4 Replies to “Wild Justice writes to DEFRA”

  1. Excellent. Keep the pressure on DEFRA.
    I expect that they will blame covid, but really it is because the Cameron government slashed staffing levels at DEFRA in general and Natural England in particular. My guess is the the remaining staff are overwhelmed with work and incapable of keeping abreast of commitments.
    An example from Trowell, unrelated to wildlife. Last summer, Linda (known in the canine world as Linda Taylor of the Wansleydale English Setters) planned to export a show dog to breeders in Belgium. At the time, folk arriving in GB were expected to isolate for 14 days. We wrote to our MP on 16 September 2010 to get clarification about rabies, ‘pet passports’, the need for isolation by the Belgian exhibitor, etc. Yesterday (11 February) we got a copy of a reply from Zac Goldsmith dated 20 January 2021! ‘I apologise for the unacceptable delay in responding……due to COVID-19’. Crocodile tears or what?
    I have some sympathy for the poor devils at the coal face, but none for senior staff, mandarins, ministers and the like. They have inherited a mess of their Tory party’s creation.
    Oh yes, and the dog did not go to Belgium, but to a pet home in eastern England.

  2. Sadly there are many examples now of this government showing that it believes the law doesn’t apply to them and putting barriers in the way of the public ever finding out.
    It’s two fingers up to the courts and to anybody who chooses that route to hold them to account.

  3. DEFRA is the place where a lot of the awkward stuff gets put. It’s remit expands. And then it gets underfunded to make it go away.

  4. Oh dear…..long grasss in response to a court order…. They should be aware that contempt is a serious issue. Corporate responsibility? Minister in the dock?

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