PAC-Solution Ltd. has launched an environmentally-friendly disinfectant treatment system that enables wastewater to be reused for agricultural irrigation. The system offers effective purification without any harmful by-products often associated with traditional cleaning methods.

The development of this chemical-based treatment technology comes at a time when many countries are faced with challenges in their water supply. The ability to use purified wastewater in irrigation and other agricultural applications reduces the demand on exploitable raw water resources and supports the farming industry. Sustainable wastewater purification system is energy-efficient and does not create harmful by-products at any stage of the process.

RHS Conference: ‘Horticulture, a Career to be Proud of’

Today, the gardening world gathered at the RHS Horticultural Halls, in London, to take the first steps to solve a serious problem; the current perception of gardening as a career. A recent RHS survey found 75 percent of under-18s think it’s a career for dropouts, and 70 percent say it was never recommended to them at school.*

As part of the first National Gardening Week, ‘Horticulture, a Career to be Proud of’, saw key figures in the gardening world**, from Kew’s top scientist to the Chelsea Show Manager, give talks to an audience made up of MPs, the media, representatives from the Horticultural and Educational Industries etc, in an effort to change the perceptions of horticulture being an unskilled, second-choice career.

Conference Chair, Alan Titchmarsh, gave a passionate and rousing speech (attached) calling on the horticultural industry to reach out to careers advisors in schools and highlight the enormous breadth and variety of careers within the industry. He also called on MPs to start acting now.

The National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners (NSALG) is calling on all allotment holders across the UK to hold a ‘Party on the Plot’, during National Allotments Week (6th and 12th August 2012), as it works to galvanise community support for allotments and protect them from developers.

A recent survey conducted by the NSALG* found that 74% of its members are worried that their allotment land will be sold off and redeveloped in the future; while the Society itself receives hundreds of calls a year from allotment holders looking for advice on how best to safeguard their plots.

Donna McDaid, National Secretary for the NSALG explains, “Unfortunately in this day and age, it is too easy for landlords to dispose of allotment land without realising the huge benefits they provide to individuals, communities and the environment. And since the Localism Act has come into force there is now an even greater need to galvanise the interest and support of local communities, especially as planners see allotments as prime development land. So please join us for a ‘Party on the Plot’ and let’s show the nation how fantastic and indispensible allotments are.”

The budget "represented a missed opportunity for the Treasury to introduce measures that might have helped farmers capitalise on the growing confidence that is currently evident in the industry," the NFU said today.

NFU President Peter Kendall said: ’Chancellor George Osborne was right to focus on growth and I was pleased to see measures that could create a more competitive business environment in the UK.

In particular, the Chancellor’s ambition to increase UK exports over the next decade to ’1 trillion should benefit farmers who are the backbone of a food and drink industry which constitutes our biggest manufacturing sector.

I was also interested to hear that Michael Heseltine will be conducting a review into how spending departments interact with the private sector to deliver pro-growth policies, and I look forward to more details.

’The Treasury has also mentioned a couple of imminent announcements which I await with interest ’ the review of the Habitats Directive to be published this week, and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) due out next week. I was pleased that the Chancellor confirmed the latter will contain a commitment to permitting sustainable development, something we welcomed when the draft policy statement was published. Both announcements could contribute to reducing the regulatory burden on farmers, freeing them up to invest and making their businesses, and the industry as a whole, more competitive.

Two Marine Mammal Observers employed by SFF Services Ltd have scooped a prestigious safety, health and environment (SHE) award from oil giant Total E&P UK.

Duncan Gray and Moira Moore received their award in the ‘Protecting the Environment’ category at the recent Total E&P UK SHE Awards at the Marcliffe Hotel, Aberdeen, in recognition of the high level of professionalism and dedication they showed as part of the oil company’s Laggan-Tormore development project.

Businesses in rural England are to benefit from a new £60 million grant scheme that will turn ambitious business plans into reality, Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman announced today.

Grants, which could be worth more than £1 million each, will enable entrepreneurs in rural areas to take life-changing opportunities to grow their businesses through the Rural Economy Grant scheme, increasing both their competitiveness and profits.

 As the capital prepares to host the 2012 Games this summer, Londoners are being invited to get their hands on an Olympic-inspired cash giveaway by growing their own food.

The Capital Growth scheme, which aims to create 2,012 gorwing spaces in London by the end of 2012, is launching its biggest food-growing competition ever, Grow for Gold. If you get into the starting blocks now, with support and advice from the Capital Growth gardening experts, you can grow yourself a healthy salad by the time the world’s elite athletes begin their battle for medals.

The number of fish and seafood products on offer certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council up 41% to 988

The number of fish and seafood products certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has shot up by 41% in the UK over the last year, as retailers and supermarkets respond to consumers' demand to know the provenance of the produce they buy.

Fisheries minister Richard Benyon has hailed the progress made over the last 10 years as evidence of "a seismic shift" in people's attitudes towards the quality and source of the fish they eat, but admits that challenges remain in keeping the momentum going.