Press release – Wild Moors and League Against Cruel Sports

Natural England restricts gamebird shooting on Thornton Moor. Fresh doubt has been cast over the future of the controversial game bird shoot on Yorkshire Water’s land at Thornton Moor after Natural England has refused permission for a significant part of the operation. The government’s habitats watchdog has said in a decision notice issued to Yorkshire…

Farming Today about 10 years out of date

I enjoyed the piece on Farming Today this morning where a farm was monitored for 10 years and by sensible application of agri-environment schemes its farmland birds increased and remained as profitable as farms around it. That’s obviously good news. And it appears to be a good replicate of the findings at the RSPB’s Hope…

Bird/poultry flu on Today

It was good to hear bird/poultry flu on BBC Radio 4 Today programme this morning but the interview between Justin Webb and the Chief Vet, Christine Middlemiss (just after 07:30), just exposed the fact that both were operating off a smattering of knowledge about the subject when it comes to wild birds. That’s OK for…

Latest weekly bird/poultry flu update from Defra – for what it’s worth

This week’s woefully inadequate update of bird/poultry flu in wild birds from Defra shows positive cases in seabirds (Gannet, Great Skua, Guillemot, Puffin, Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull and Great Black-backed Gull), some swans and geese and another White-tailed Eagle.  The positive records come from Shetland to the south coast of England.  Little can be drawn…

Press release – Trees for Life, Beaver consultation

Bid to make Glen Affric Scotland’s next beaver release site A community consultation that will help decide whether beavers are reintroduced to Glen Affric has been launched in the Scottish Highlands, led by Trees for Life. The rewilding charity is carrying out the consultation on behalf of four private landowners and Forestry and Land Scotland,…