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The warning comes after the risk level of African swine fever entering the UK was raised over the summer following spread of the disease in Eastern and Central Europe.

There has never been a case of African swine fever in the UK and it does not affect humans, but it is potentially fatal to pigs. If the disease were to reach the UK it could have a devastating effect on our export market and would also mean the humane culling of pigs on infected premises to prevent further spread.

Keepers are being reminded that it is illegal to feed catering waste of any description or domestic food waste to farm animals in the UK, including pigs kept as pets, as some of the outbreaks of African swine fever in Europe have been attributed to wild boar or domestic pigs consuming contaminated pork or pork products. Viruses such as foot and mouth disease could also be introduced to the UK through food products. This includes food from vegetarian kitchens, as there is still a risk of cross contamination from products of animal origin such as milk.

Strict hygiene measures are essential in preventing disease – people should not take meat or meat products into areas where pigs are kept and should only eat food in designated areas such as staff rooms or the farm kitchen. Pig keepers, farm staff and anyone in contact with pigs should wash their hands before and after eating or preparing food.

UK Chief Veterinary Officer Nigel Gibbens said:

The introduction of African swine fever would have an enormous impact on our pig industry. No matter how many pigs you keep, you need to be aware of the potential consequences of feeding waste food to your animals. Not only is it illegal, but you run the risk of spreading disease which could be fatal to your livestock.

You can purchase a range of pig foods from your local agricultural merchant that can be safely fed to your pigs and which is the most reliable way of giving them a balanced diet. Good biosecurity is also essential for minimising disease risk, such as providing dedicated clothing and boots for workers and preventing vehicles which may be contaminated from entering pig premises.

The UK suffered the consequences of pigs being fed illegal waste food in the foot and mouth disease outbreak in 2001. That outbreak is thought to have originated from pigs being fed catering waste containing the virus, which came from outside the UK. The outbreak resulted in the destruction of more than 10 million cattle and sheep and cost the UK many millions of pounds.

Chief Executive of the National Pig Association, Dr Zoe Davies, said:

The health of our pigs is fundamentally important to our sector. A notifiable disease outbreak would not only needlessly result in the loss of many pigs and annihilate our burgeoning export market, but would significantly impact on countless families, their staff, local businesses and tourism for months. Feeding illegal food waste, however harmless it might seem at the time, is just not worth the risk.

Background

1. This press release is issued jointly by the Animal and Plant Health Agency, The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Welsh Government, Scottish Government, The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Northern Ireland, The National Pig Association, The British Pig Association, The Pig Veterinary Society, The British Veterinary Association and Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) Pork.
2. EU-wide animal by-product legislation states that feeding farmed animals with catering waste or feed material containing, or derived from, catering waste is illegal. Doing so can result in prosecution.
3. Fruit and vegetable material that originated outside the kitchen, which has never entered the kitchen and which has not come into contact with material of animal origin can be fed, such as vegetables grown in domestic gardens. Some commercial food waste can also be fed if it has undergone the correct animal by-products processing and meets the requirements of the Feed Hygiene Regulation. The safest option if you are in doubt is not to feed any food waste to your animals.
4. More information about African swine fever and how to spot it. Additional information can be found on AHDB Pork’s website. If you suspect African swine fever you should notify the Animal and Plant Health Agency immediately.
5. For more information, contact Defra press office on 020 8225 7618 or out of hours on 0345 051 8486.

Highways England is opening a permanent fourth lane in each direction between junctions 18 and 20 of the M62 as part of a phased opening of the Manchester smart motorway scheme – increasing capacity on one of England’s busiest stretches of motorway by a third.

Roadworks will be removed from the eastbound carriageway tonight (Monday 18 December 2017) and from the westbound carriageway tomorrow night (Tuesday 19 December 2017).

New electronic signs will also be switched on along this section of the M62 as well as on the M60 between junctions 8 and 10 near the Trafford Centre, providing drivers with journey time updates and details on incidents.

The opening of ten miles of extra lanes on the M62 are among almost 400 miles of roadworks across England being lifted or completed by Highways England in time for the Christmas getaway.

Almost 99 per cent of motorways and major A roads will be roadworks-free, meaning people travelling to meet up with families and friends can more easily reach their destinations.

Jon Stokes, Senior Project Manager at Highways England, said:

The extra lanes on the M62 will provide a significant increase in capacity on the busy stretch of motorway between Greater Manchester and Yorkshire, benefitting the 180,000 drivers who use the route every day.

We’re now at a stage where we can open the extra lanes in time to benefit both Christmas shoppers and people travelling to visit family and friends over the festive season.

Nearly 600 people are currently working to complete the smart motorway and we will open each section along the route as soon as possible, improving drivers’ journeys and supporting the economy.

Variable speed limits will be introduced on the M62 (junctions 18 to 20) and the M60 (junctions 8 to 10) in early 2018 which will automatically change in response to the flow of traffic. The speed limit will remain at 50mph while the new technology is being fine-tuned.

Construction work will continue between junctions 10 and 18 on the M60 in 2018 to complete the installation of over 350 electronic signs, over 100 traffic sensors and 50 CCTV cameras.

Resurfacing work will also take place along the entire smart motorway route using overnight carriageway closures. The project is due to be completed by summer 2018.

The scheme is Highways England’s most complex smart motorway project, affecting the second busiest motorway in the country and covering 13 junctions – an average of one junction every 1.4 miles.

The full scheme stretches 17 miles between junction 8 of the M60 near Sale and junction 20 of the M62 near Rochdale.

More details on the Manchester smart motorway scheme can be found on the scheme website.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

Under the current regulations, analogue radio stations have to play a particular genre of music as part of their licence agreement with Ofcom.

By removing these outdated rules that restrict the growth of the sector, the stations will no longer need to play specific genres as part of their licences. There will also be no requirement for Ofcom to approve changes to programme formats.

However, with recent research showing that radio is the most trusted medium for news, strong requirements will remain on commercial radio stations to provide national and local news as well as travel information and weather.

Digital Minister Matt Hancock said:

The UK’s thriving commercial radio sector is highly valued by local communities across the country. As radio moves closer to a digital switchover we need to give them the freedom to adapt and compete with online stations.

Removing these unnecessary burdens means commercial radio stations will have the freedom and flexibility to respond to their local audience and give listeners greater choice.

Siobhan Kenny, CEO of Radiocentre said:

Radiocentre welcomes the Government’s plans for deregulation of the pre-internet age rules that govern commercial radio. The new rules will give stations greater flexibility in how they operate, unlocking the potential of commercial radio and giving listeners even more choice from their favourite radio brands. We now look forward to the Government enacting these sensible changes at the earliest opportunity.

Mims Davies MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Commercial Radio, said:

It is great news that the Government has published its response to the commercial radio deregulation consultation. I agree with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport that deregulation is a necessary and positive step for the industry.

I look forward to working with the APPG to ensure that legislation is introduced as soon as possible to support our local stations and ensure they continue to build on their current successes. This is a really important industry and I am pleased the Government is giving it the support it needs.

The government also intends to seek powers to enable Ofcom to license overseas services on UK DAB. This means that digital radio listeners will now be able to listen to stations based in the Republic of Ireland and the government will gradually extend this to stations licensed in the European Union.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

• The government launched a major consultation on proposals to deregulate commercial radio in February 2017. It sought to make changes to the outdated requirements that govern the commercial radio industry, which differ greatly between analogue and digital platforms. Analogue services are currently regulated by complex and burdensome requirements whilst digital-only services enjoy lighter-touch requirements in comparison
• The government’s response to the consultation can be read online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/commercial-radio-deregulation-consultation
• Recent research by Radiocentre highlights commercial radio listeners’ views on news and trust. Commercial radio listeners said they value regular news updates during local emergencies (when 60% turn to radio); in the morning (when 83% turn to radio); and in the car (when 85% turn to radio): Breaking news: How listeners value commercial radio news
• The government will be legislating to give effect to the proposals as soon as the parliamentary timetable allows
  According to Radio Centre, commercial radio stations broadcast over 13 hours of public value content per week (including news and sport, charity appeals and local events): Action stations: The public value of commercial radio

As part of its ongoing commitment to strengthen its services for disabled people, the government has accepted the recommendations of the second independent review of Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

The review, commissioned by the government and led by Paul Gray, was published in March 2017. Action will be taken on the recommendations including simplifying communications for people claiming PIP, and exploring how to ensure evidence is collected and reviewed as effectively as possible to support people’s claims.

Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, Sarah Newton, said:

We’re determined to make the PIP application process as simple as possible both for the independent assessors and the people applying for it. That’s why we commissioned the second review on top of the strong steps we’ve already taken, so we can fully understand what works best, and what we need to improve on.

Working closely with disabled people and their representatives, we’ll continue to explore how to help meet the needs of some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

PIP was introduced to replace the outdated Disability Living Allowance (DLA) system. At the core of PIP’s design is the principle that awards should be made according to someone’s overall level of need – taking into account both physical and non-physical conditions. Under PIP 29% of claimants are now receiving the highest rate of support, compared to 15% under DLA.

The first independent review was published in December 2014. Since then, significant improvements have been made to the PIP assessment process including:

• restructuring decision letters to make them easier to understand
• working with the Money Advice Service (MAS) to ensure PIP claimants can get bespoke budgeting advice if they need it
• introducing SMS messaging to keep a claimant informed throughout the journey of their claim
• introducing the Video Relay Service for claimants who use British Sign Language (BSL) so they are able to communicate with the department more easily
• introducing the Next Generation Text (NGT) for deaf or hard of hearing claimants unable to use BSL or those unable to speak
• amending the PIP (Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2013 by removing the requirement for DLA claimants to wait a minimum of 28 days when they transfer to PIP if they became terminally ill

Assessment providers have also introduced Mental Health Champions, who are experienced professionals with direct and relevant work experience of helping people with mental health problems.

About PIP and the independent review

PIP is designed to help with the extra costs associated with a disability or health condition. It is not means tested and not linked to someone’s ability to work.

Read the government’s response to the second independent review.

Read Paul Gray’s second independent review.

Contact Press Office

Media enquiries for this press release: 020 3267 5125

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Almost 400 miles of roadworks across England will be lifted and completed in December, leaving almost 99 per cent of motorways and strategic A roads roadworks-free in time for Christmas.

All roadworks will be lifted or completed by 6am on 22 December until 12.01am on 2 January to help people get away this Christmas with as little disruption as possible.

With the festive countdown well and truly underway, the UK’s largest coach operator National Express, has praised Highways England for its role in helping people get to their destination on time.

Chris Hardy, National Express Coach Managing Director, said:

We’ll be moving hundreds of thousands of passengers around the UK during the festive period, including on Christmas and Boxing Day when there are no rail services; and New Year’s Day.

We work with Highways England round the year to support them in maintaining and improving the road network so that we can offer our customers a reliable and convenient service.

It’s great that they’ve lifted road works during a busy time for travel, helping us to make sure we can get passengers where they want to be for Christmas.

And with thoughts turning to the all-important getaway, Highways England is also calling on motorists to do their bit before getting behind the wheel.

Highways England’s customer service director, Melanie Clarke, said:

We’re doing everything we can to make journeys as smooth as possible this Christmas and that’s why we’re keeping 99 per cent of the road network we manage, free from roadworks.

Safety is our top imperative and we know from experience that almost half of breakdowns are avoidable and these can easily be avoided with simple checks. Christmas is always a busy period on the road network and we’d urge all motorists to make sure they do their bit to check their vehicle is roadworthy before setting off over the festive period.

Highways England has also launched a special festive animation which shows Santa carrying out vital checks to his sleigh before embarking on the most important journey of the year – and he’s got a little help from his festive friends including Rudolph!

Some of Santa’s pre-flight checks include:

• checking that there is plenty of grip on his sledge – motorists should check their tyre tread to make sure it is within the legal limit
• making sure Rudolph’s nose is shining bright – always make sure lights on the vehicle are working correctly before setting off
• making sure the reindeer are full of fuel before travelling – make sure that you always keep your tank at least one quarter full to avoid running out of fuel on your journey

The animation can be found online at the Highways England YouTube channel. Latest statistics from Highways England show almost half of all breakdowns are caused by basic mechanical problems which could be avoided with simple checks.

Furthermore, nearly a quarter are caused by tyre problems; with more than 7,000 cases nationwide of vehicle breakdowns on the strategic road network due to lack of fuel over the course of a year.

Motorists can head online to the Think website where they can watch bespoke videos showing how to carry out basic vehicle checks.

Those wishing to find out more about driving on smart motorways can go to our webpage for further information.

Drivers planning to use the Dartford Crossing are reminded to pay Dart Charge in advance or by midnight the day after crossing.

More information can be found on our website or by calling our information line (0300 123 5000) they can keep up to date with conditions on the roads.

For more detailed information on how to carry out your vehicle checks, search Think!

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

The floating moorings replace ones on the relief channels at Stowbridge, Wiggenhall St Mary and the Denver Complex, all in Norfolk.

Expected to last at least 50 years, the new platforms feature non-slip mesh decking and galvanised steel frames.

Andy Bennison, Anglian Waterways engineer, who has managed the project said:

The existing landing stages have been taken away to be refurbished and re-used elsewhere on the River Great Ouse. The new frames and decking will improve safety, as well as look better and reduce maintenance costs.

It’s all part of our ongoing efforts to protect and improve our cherished waterways.

The work to replace the landing stages is part of the Environment Agency’s £1.4m Capital Investment Programme. Announced in November, the programme sets out the investments being made into Anglian Waterways’ 353-mile network.

Projects in the pipeline include improvements to eight locks, and take place from November to March – avoiding the peak boating season to minimise disruption for those on the river.

The Environment Agency cares for more than 353 miles of navigable waterways in the Anglian region, as well as a vast network of associated facilities such as bridges, locks, moorings and toilets.

A pilot which is looking at streamlining the process for international Masters students wanting to study in the UK has been extended to two Welsh universities, the Immigration Minister announced today (Monday 18 December).

Currently in its second year with the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Bath and Imperial College London, the pilot will streamline the process for international students looking to study on a Masters course of 13 months or less in the UK. It also provides greater support for students who wish to switch to a work visa and take up a graduate role, by allowing them to remain in the UK for 6 months after they have finished their course.

Universities taking part are given responsibility for eligibility checks, meaning that students can submit fewer documents than required in the current process alongside their visa applications. Applicants that do not meet immigration rules will be refused. All students will continue to require Home Office security and identity checks.

The additional 23 universities to benefit from the pilot include Cardiff University and The University of Wales Trinity St. David as well as two in Scotland, one in Northern Ireland and universities from across England.

Immigration Minister Brandon Lewis said:

I am delighted to announce the expansion of this pilot which is part of our ongoing activity to ensure that our world-leading institutions remain highly competitive.

The UK continues to be the second most popular destination for international students and the number coming to study at our universities has increased by 24% since 2010.

This is a clear indication that genuine students are welcome and there is no limit on the number who can come to study in the UK.

Cardiff University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Colin Riordan said:

We welcome the opportunity to take part in the expanded Tier 4 visa pilot.
Cardiff University is home to over 7,000 international students from over 100 countries, and we have seen first-hand the positive impact they have, both on our community and on the economy of Cardiff and Wales.

We look forward to participating in the Tier 4 visa pilot and its evaluation to give our international students the opportunities they deserve and to strengthen our global partnerships.

The most recent Home Office statistics show that the number of students applying for visas increased by 8% over the past year, and there has been a 9% increase in the number of students applying to Russell Group universities.

The 23 additional universities will be able to apply the pilot to their 2018/19 intake. The universities were selected as their visa refusal rates are consistently the lowest in their area or region.

NOTES TO EDITORS

• The 23 universities to be added to the pilot are: Cardiff University, Goldsmiths University of London, Harper Adams University, Newcastle University, Queen’s University Belfast, The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of Bristol, Durham University, University of East Anglia, University of Edinburgh, University of Essex, University of Exeter, University of Glasgow, University of Leicester, University of Liverpool, University of Manchester, University of Nottingham, University of Reading, University of Sheffield, University of Southampton, The University of Wales Trinity St. David (Swansea Campus), University of Warwick, University of York

The UK is providing urgent new food and fuel supplies to help keep millions of Yemeni people alive as an escalation in fighting and restrictions on aid access threaten to push Yemen into a catastrophic famine, International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt announced today (Monday 18 December 2017).

During a visit to a port in Djibouti from where UK aid is shipped to Yemen, Ms Mordaunt warned of the “human tragedy” of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with over eleven million people needing help to survive. She pledged an extra £50 million that will help feed millions of people for one month and process more lifesaving food, which is absolutely vital as rapidly diminishing supplies mean there is currently only a few months of wheat and rice left in the country.

Ms Mordaunt also called for an immediate opening up of commercial and humanitarian access into Yemen during a visit to Saudi Arabia, and condemned the continued Houthi blockages in the north of the country.

Today’s announcement of UK aid support will help the World Food Programme to:

• provide food and food vouchers for 3.4 million vulnerable Yemenis for one month – including malnourished children who are 20 times more likely to die than children who have enough to eat
• mill over 106,000 metric tonnes of grain into wheat flour, which will feed 6.5 million people for two months
• provide fuel to help make sure urgent food supplies can be delivered to those who need it most, keep hospitals running and pump clean water into major cities

Speaking in Djibouti, International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said:

The harrowing stories I have heard from Yemenis and aid workers today are a powerful reminder of the human tragedy of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis where three quarters of the population are in desperate need.

Every day, parents are carrying their malnourished children to hospital because they haven’t eaten in days, and families are watching as loved ones die needlessly from treatable illnesses because they do not have access to medical care.

UK aid will save lives with new food and fuel; fuel that will produce food, pump clean water to help stop the spread of cholera, and power hospital generators.

Our brave British, international and Yemeni aid workers are working relentlessly to alleviate suffering in these atrocious circumstances. But humanitarian aid alone is not enough and millions of people will starve to death without commercial imports that the country depends on.

That’s why the UK Government is calling on all parties to this conflict to immediately restore full access for humanitarian and commercial imports and find a peaceful solution to this conflict to stop Yemen falling into a catastrophic famine.

During her visit to Djibouti – a regional processing centre for humanitarian aid and commercial supplies into Yemen – Ms Mordaunt heard harrowing stories from Yemenis who have escaped the crisis and aid workers who have been delivering life-saving food, water and medical support.

Following this, Ms Mordaunt visited Saudi Arabia and met key high-level political figures where she made clear that commercial and humanitarian supplies – on which Yemen depends to meet 90% of basic needs – must be resumed and that immediate access must be granted to avert a catastrophic famine.

This builds on the Prime Minister’s visit to Saudi Arabia last month, where she reiterated the need to ensure full access across Yemen, renewed calls for all sides to find a peaceful solution and emphasised the importance of full humanitarian and commercial access through the port of Hodeida.

The UK is the second largest donor to the UN appeal and today’s new package of support will bring the total UK aid to Yemen to £205 million for 2017/18, making the UK the third largest donor overall.

This builds on the UK’s existing support, which this year is providing:

• enough food for 1.8 million people for at least a month;
• nutrition support for 1.7 million people; and
• clean water and sanitation for 1.2 million people.

Notes to Editors

1. Today’s announcement of £50 million of UK aid support for the Yemen crisis includes £40 million to the World Food Programme for food from DFID’s crisis reserve and allocations from DFID’s wider country budget, as well as £10 million for the World Food Programme for fuel for humanitarian purposes from re-allocations from DFID’s wider country budget.
2. The United Nations launched Yemen’s Humanitarian Needs Overview for 2018 last week, confirming Yemen’s status as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. The number of people in need of humanitarian or protection assistance now stands at an estimated 22.2 million people, including 2 million internally displaced people, and representing 76% of the entire population of Yemen.
3. The number of people in need of immediate life-saving assistance is an estimated 11.3 million, with 17.8 million people food-insecure or malnourished, of whom 8.4 million are acutely so including 400,000 children. Yemen’s UN Humanitarian Appeal for 2018 will request $2.5 billion to meet the country’s humanitarian needs.