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Cirl Bunting Population Increasing
 The cirl bunting population has increased by 25 per cent since 2003.
New survey results show the cirl bunting – one of Britain’s most threatened songbirds - is continuing its comeback from the brink of extinction.

According to the latest figures published this week, the cirl bunting population has increased by 25 per cent since 2003, reaching 862 breeding pairs in 2009. Despite this increase the species remains confined to a small area of Devon and Cornwall.

Although their range once covered large parts of southern England and they could be heard singing from the trees of Wimbledon Common, cirl bunting populations declined massively in the second half of the 20th Century with just 118 pairs remaining in 1989.

The rise in numbers follows a joint campaign by the RSPB and Natural England to help local farmers manage their land in ways that provide year-round food supplies and breeding habitat for these threatened birds.

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Annual submission deadline small pet animal exemptions

News Story 1
 Companies marketing medicines for small pets exempt from authorisation must submit their annual return to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) by 30 November 2026.

Submitting this annual return ensures continued compliance with regulatory requirements for products marketed without a full Marketing Authorisation. The exemption specifically applies to products intended for animals, cage birds, terrarium animals, small rodents, ferrets and rabbits.

For further details and submission guidelines, visit the gov.uk website.  

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News Shorts
Bluetongue RZ extended across Scotland

The Scottish Government has announced an extension to a Bluetongue Restricted Zone that is in place in south-west Scotland.

From 3 October, the Restricted Zone will be extended to cover the whole of Scotland. The Animal, Plant and Health Agency (APHA) says this is in response to further disease spread, as well as simplify trading conditions ahead of the autumn.

Since the whole country will share a disease status, it will no longer be necessary to have a movement license to move susceptible livestock around the country. Restrictions on germinal products remain.

As of 1 October 2026, there were 1,979 cases of BTV-3 in England, 389 cases in Wales and 40 cases in Scotland.