The Government has today (19 March) launched a public consultation on the introduction of new and improved international humane trapping standards.

Views are being sought on the implementation proposals for the Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards and to gather information on the supply, use and marking of traps to better inform impact assessment.

These measures will ensure gamekeepers, country estates and pest control companies are trapping certain species of animals in a humane fashion. Depending on the responses to the consultation, Government wants to implement the new standards on 1 January 2019.

Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey said:

We are committed to supporting a strong rural economy and upholding countryside traditions and we want to do this in a way that respects wildlife and the environment.

I would therefore encourage people with an interest in this area to contribute their views.

Today’s consultation is asking for views from the gamekeeping sector, trap retailers, manufacturers and importers, pest control companies, country estates/farms, and importers of products derived from trapped animals.

People can respond using the Citizen Space survey.

The Government will respond to the consultation shortly after the six-week consultation ends.

HM Coastguard were called just after 12.45pm to help the unwell passenger on the cruise ship who urgently needed to be taken to hospital.

The HM coastguard search and rescue helicopter based at Humberside, with 4 team members aboard, responded to call and made their way to the cruise ship which was positioned 43nm off the Northumberland coast. After arriving on scene they lowered their paramedic winchman onboard to treat the casualty.

They secured the woman and winched her into the aircraft where she was taken to James Cook Hospital. The cruise ship resumed its planned course.

Co-Pilot and senior first officer of the HM coastguard Humberside helicopter, James Bullock said: “This proved to be a challenging rescue due to the adverse weather conditions. The transit was hampered by poor visibility but once on scene the sea state of around 6 meters and 35 kt winds created significant movement on the vessel which made for a tricky winch recovery. Thankfully with the assistance of the ship’s crew tending the hi-line and patience as we waited for the largest of the waves to subside, the casualty was recovered safely and quickly transported to James Cook Hospital.”

Inverness coastguard called out

The HM coastguard search and rescue helicopter based at St Athan was alerted to the incident just after 3pm today after a 999 call was made to HM coastguard reporting two young men clinging to rocks off Hartland Point. With 6ft waves crashing over the men they were at immediate risk of being washed out to sea. Racing to the scene, the HM coastguard helicopter was kept fully briefed by the Hartland Point coastguard rescue team who were unable to reach the pair due to the rough seas but were watching closely from the shore in case the worst should happen.

The rough seas also made it impossible for a lifeboat to reach the scene so their only hope was the coastguard helicopter. Once on scene it took the precision and skill of the helicopter crew which saw the two men rescued in under two minutes.

HM Coastguard helicopter chief pilot Olly Padbury said: “This was a challenging rescue where we only had seconds to spare. As we manoeuvred our winchman towards the two casualties on the rock, he was hit a by a large unsighted wave. Recovering quickly he was able to place the strop over the first casualty and he was winched onboard. Once he was safely inside we dropped the winch down again and we were able to pull the winchman and the second casualty up in seconds. This dramatic footage clearly shows what can happen when people are cut off by the tide but also the sterling job our winchman did in a few minutes. This rescue is about teamwork and we would like to say a big thank you to Hartland Point coastguard rescue team for their spot on briefing – which saw these two young men rescued successfully.”

Both men were airlifted to safety and despite their ordeal required no medical attention.

Speaking after the incident Duncan Ley, duty controller for HM coastguard said: “This incident could so easily have turned into a really tragic one. If you see someone in difficulty at sea or along the coast please immediately call 999 and ask for the coastguard. If you are going out for a walk along the shore make sure that you check the tide times – you will often see this information at the entry to beaches or check it online – and ensure that you are back in plenty of time. Thankfully, this was a rescue that ended really well thanks to the coastguard helicopter crew and Hartland Point Coastguard rescue team.”

coastguard battkles 6ft waves

On Monday 26 March, there will be a national event commemorating the Centenary of the Appointment of Marshal Foch as Supreme Allied Commander at the Statue of Marshal Foch in Lower Grosvenor Gardens, Victoria, London at 1pm.

The event is ticketed for guests but the general public will be able to watch the event without tickets from a designated viewing area close to the Statue.

The event is one of the national events in the Government’s four-year First World War Centenary programme and will include music, readings and wreath laying to honour and express gratitude for the role played by Marshal Foch in 1918 and to remember the greater military strategy under his unified command.

The event will be attended by the Rt Hon Matt Hancock MP, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and Mrs Geneviève Darrieussecq, French Minister of State for Defence, representatives of the countries that fought on the Western Front in 1918 as well as descendants of Marshal Foch and Field Marshal Douglas Haig. As the opening event of the Government’s centenary commemorations in 2018 it will begin to tell the story of the events of 1918 and the path to peace.

Gates open at 12.40 and the ceremony will start at 1pm prompt, ending at 1.30pm. Please allow time to clear security as you will be subject to a bag search and you are advised not to bring suitcases or large bags.

Good morning. I have been very heartened already by the strength of the support that the UK is getting in respect of the incident in Salisbury and I think that is partly because they can see that Britain is acting [with] punctilious accordance with our obligations under the Treaty on Chemical Weapons and I would contrast that with how the Russians are behaving.

Today the technical experts from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons are arriving in the UK to take the samples from Salisbury and in the meantime the Russian denials grow increasingly absurd. At one time they say that they never made Novichok, at another time they say that they did make Novichok but all the stocks have been destroyed. Then again they say that they made Novichok but all the stocks have been destroyed but some of them have mysteriously escaped to Sweden or at the Czech Republic or Slovakia or the United States – or even – America, or the United Kingdom.

I think what people can see is that this is a classic Russian strategy of trying to conceal the needle of truth in a haystack of lies and obfuscation. And what really strikes me talking to European friends and partners today is that 12 years after the assassination of Alexander Litvinenko in London they are not fooling anybody anymore. There is scarcely a country around the table – here in Brussels – that has not been affected by some kind of malign or disruptive Russian behaviour and that is why I think the strength and the resolve of our European friends is so striking today. Thank you very much.

Watch the Foreign Secretary speaking

Foreign Secretary’s statement to the Foreign Affairs Council