Following the General Election Link attended two meetings with the new Secretary of State for Environment, Caroline Spelman MP, taking the opportunity to outline some of Link's key priorities. This quarter Link has responded to a number of consultations, including the public debate on the future of the CAP after 2013, Defra’s consultation on European pesticides legislation, and the Department for Communities and Local Government consultation on Planning for a Natural and Healthy Environment.  We also submitted a joint links response to the pre-consultation discussion paper on the draft UK Marine Policy Statement.

In May Link’s Land Use Planning Group hosted a workshop on the future of planning and the Marine Legislation Group published a new leaflet; Marine Planning Principles.

Link produced a briefing on mobile marine species and in the lead up to The 62nd Annual Meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC62) in June, sent briefings to Defra officials on Key Issues for the 62nd Meeting of the IWC and NGO Priority Issues for IWC62.  A number of Link members attended IWC62 and two Link/NGO representatives joined the UK IWC delegation.

At the Defra Joint NGO Liaison Group meeting of conservationists and traders in May, the Chair of Link’s Wildlife Trade Group made a statement on behalf of Link, thanking the UK delegation for efforts during CoP15, and recognising the difficulties that were faced around EU coordination.

Link’s Management Committee held an action-packed away day in June at Plantlife’s offices in Salisbury, where discussions focused on up-coming work priorities for Link, including the Natural Environment White Paper and our response to the spending cuts.