): Question: In December last year, The Ombudsman announced the launch of a direct investigation operation to probe the Government’s work on animal management and protection of animal rights and welfare. It has been reported that multiple incidents of dog poisoning have occurred one after another in Hong Kong since the beginning of this year, causing concern and panic among dog owners. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council: (1) given the dog poisoning incidents that have occurred in recent months, whether the relevant departments have set up a dedicated interdepartmental co-operation team to expedite source tracking, improve investigation efficiency, and enhance related detection work as well as publicity and education efforts; (2) given that the authorities indicated last year that they were preparing for legislative amendments to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance (Cap. 169), and whereas the Government stated in a paper submitted to the Panel on Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene of this Council in May 2022 that public consultation on the proposed amendments to the Ordinance had been conducted in 2019, and as there are views that the proposed amendments have not yet been included in this year’s legislative programme so far and that the progress has been rather unsatisfactory, whether there have been any delay in the relevant work, and what the specific timetable is for the authorities to amend the Ordinance; (3) given that in reply to a question from a Member of this Council on December 9, 2020, the Government indicated that it currently had no plan to set up a dedicated hotline for reporting animal cruelty cases, whether the Government will reconsider such proposal in light of the latest trends that have emerged in recent days; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and (4) as there are views that the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department has failed to properly handle reports of animal cruelty, whether the authorities will improve the Department’s complaint handling mechanism in this regard in order to curb such an undesirable trend in animal cruelty as soon as possible; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that? Reply: President, The Government adopts a multi-pronged approach to curb acts of cruelty to animals. This includes exploring raising penalties for offences under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance (Cap. 169) (the Ordinance) to enhance deterrence, taking stringent enforcement actions against illegal acts, and continuing to enhance relevant public awareness through education and promotion activities. Having consulted the Security Bureau, the reply to the question from the Hon Doreen Kong is as follows:(1) The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF), the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) jointly implement the Animal Watch Scheme to proactively prevent and detect suspected cases of animal cruelty through multi-agency collaboration. For example, the HKPF would invite the AFCD and SPCA officers to provide professional advice at the scene of an animal cruelty case and assist thereafter where necessary. Through various channels including the Animal Watchers Programme, the “Be a Responsible Pet Owner” thematic website and roving exhibitions, the HKPF and the AFCD are respectively promoting the message of preventing cruelty to animals at the community level and online platforms; encouraging the public to report cases timely and to provide information that aids investigations; as well as raising public awareness of animal welfare.(2) The Government has been studying amendments to the Ordinance. In preparing the Bill, it is necessary to consult the relevant stakeholders again on some of the proposals, and after collating the views, we will finalise the proposals and complete the law drafting work promptly. Once the work is completed, we will introduce the proposed legislative amendments into the Legislative Council. One of the directions being explored in the legislative amendment is to impose a positive “Duty of Care” on persons responsible for animals, requiring them to take proper care of the welfare of animals (including diet, environment, health, and behaviour). In this connection, the AFCD continues to promote information on the fulfilment of the “Duty of Care” through various channels such as thematic website, social media and roving exhibitions.(3) Members of the public may report suspected animal cruelty cases immediately by calling the 999 Report Centre or 1823 to report to the AFCD. The existing channels for reporting crime are well known to the public, easy to remember and has worked well. The Government will continue to review the operational details to see if there is room for improvement.(4) Upon receipt of report of suspected animal cruelty cases, the AFCD officers will visit the scene promptly to conduct investigation, including taking photographs of the animals and the environment of the scene, examining the health conditions of the animals and collecting evidence, etc. The AFCD will arrange for a veterinarian to give professional advice at the scene if necessary. If animal cruelty is suspected to be involved in the case, the AFCD will decide whether to seize the animals concerned according to its health condition and hand over the injured animals to the SPCA for further treatment. According to the information of the Department, over 90 per cent of the reports were found to be not related to animal cruelty after investigation, but nuisance or other situations, such as frequent noise from animals or odour from the premises where the animals were kept, and this misled the reporters into thinking that the animals suffered from acts of cruelty. There are also cases involving neglect of animals but does not involve cruelty, such as the failure to provide adequate space. For these cases, the AFCD officers would give verbal advice on responsible pet ownership and improvement suggestions to the owners concerned after inspecting the scene.
Ends/Wednesday, February 26, 2025Issued at HKT 12:00
on the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the Union, of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union and the Kingdom of Norway amending the Agreement of the European Union and the Kingdom of Norway pursuant to Article XXVIII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994 relating to the modification of concessions on all the tariff rate quotas included in the EU Schedule CLXXV as a consequence of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union
–having regard to the draft Council decision (13817/2023),
–having regard to draft Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union and the Kingdom of Norway amending the Agreement of the European Union and the Kingdom of Norway pursuant to Article XXVIII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994 relating to the modification of concessions on all the tariff rate quotas included in the EU Schedule CLXXV as a consequence of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union (13818/2023),
–having regard to the request for consent submitted by the Council in accordance with Article 207(4), first subparagraph, and Article 218(6), second subparagraph, point (a)(v), of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (C10-0189/2024),
–having regard to Rule 107(1) and (4), and Rule 117(7) of its Rules of Procedure,
–having regard to the letter from the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development,
–having regard to the recommendation of the Committee on International Trade (A10-0017/2025),
1.Gives its consent to the conclusion of the agreement;
2.Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of the Kingdom of Norway.
EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
In 2018, in view of the United Kingdom’s (UK) withdrawal from the European Union (EU), the EU launched negotiations at the level of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), under Article XXVIII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994, with relevant Members of the WTO, in order to adjust the existing EU’s tariff rate quotas (TRQ) agreed at the WTO. The relevant Members had a principal or substantial supplying interest or held an initial negotiating right in relation to these TRQ.
The underlying principle of the negotiations was a ‘joint approach’ developed between the EU and the UK back in 2017 on how to ‘apportion’ the quantitative commitments contained in the EU28 WTO schedule for the 143 EU agricultural, fish and industrial WTO TRQ.
The basis of this approach was that the existing volume of each TRQ would be fully maintained in the future, but split across two separate customs territories: the EU27 and the UK. The principle of the applied methodology was based on the trade flows into the EU27 and the UK during a representative reference period of 3 years, from 2013 to 2015, for all WTO TRQ.
The methodology is described in detail in Regulation (EU) 2019/216 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the apportionment of tariff rate quotas included in the WTO schedule of the Union following the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the Union, and amending Council Regulation (EC) No 32/2000. Article 2(b) of Regulation (EU) 2019/216 empowers the Commission to amend the apportionment shares taking into account pertinent information that it may receive either in the context of negotiations under Article XXVIII of GATT 1994 or from other sources with an interest in a specific TRQ.
The negotiations between the EU and Norway resulted in the signature of an Agreement on 17 December 2020, which entered into force on 10 May 2021.
As a result of subsequent negotiations with other WTO Members, the EU agreed to change the shares of three TRQ for which Norway had negotiating rights: two TRQ in the pig meat sector and one on skimmed-milk powder.
The EU27 share of twoerga omnesTRQ in the pigmeat sector had been revised to 4 786 tonnes and 5 720 tonnes respectively, taking into account a more recent reference period from 2015 to 2017.
The EU27 share of anerga omnesTRQ on skimmed-milk powder had been revised to 62 917 tonnes to avoid a non-commercially viable volume on the UK side.
Following bilateral consultations, the Kingdom of Norway agreed with the modifications and the resulting quantitative commitments taken on by the EU that no longer includes the UK.
In accordance with Article 218(6) TFEU, the consent of the European Parliament is needed in order for the Council to adopt a Decision concluding the Agreement and for the latter to come into force in due time.
In the light of the above, the Rapporteur recommends that the Parliament give its consent to the conclusion of the Agreement, without prejudice to its democratic right of continuous scrutiny.
ANNEX: ENTITIES OR PERSONSFROM WHOM THE RAPPORTEUR HAS RECEIVED INPUT
The rapporteur declares under her exclusive responsibility that she did not receive input from any entity or person to be mentioned in this Annex pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure.
LETTER OF THE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (16.11.2023)
Mr Bernd Lange
Chair of the Committee on International Trade
ASP 12G301
Ref.: IPOL-COM-AGRI D(2023) 37941
Subject:Opinion on the proposal for a Council decision amending the Agreement between the EU and Norway on the apportionment of WTO tariff-rate quotas following Brexit(2023/0341(NLE))
Dear Chair,
I refer to the proposal for a Council decision amending the Agreement between the EU and Norway on the apportionment of WTO tariff-rate quotas following Brexit (COM(2023)0564).
AGRI Coordinators considered the matter at their meeting of 25 October. They agreed with the above amendment to the Agreement with Norway and asked me to convey their opinion to you pursuant to Rule 56.
This recommendation was endorsed by the AGRI Committee at its meeting of 16 November 2023.
Yours sincerely,
Norbert Lins
Copy:Mr Martin Hlaváček, AGRI Standing Rapporteur for Brexit related issues
ANNEX:List of entities or persons
from whom the rapporteur for the OPINION has received input
The followinglistisdrawnupundertheexclusiveresponsibilityoftherapporteur for the opinion. Therapporteurhas received input from thefollowing entitiesorpersonsinthepreparationofthedraftopinion, under form of letter, until the adoption thereof in committee:
Entityand/orperson
The rapporteur declares that he did not receive input from any entity or person.
