African elephants face extinction 'within a decade'
African elephant populations face possible extinction within a decade because of ivory poaching, campaigners have warned.
The WWF said that both black and white rhino are under unprecedented attack for their horn, which is being traded as a lifestyle drug, while wild tiger numbers across Asia have dropped by more than 90% in the last 100 years.
At an event today the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge will speak alongside Environment Secretary Owen Paterson to guests from countries affected by the illegal wildlife trade.
They will urge for stricter laws against the criminals involved and help for rural communities to find viable alternatives to illegal wildlife trade.
Tim Jones, a livestock farmer from Worcestershire, told Daybreak that "things are undoubtedly tough" for farmers.
Farmer Tim Jones says things are "tough" at the moment.
He said a harsh winter has been followed by a run of dry weather, which has left livestock farmers like him, "desperately short of grass" for the sheep.
"Input costs have gone up, with animal feed now 18% more expensive than it was 12 months ago", he added.
Today Environment Secretary Owen Paterson will address farming representatives at a summit which will discuss ways of improving farmers' access to financial support.
Environment Secretary Owen Paterson will host a summit for farming representatives, charities and banks to discuss the effects of last year's bad weather on the industry.
Following the second wettest year since records began, farmers have warned that heavy rainfall could affect the price of food.
Long-term averages of 30-year periods show an increase in annual rainfall of about 5% from 1961-1990 to 1981-2010:
He added: "This last year has been particularly tough. Farming contributes a huge amount to our environment and our economy.
"We want to ensure that farmers are able to deal with challenges like bad weather, to grow their businesses, create new jobs and help the country compete in the global race."
TV presenter and bird lover Bill Oddie has launched an online tirade against the Environment Secretary Owen Paterson.
Writing on his Twitter account, Mr Oddie voices a long list of grievances against the Secretary which include his alleged support of the badger cull, pesticides that harm bees and the hunting act.
Owen Paterson. Secretary for the Environment? AGAINST the environment, yes. British Wildlife is not safe with this man or this government.
Businesses 'need to win back confidence' amid scandal
Environment Secretary Owen Paterson told the National Farmers' Union's annual conference that food business operators need to "get out there and win back the confidence of their customers" following the horsemeat scandal.
Mr Paterson said it was the "primary responsibility" of these businesses to ensure food is of the right quality and correctly labelled before it is sold.
Environment Secretary Owen Paterson addressing the conference in Birmingham. Credit: Reuters TV
He told the audience, "It is totally unacceptable that anyone should buy something labelled beef and end up with horsemeat. That is fraud".
"I am determined that this criminal activity should be stopped and that anyone who has defrauded the customer must feel the full force of law", he added.
