Ten minutes into Farming Today Craig Bennet is talking about the government’s failure to publish its Peat Strategy for England. It’s well worth a listen. He says the right things, and says them well. Top marks overall.
He ended on a bit of a low note though when Anna Hill asked whether conservationists and farmers could work together to conserve and protect lowland peat. Craig said that the only way forward was working together – which it isn’t really. Getting government to impose the right measures whether farmers like it or not is an alternative route (which might be more successful, actually). The trouble with saying ‘we must work together’ is that it gives away some of your power – it makes the other interest group the key to success. So I think (actually I know) I would have said ‘We’ll work with anyone who wants to protect and restore peat, and if the farming community wants to achieve that goal then it’ll be a great step forward together, but the need for better peat protection is very clear.’. You might think it’s easy to say that I would have said that now, but actually, when I listen to interviews like this one, I’m answering the question in my head whilst listening to the real answer being broadcast. I can’t help it.
It’s worth hanging on for Tweet of the Day after Farming Today for Dupont’s Lark’s song – I’ve never heard one…
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Couldn’t agree with you more. It is always better to work together but there are situations where there is a direct clash of interests and a decision has to be taken one way or the other. Peat is a clear example.
Incidentally, referring back to a previous blog I had a look at the annual report of Forestry Scotland. It’s target for deep Peat restoration is about 900 hectares this year, with a budget of £3.7m.
‘We must work together’ is an utterance uttered to make the utterer sound utterly reasonable and is so utterly over-used as to render it utterly worthless
Too often they are used in cases where one party is committed to one hundred percent bad faith tactics, just stringing along the other party, and constantly shifting the goalposts. There is only one way to tackle that, and that is to ignore that party and impose change upon them. By whatever means necessary.
Yes, I think this interview just reinforces your Omnishambles blog Mark. What a disgrace this whole Government and especially Defra, continues to be. They will go to any extreme lengths to not to upset the grouse moor shooters or the farmers. These extreme methods of procrastination and deference just means that whatever they finally “come up with “ is just meaningless and will have almost negligible effect on stemming the degradation of our peatlands.
We have already seen this with the useless Eustice’s statement on moorland burning. It has so many exceptions, holes and let outs in it that it would empty the water behind the Hoover Dam in the USA in minutes.
This is a wee topical expose of the Forestry Commission….
https://theferret.scot/uk-government-compost-peatlands-climate-pledges/?fbclid=IwAR3sglI9cZAIfG4ymjjmJJWBVJlFmxu-folWojkn9IKZExEEcAZiKQcIXKY
The sooner something is sorted out the better. Tonight, as I write, a whole swathe of moorland and rough grazing on Benbecula is ablaze with more of the same on South Uist. It won’t be the fault of the crofters though, it never is. However, they can’t blame it on tourists this time!
How anybody , set up right, can lose a fire at this time of year, in these weather conditions, on the islands described escapes me, but then again they most likely never lost it in the first place.
Too busy with their other jobs, building contractor, property developer, haulage contractor etc.
My taxes go towards keeping them on the land, and protecting that land,they should have payments withheld or be fined.
Serves them right if it has burnt through some of the multitude of fences that proliferated with EU money.
It was North Uist’s turn today – someone started a fire east of Eaval which enveloped most of the hill at one stage and looked like (from where I was) it would possibly threaten homes on the west side. This was after repeated warnings about taking care in the prevailing conditions. In my view the people who do this, year after year, are criminals. They are complete morons.
Just when the local Eagles will be getting going as well, bastards.
Spot on Trapit! I suspect that could well be the case regarding the Eaval fire!
The governments recent statement by useless Eustace about not burning on deep peat soils is a sleight of hand to say the least. Given that it only applies to SPA/SAC sites that are SSSIs anyway it could be justifiably argued it should already have been the case in these sites, that it wasn’t was of itself a scandal no doubt at the behest of the DGS cabal who own and shoot many if not most of these places. As ever this useless shower in power will bend over backwards at the least request from their pals in the MA, CLA, NFU or CA to accommodate rather than protect (as they should) ALL peat soils. Shallow peat is easier to dry out or burn over and hence more susceptible to oxidation but what do we know we neither contribute to Tory coffers and our only vested interest is the well being of the environment itself, not some Victorian so called sport or agricultural profit.
I would be interested to see a map, if anybody is clever enough, of land held by Utility companies, Forestry Commision, National Trust and similar organisations, that may decide not to allow burning irrespective of designations in place, if they can be convinced it is the correct line to take.