There are indications that many intensive grouse-shooting estates are undertaking more heather (and in some cases Sphagnum) burning this year because they feel that the Walshaw Moor net is closing in on them. Here are some examples of what heather burning actually looks like from the North York Moors. Does this burning follow the heather…
Year: 2017
FOI Bowland Gull Cull 6
I asked NE in July and September, about their role in the Bowland gull cull and I did again in early November. This time I got a sensible answer about whether I would get an answer eventually. Such is how we now measure responses from our statutory nature conservation organisation. What I sent: Further…
Dr Coffey’s reading list (20)
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Dr Therese Coffey is the junior minister at Defra. Now that Gavin Gamble’s e-petition in favour of banning driven grouse shooting has passed 10,000 signatures Dr Coffey will need to sign off a government response. Yesterday the e-petition passed 11,000 signatures; tomorrow Dr Coffey will have kept Gavin Gamble waiting for two weeks for a…
Gove v Ridley
There are lots of people telling me that I shouldn’t expect too much from Michael Gove because he is a politician. I had noticed that Mr Gove is a politician! And it is because he is an ambitious politician who needs to impress the electorate and his colleagues to advance his political career that I…
The first six weeks
Gavin Gamble’s e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting is still waiting for a response from Defra. It now stands at 11,154 signatures. Here are the leading constituencies so far – many of them are old friends (all with 50+ signatures): Inverness, Badenoch and Strathspey, Drew Hendry MP, 85 signatures Skipton and Ripon, Julian Smith MP,…