Sunshine Holdings Group Managing Director Vish Govindasamy urged the Government to strengthen the backend structure of the local agriculture sector by identifying the key pain points of both public and private institutions and addressing them by actively engaging in discussions with relevant stakeholders of the industry.

Speaking as a panellist at the Sri Lanka Economic Summit Roadmap for Takeoff: Driving a People-Centric Economic Revival, organised by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) recently, Govindasamy said that fortifying this framework would prepare the agriculture sector to leverage numerous post-Covid opportunities, bring prosperity for all parties involved and make the sector resilient for any future disruption.

Covid-19 has brought several opportunities for the Agri sector, and we have ambitious plans on being self-sufficient in agriculture, dairy and fishery.

While we are preparing for that, we need to make sure that all backend processes and the framework which encompasses these processes have to be robust, he said.

Taking the dairy industry as an example, Govindasamy said, The country has a great vision for the local dairy industry intending to make Sri Lanka self-sufficient in milk by 2023. However, the backend framework has to be perfect before we even try to bring a herd.

Also, the animals need to have enough feed, which means that we have to clear land for farmers to grow. This needs to be done through a transparent land clearing process. Furthermore, the industry needs to deploy enough machinery and bring in modern technologies to meet this target. There are so many aspects to be looked at from a backend operations perspective to make front end operations of the dairy industry successful, said Govindasamy.

Read more:
Call to build a resilient agri sector - Sunday Observer

By Eric Trent

The Chronicle

WILLAPA HILLS Its a surprisingly warm 40 degrees outside as I arrive at a house Ive never seen before in Raymond at 5:30 a.m. Friday. A Pacific County native, Im back home to embark on my first-ever hunting trip and have no idea what to expect.

Jeff Boggs is loading gear into his red, lifted Chevy pickup as he greets me when I pull into the driveway. He hands me a pair of camouflage pants and a long sleeve shirt as I slip my boots on and climb into the cab.

We merge onto U.S. Highway 101 as Boggs rolls his window down and says, Theres your picture! as a herd of elk graze in the darkness of early morning just off the road; less than 100 yards from his house.

Unfortunately, these elk are on private property and are illegal to shoot. Instead, we head deep into the heart of the forest in search of one of Washingtons most prized big game animals.

Adult bull (male) Roosevelt elk can weigh up to 1,000 pounds, and average around 600 to 800 pounds. Adult cows (females) weigh in around 500 pounds. With thick bodies, short tails and long legs, adult elk stand 4 to 5 feet high just at the shoulder.

The first elk Boggs harvested two years ago gave him over 200 pounds of meat and lasted him the entire year. He processes everything on his own, from dressing and cleaning to cutting every steak and grinding the burger.

This is the best meat Ive ever eaten, Boggs said. My kid will eat elk and deer over anything. Id rather have an animal Ive killed over store-bought meat any day.

Boggs and I are heading to Game Management Unit 506, also known as the Willapa Hills region, which runs from the Columbia River in Wahkiakum County all the way up north of Route 6, east of Menlo.

General season ended in Western Washington on Nov. 18 for modern firearms and Sept. 24 for archery. Right now, the only hunting that is open in the Willapa Hills is late archery elk, a season that runs from Nov. 25 to Dec. 15, and Boggs is trying to fill his freezer after striking out during early archery.

Boggs, 33, has been hunting since he was 9 years old, getting one pheasant his first year out. He bagged his first deer at just 10 years old, and has harvested a deer every year since then except once. He didnt start hunting elk until four years ago, after he bought his first bow.

When we arrive at the spur of a gated logging road at 6 a.m., its still dark out and were the first hunters to get here. Typically, during hunting season, every timber company gate has a cluster of cars parked in front of it as thousands of hunters descend upon the woods.

In 2019, there were 54,500 elk hunters statewide. In the Willapa Hills alone, there were 1,916 hunters during the general season, many of which pour in from urban areas and cities. This year, 98,000 elk tags were bought statewide since April 1. In the Green Creek area east of Menlo, there were 30-foot fifth-wheel motorhomes parked on the sides of the logging roads.

Boggs and I, reveling in the early-morning solitude at our empty gate, put our camouflage on and began trekking up a winding logging road. Its 7 a.m., still a bit dark out, as we step as lightly as possible on the crunchy gravel.

Boggs holds his bow by the string as he walks. Its a Bowtech Realm SR6, one he bought used earlier this year and set him back $900. In his Bowtech Octane quiver are Easton 6.5mm carbon arrows. A quality entry-level bow for a first-time hunter, he said, would run about $500.

He got into bow hunting for a multitude of reasons, the main one being that archery season runs from Sept. 12-24, during the height of the rut, when horns clash and males vie for female mating partners. Its the easiest time to bag an elk as archers use an assortment of calls, such as a bull elk challenge and a female in heat, to coax the bulls near for a clean shot. Boggs uses Phelps Game Calls, a company located in Pe Ell.

Another advantage for bow hunters is that modern firearm season doesnt begin until Nov. 25, about a month after the rut has ended, meaning a lot less hunters are out during this time. In 2019, there were over 30,000 modern firearm hunters in the state compared to less than 15,000 archery hunters.

After 20 minutes of slowly trudging uphill, Boggs and I reach the first clearing. Its the spot he shot his first elk two years ago. I stand a few feet back, concealed behind a small cluster of bushes, as he surveys the landscape with his Vortex binoculars. We gingerly move along the side of the road that runs parallel to the clearing, looking for any signs of movement or the telltale tan bodies of the giant elk.

Archery hunting is no easy feat, I begin to realize, as Boggs points to a stump off in the distance and asks how far away I think it is. After years of covering high school football games, I felt I have an accurate judgement of yardage. I guess 50 yards. Boggs takes out his rangefinder and says Nope. 100 yards.

Even that stump looks like a tough distance to land a shot, and in reality, its still a bit further than the optimal shooting range of 40 yards with a bow. His maximum range is 80 yards, but even then its a desperation shot.

You have to get so close, and if the wind blows they smell you and youre not going to get your animal, Boggs said. Youve got to hunt the wind. If I have an 80-yard shot and I feel like I can get closer, Im getting closer.

As we continue along the road, the only sound is the crackling gravel under our boots. Every word we exchange is a hushed whisper. We need every advantage we can get to spot these elk before they see, smell and/or hear us.

With a modern firearm, a well-aimed hunter can drop an elk from hundreds of yards away. Still, modern firearm hunters had a lower success rate than archery hunters in the state last year; 9 percent for firearms and 10 percent for archery. Thats mostly due to double the amount of firearm hunters, however. In the Willapa Hills, archery hunters had a bit more luck. Of the 785 archery hunters, 133 successfully harvested an elk, for a 17 percent success rate.

Still, the odds are against us today.

We make our way through multiple spurs, guided by an app that shows the owner for every parcel of land in the area to make sure we dont stumble upon private property. It isnt until about 4 miles in that we find our first spot where elk bedded down the night before. Boggs points to a big circle and a smaller circle in the grass. Thats where a mom and its baby laid down, he said.

Yards away, we find our first fresh elk poop. Boggs guesses its hours old. We follow the poop trail down a branching road a couple hundred yards before it disappears completely. At some point they left the road and went off into the thick blanket of trees and brush, he said. We wont venture into the trees. Not only would our steps be too loud, but the branches are too thick to get off a clean shot even if we did find them.

We continue on, stopping every so often to rest, as Boggs tells hunting stories in a whisper. He tells why he wont elk hunt with a firearm, because of the thousands of people and craziness it brings. He shares a story of his friends dads friend who shot an elk and after locating it was approached by a father and son who claimed it was them who had shot it. There was an argument, and the man was shot and killed by the father and son.

Its just one example of the hyper-competitiveness of elk hunting, and how difficult it can be to get one of your own. Even Boggs had someone try to steal the elk he killed. After landing a shot he was sure would be fatal, Boggs sat on a stump and waited for the elk to die. Chasing after a shot elk is a huge mistake, he said, as they will run for miles and miles if pursued.

When he finally located the elk, a hunter was standing next to it, claiming he had shot it. Boggs showed him his arrows, which matched the arrow in the elk and, luckily, the hunter continued on his way.

Still, the positive encounters far outweigh the negative ones for Boggs. He shoots at least 10 arrows a day, 365 days a year in anticipation for the season. He has targets set up at his house so he can even shoot out of the window of his trophy room.

I dont want to have to think about it, I want to draw it and have it just like a gun, Boggs said. Youve got to build the muscle memory. Its all technique. Once you learn how, its all easy.

We survey a handful of clearings as we make a giant loop on the logging roads back toward Boggs truck. We walk a total of 7 miles and dont see a single elk, though the bedded-down grass and fresh poop let us know we must have just missed them.

As we near the truck, he takes me down a wooded trail that he saw mushrooms growing in earlier this year. We collect a handful of chanterelles and a large, pink coral mushroom before arriving at the gate. Looks like we wont go home empty-handed after all.

For now, its back home for some lunch, then hell head back out for a few more hours until dark. Hell return on Saturday and Sunday, too, chasing the thrill of the hunt.

Jeff Boggs draws back his $900 Bowtech Realm SR6 bow. Boggs harvested his first elk, a cow, two years ago.

See the article here:
Hunters have one final chance to bag an elk - The Daily World

MANILA, Philippines With several residents about to be displaced by the ongoing forest land clearing in the prime tourist destination of Boracay, some of them expressed their regret for paying real property taxes over the years.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources early this month issued notices to vacate properties in areas categorized as forest lands.

At least nine people including Filipinos and expatriates were arrested in Barangay Balabag and were briefly detained for allegedly occupying or building structures in protected forest lands.

They were also charged for violation of Presidential Decree 705 or the Forestry Reform Code of the Philippines, PD 1067(Philippine Water Code), and the "25+5" or 30-meter beach easement ordinance of Malay, Aklan.

NAMRIA/Released

The ongoing clearing operations arein compliance with President Rodrigo Dutertes Executive Order 53, which also created the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force tasked to reverse the degradation of the island.

This order follows Proclamation No. 1064 signed by then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2006 that classifies the island into 377.68 hectares of reserved forest land for protection purposes and 628.96 hectares of agricultural land as alienable and disposable pursuant to PD 705.

However, several residents who fear the loss of their homes are arguing that they have been residing in the area before the PD was approved.

"It's crazy that people are afraid to speak up about the theft of their ancestral domain land, because they fear their own government, a Boracay resident for 10years, who refused to be named said.

Under the Republic Act No. 8371 or theThe Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997,"ancestral domains "refer to all areas generally belonging toIndigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous People(ICCs/IPs) comprising lands, inland waters, coastal areas, and natural resources therein, held under a claim of ownership, occupied or possessed by ICCs/IPs."

Section 2 of this law also indicatesthat thestate shall protect the rights of ICCs/IPs to their ancestral domains "to ensure their economic, social and cultural well being and shall recognize the applicability of customary laws governing property rights or relations in determining the ownership and extent of ancestral domain."

The investor added that the residents have followed the governments process, which includes appealing to the CommunityEnvironment and Natural Resources Office, DENR. They also submitted government-issued permits and papers evidencing their tax declarations, but did not get any response.

Will they all get that refunded? 77 years of tax declaration payments, so they can restart their lives, the resident said.

CzarEricNuque, chief of theNational Bureau of InvestigationsEnvironmental Crime Division earlier said that the law still applies to these areas. He stressed that tax declarations are not enough to claim ownership of the land.

Malay Citizens Charter, a guidebook on municipal government frontline services, also indicated this in its chapter IV.

The Tax declaration is issued for taxation purposes only and should not be considered as title to the property, the Malay government said.

According to Nuque, a tenurial instrument will permit an individual to occupy areas categorized as forest land. A tenurial instrument grants an individual a limited period of stay of around 25 up to 50 years.

Asked if the residents will be refunded of their real property tax payments, Nuque said it is not possible.

Anomalous ang pagkaka-issue ng tax declaration. Dapat may clearance muna sa Land Management Bureau na ang lupa nga ay alienable disposable. Hindi puwedeng maging alienable and disposable ang lupa at the same time ay forest land, the NBI official told Philstar.com in a text message.

(The issuance of tax declaration is anomalous. There should be a clearance with the Land Management Bureau first declaring that the land is alienable and disposable. An area cannot be alienable and disposable and at the same time be a forest land)

Nuque said that several persons colluded to issue the tax declaration documents for the forest land.

He added that it is for this reason that the NBI have sued some local government officials for issuing tax declaration illegally.

Good faith is not a defense in a special law like the Forestry Code, Nuque added.

The national government has been questioning the local government unit for allowing establishment of properties in areas declared as forest land in the past.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Ao then said the LGU should be held accountable for the crisis faced by Boracay.

The presence of commercial establishments even beyond the prescribed distance from the coastline would not be possible without building and construction permits issued by the LGU. It is their lookout, the DILG chief said in February 2018.

"Why did the LGU allow establishments to be built in areas classified as forest lands? Why did the Barangay issue the necessary clearances? This we intend to find out and soon," he added.

In May 2018, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu also issued a warning to LGUs who are violating the law by issuing illegal tax certifications.

A Manila Standard report cited a number of irregularities in the issuance of tax declarations by local government units to individuals who are in open, continuous, exclusive, adverse and notorious possession of parcels of forestland.

The law is clear that no public officer or employee can issue a certificate of real property tax without securing a certification from the Department that the real property to be declared for taxation is alienable and disposable, Cimatu was quoted by the report as saying.

Meanwhile, apart from the concerns on the tax payments, residents and business owners in the affected area also complained about the lack of response from the government.

An investor who also refused to be named said they have received a vacate order from the DENR in April 2018, prior to the islands six-month closure.

Our lawyer responded to that letter and we have not had any official information since, the investor said.

He furthered that around September 2018, the NBI asked them to produce all the documents and permits they had.

Our lawyer wrote a letter along with all the documents and handed it to NBI in manila . They said they will contact us if they need anything else. They never contacted us again, so we assumed it was ok, the investor shared.

The Supreme Court in October 2008 ruled to classify Boracay as both forest and agricultural land that belongs to the state. This decision also junked the ownership claims of several resort owners.

READ:Boracay wholly state-owned 2008 Supreme Court ruling

The next year, the DENR gave residents a powerpoint presentation detailing the guidelines in the issuance of Forest Land Use Agreement for Tourism Purposes (FLAgT) in Boracay forest lands.

FLAgT is defined as a contract between the DENR and a natural or juridical person authorizing the latter to occupy manage develop subject to government share, any forestland of the public domain for tourism purposes and to undertake any authorized activity therein for a period of 25 and renewable for the same period upon mutual agreement by both parties.

One of the slides indicated that there is a timeline of around two weeks to issue the FLAgT.

We applied along with many other people and paid P100,000 but then never heard anything back, the investor said, despite the government's constant reiteration that it has been sending notices and show cause orders.

The investor said they were also not informed of relocation.

CENRO officer Rhodel Lababitin an interview withRadyo Todo Aklan 88.5 FMs Todo Latigo last week said that based on theBoracay Action Plan, the local government unit of Malay and provincial government are in charge of the relocation of residents.

In a press conference last week, Cimatu also reported the operations against establishment occupying protected forest lands.

Appropriate cases have been filed against them. This proves that the rule of law is paramount and law enforcement is crucial and non-negotiable, he said.

Cimatu also said a total of 249 of 339 structures or 73% have complied with the 25+5 meter easement rule.

Letter obtained by Philstar.comdated December 1 showed that Barangay Yapak chief Hector Casidsid wrote to Malay Mayor Frolibar Bautista seeking action plan on the demolition.

Casidsid cited Presidential Commission for Ureban Poor dated Sept. 29, 2020 furnished to them, which mandated prohibition on demolition and eviction during the pandemic.

Please further enlighten these people of your plans and possible remedits to address and lessen their frieds and agonies. I demand for a tangible and concrete resolution from you being the local chief executive on the matters raised," the barangay captain wrote.

The DENR chief last weeksaid the BIATF has yet to discuss the relocation of the affected residents.

While we would would like to see for ourselves the movement on this, we have yet to discuss on what to do with these people who are required to vacate their respective establishments, he said.

Cimatu during the meeting with the BIATF then suggested to delay the demolition, while also citing the pandemic. He said the DENR should first determine where the residents must be relocated.

Excerpt from:
As forest land clearing in Boracay continues, residents lament years of tax payment - Philstar.com

The former Commonwealth attorney-general said Hornsby Shire one of the most at-risk areas for bushfires in the Sydney area had its own thoroughly prepared strategy for dealing with fires that was done in collaboration with the Rural Fire Service and NSW Parks and Wildlife.

Environment Minister Matt Kean.Credit:Nick Moir

"We dont want to see any of that work undermined by essentially random and very often measures that may not have been very properly thought through, that take out substantial vegetation which we think is very special to the bushland shire," he said.

Community activist Ross Walker said he backed Cr Ruddock's position and feared the new policy would have similar impacts to the 10/50 rule, which allows for vegetation clearing in fire-prone areas without approval and has been the subject of local criticism.

"I am concerned about the loss of bushland in the shire. It's the bushland that makes the suburbs," Mr Walker said.

Last month, the NSW Parliament passed amendments to the Rural Fires Act that opened the way for people in fire-prone land to be permitted to clear swaths of bushland 25 metres from their fences to aid in fire protection.

Hornsby Shire Council mayor Philip Ruddock has concerns over the controversial fire protection policy.Credit:Nick Moir

Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott said in October land clearing would be able to occur without "onerous" approvals, and the RFS would also be given "stronger and clearer powers" to audit and address bushfire risks.

This is not only the most landowner friendly legislation, but it is putting public safety above all else," Mr Elliott said at the time.

Boundary clearing was not one of 76 recommendations of the NSW Bushfire Inquiry. Instead, it was the cause of a stoush between some Nationals and Liberals within cabinet, with the former wanting landowners to have more access to national parks for hazard reduction.

The new legislation, though, requires codes to be agreed on before it can be implemented. Cabinet is due to debate those rules, with Mr Kean and Planning Minister Rob Stokes understood to be among those pushing for curbs to avoid the destruction of endangered ecosystems, including koala habitat.

Mr Elliott, who was one of the ministers Hornsby Shire council resolved to write to, declined to comment when contacted by the Herald on Thursday, as did Mr Kean.

However political sources say Mr Kean holds similar environmental concerns over the boundary clearing policy to that of Cr Ruddock. When asked whether he had spoken to Mr Kean on the issue, Cr Ruddock said he did not disclose conversations with other people.

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Nationals Leader John Barilaro also declined to comment.

Independent upper house MP Justin Field said the 25-metre clearing had no scientific or risk management basis.

"The [NSW Bushfire Inquiry] report did recommend more research into effective hazard reduction and to target hazard reduction in proximity to assets. It also called on the NSW government to support local councils to plan and implement locally targeted hazard reduction," Mr Field said.

"This policy fails to consider local council involvement."

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Angus Thompson is an Urban Affairs reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.

Peter Hannam writes on environment issues for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

Link:
Government split over bushfire land clearing rules - Sydney Morning Herald

(KMAland) -- As the end of the year approaches, farmers in KMAland are encouraged to stay in touch with their local Farm Service Agency office.

In addition to a number of programs that are available for producers to currently sign up, Pottawattamie County FSA Executive Director Lynette Gruchow says your local office needs to know about any changes to your operation in the past year.

"Changes that may affect the determination include a change in contract share, the addition or deletion of a farm, change in the structure of your farming operation like an individual becoming a corporation or a trust, changes in your contributions or inputs, changes in farming interests or the death of the member of an entity," said Gruchow. "Also, please let us know of any operator changes or buying or selling of land that you've done for the 2020 crop year, so that we can get these updates completed as well."

For those with land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program, Gruchow says it's always a good idea to touch base with your local FSA office before making any changes or improvements to the land.

"Contact should be made to the service center prior to any land clearing or drainage projects to ensure compliance," said Gruchow. "Contacting your service center prior to taking any actions can save you time and money later, as these type of violations can be very costly. Along those same lines, if you're going to be farming ground this upcoming year that was CRP in the past and is highly erodible land, you'll want to make sure that there is a conservation plan in place and that you're following that plan."

Additionally, Gruchow reminds producers that they are required to maintain CRP land according to the conservation plan on file with the USDA.

"CRP cover maintenance is the producer's responsibility," said Gruchow. "Participants shall maintain their CRP practices according to their conservation plan. This includes maintaining adequate cover to control erosion for the term of the CRP contract, maintaining compliance with noxious weed laws and controlling undesirable vegetation such as weeds and trees that pose a threat to existing cover or adversely impact other landowners in the area."

For more information or to find the contact information for your local FSA office, fsa.usda.gov.

At KMA, we attempt to be accurate in our reporting. If you see a typo or mistake in a story, please contact us by emailing kmaradio@kmaland.com.

Read the original:
KMAland farmers encouraged to stay in touch with local FSA offices - KMAland

The Chilton County Commission approved to allow the Chilton County Industrial Development Authority to start the bid process to cut trees consisting within a 60 to 80-acre area at the site of the eventual ALFA Farm Center.

The Commission approved the resolution during its meeting on Dec. 8. The IDA will flag off the area that needs to be cut based off of ALFAs latest rendering.

According to IDA Executive Director Whitney Barlow, the area behind the Exit 212 northbound rest area will be the primary focus.

Commission Chairman Joseph Parnell explained to his fellow commissioners that there is a species of migratory bat that root under the bark of a specific type of oak tree that resides on the property.

Were one of their migratory stopping spots, but not their natural habitat, Barlow said.

Barlow stated that the trees can only be cut down between Oct. 1 and March 31, because those are the months when the bats do not visit the area.

If the entire marked-off area is not cleared by March 31, Barlow said that dirt can still be moved and buildings constructed on the portion that has been cut. The remainder would have to be cleared once October rolls back around.

Because of this, Barlow stressed the importance of getting the Commissions approval and getting the process going so that they can clear as much as possible before the end of March.

We dont want to find ourselves in the summer months and not be able to do what we want to do, Barlow said.

Parnell asked that a penalty be placed in the projects contract if the designated area was not fully cut by the March 31 deadline.

The rest is here:
Commission approves clearing future farm center land - The Clanton Advertiser - Clanton Advertiser

Medline, the medical supply giant that sparked political friction in seeking to build a large distribution center south of Covington, is taking the project to Hammond.

Hammond and Tangipahoa Parish worked with the company to rezone two parcels adjacent to Hammond Airport where the company says it will build the $45 million project. The City Council approved it Tuesday, and Medline said it plans to break ground in early 2021 on the one-year construction project.

"Over the last several months, Medline has worked closely with Tangipahoa Parish President Robby Miller and the parish's economic development and workforce development teams, along with Hammond Mayor Pete Panepinto and the city council, to create the best possible project for the community," the company said.

Medline had initially planned to expand in St. Tammany Parish, where it already has a 200,000-square-foot complex. But nearby residents fought a rezoning request to allow a complex four times that size and filed a lawsuit almost a year ago.

More recently, Parish President Mike Cooper's administration denied the company a land-clearing permit for 47 acres of the almost 70-acre site between Ochsner Boulevard and Interstate 12. Allstate Financial Co., which owns the land, also filed a lawsuit.

Medline spokesman Jesse Greenberg said it will take another four to six months after construction for the Hammond center to be fully operational and for inventory now stored at the St. Tammany location and another in Hammond to be moved. The company has sold its original St. Tammany location and is currently leasing it from the new owner, Greenberg said.

At full capacity, the new distribution center will employ 450 people.

St. Tammany have been fighting the project over concerns that the 800,000-square-foot distribution center would exacerbate flooding and traffic congestion. Too, the proposal became a source of contention between the Parish Council, which badly wants the project, and Parish President Mike Cooper, who has been putting on the brakes.

The council scolded Cooper for almost three hours in November over denial of the land-clearing permit, with speakers pointing to the economic benefits of the expansion: 164 new jobs with a payroll of more than $6 million in the first five years, a $53 million capital investment, $1.9 million in construction payroll taxes and another $1 million in sales taxes on construction materials.

St. Tammany also stands to lose $650,000 a year in sale taxes and $1.2 million in property taxes, St. Tammany Corp. CEO Chris Masingill told the council.

It was unclear Wednesday what Medline's announcement means for the court cases in St. Tammany Parish. The Cooper administration would not comment.

Nancy Wagner, president of Flower Estates Civic Association and a plaintiff in the suit challenging the rezoning, said Bonnie Eades of the Northshore Business Council mentioned the project opponents at the Hammond meeting. "She said St. Tammany lost out to people with short-sighted interests who are against any development in St. Tammany Parish," Wagner said. "We are for responsible, appropriately located development."

On Wednesday, north shore business leaders said they were happy that the project at least stayed in the region.

"We have known for quite some time that Medline would be relocating to an alternative site," Masingill said. "We want to thank Tangiapahoa Economic Development Foundation and community leaders for their efforts to keep this important economic development project on the Northshore."

Lacey Osborne, the St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce CEO, called the move a big loss for St. Tammany but said the Hammond location a gain for the region.

Eades said her group had supported the expansion in St. Tammany because of the living wage jobs it would bring. She said that the project hit a brick wall with the permit denial, but that she was happy to see Medline staying in the region.

"Anywhere on the north shore, on the I-12 corridor, is an asset to our region," she said. "We knew either place would have benefits for our area."

Medline did encounter some opposition in Tangipahoa. Eades said that the first public meeting that addressed the Hammond rezoning drew a lot of residents who had concerns about many of the same issues that were raised in St. Tammany. But she said through discussion, compromises were reached and very few people spoke out against the plan on Tuesday.

Medline said it will create a rainwater detention pond on the Hammond site capable of handling a "500-year flood event," have 100-foot setbacks from the street and install a pedestrian path on the west side of Industrial Park Road. It also promised money for a traffic roundabout on U.S. 190 and Hammond drainage improvements.

See original here:
Medline gives up on St. Tammany Parish, says it is moving to Hammond - NOLA.com

Fan Milk Plc, a Danone Company and frozen dairy giant, has commenced the clearing of the proposed site allocated by the Ogun State Government, which will host its flagship dairy farm within the Odeda Farm Institute, in the Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State.

Fan Milk Plc is embarking on this project as part of its commitment to improving the local farmer and community participation in dairy farming, which is in alignment with the Central Bank of Nigerias backward integration programme for the improvement of local milk production and reinforcement of the Federal Governments initiative to sustain the economy and achieving food self-sufficiency in the country.

The Managing Director of Fan Milk Plc, Mr Ferdinand Mouko, stated that the company was delighted by the support it has received for the project from the Ogun State Government, which ensured that the land allocation was completed in record time.

We are confident that Fan Milks and Danones dairy backward integration project will enhance the livelihood for dairy farmers in Ogun State who will leverage the support and the relevant experience Danone has developed along its journey in Africa, he said.

He disclosed that the companys project team had already moved to the site to commence land-clearing and other preliminary preparations to ensure an accelerated process for the project implementation.

Fan Milk Plc which has been manufacturing ice cream, as well as other frozen dairy and juice in Nigeria and West Africa for the past 59-years, will receive technical support from its parent company, Danone, a leading multi-local food and beverage company with recognised expertise in Fresh Dairy Products in over 120 markets worldwide. Fan Milk Plc will leverage key learnings for its pilot project in Nigeria from Danone, which has been in existence for over 100 years, actively contributing across stages in the dairy value chain.

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Original post:
Fan Milk Plc Commences Land Clearing Ahead of Signing Partnership Agreement with Ogun State Government - The Punch

Electric car juggernaut Tesla(NASDAQ:TSLA) is feeling the bite of environmental regulations in Germany... the snakebite, that is. The company has been clearing land in a pine forest in Brandenburg, outside of Berlin, to build its latest Gigafactory. But according to German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel, a German court has ordered the company to halt those operations over environmental concerns that snoozing snakes and lizards could be impacted by the work.

Tesla will have to prove that its land-clearing won't harm the hibernating reptiles before it will be allowed to resume. It marks a victory for environmental groups, including the Naturschutzbund (Nature Conservation Association) Brandenburg and the Gruene Liga (Green League).

Image source: Getty Images.

Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory was constructed in less than a year, but that's looking unlikely for the company's first European manufacturing facility. Although the construction of the Gigafactory is broadly popular in Germany, this isn't the first time that the strict European regulatory environment has caused headaches for the company.

In early October, Tesla solicited local feedback about the project. What was expected to last three days instead took eight, as concerned locals questioned, among other issues, whether the company's onsite battery production would tax the local water supply. In response, Tesla agreed to cut the facility's water usage by more than half.

CEO Elon Musk, who has praised German engineering in the past, may have no option but to wait. Meanwhile, rival automakers like Volkswagen continue to roll out competing electric vehicles. Tesla hoped to open its Gigafactory Berlin in July 2021, but if it has to wait out the hibernation season, the opening will almost certainly be pushed to later in the year or beyond.

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Tesla's Elon Musk: Snakes. Why Did It Have to Be Snakes? - The Motley Fool

THE Gympie Koala Action Group has urged local residents to contact their councillors and protest a plan to pull environmental protections on the Southside that are preventing some landowners from subdividing their properties.

The Gympie Times reported late last week the council intended to repeal what it says are flawed amendments to the planning scheme which protected wildlife and the environment by blocking some subdivisions and building plans in one of the regions biggest designated growth corridors.

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The councils staff have recommended councillors repeal two Temporary Local Planning Instruments it brought in over the last council term relating to Southside development and biodiversity protection.

Eight problems were identified with these new plans.

...its important the Gympie region community know what is coming up in council this week and have opportunity to let their councillors know how they feel about this, a Facebook post from the Gympie Koala Action Gympie Region environmental organisation says.

We are shocked and disappointed to see an agenda item for the GRC meeting this Wednesday, December 9, re the Temporary Local Planning Instrument (TLPI)s with a recommendation to repeal them, it says.

Photo of a koala taken on Gympie's Southside early in 2020.

The TLPIs, voted in by council last year, were vital to regulating vegetation clearing in identified significant environmental areas especially in our growth area, Southside, until Amendment Package 3 was finalised.

The Planning process is that there is a period of public consultation and opportunity for changes to be made. Why is due process not being followed? To remove the TLPIs now will place at risk koala and wildlife habitat and connectivity on the Southside, and the environmental values so many residents want preserved.

To see how the process should work see the council page on a current Amendment (2).

CLICK HERE: https://www.gympie.qld.gov.au/planningschemeamendments

We were waiting for Amendment Package 3, so vital to preserving our regions natural environment as we grow, the group post states.

Our group will write tocCouncillors asking about this and provide points on the mentioned flaws.

If you are a Gympie Region resident concerned about this please let your councillor know. If you have questions or need links to relevant background info, welcome to send us a message.

A koala found out on location.

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Koala Action Group shocked at council land clearing plan - Gympie Times