Which is your favourite Whitehall government department? It’s got to be Defra hasn’t it? They are the ones who are going to solve England’s environmental problems including those of our wildlife. Floods, pesticides, sewage discharges, bird/poultry flu, a new agriculture policy post CAP, wildlife crime, habitat loss and degradation, overfishing, tree diseases, non-native species and…
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Always think of the land!
It’s somewhat ironic that a few weeks after the Labour Party said it was dropping its policy to renationalise water utilities the idea is gaining more currency in public debate. On Today this morning, at around 08:23, Baroness Young, a Labour peer, was asked about the idea and sounded somewhat sceptical and on PM this…
Not much interest in the Inglorious Twelfth not even in the Shooting Times
The media coverage of the Inglorious Twelfth is very muted this year. Daily Telegraph – a rambling piece as much about Pheasants and partridges as Red Grouse. At least it admits that game shooting is in crisis but says it is an ancient sport. That’s as ancient as the Victorian age as far as driven…
The eve of the Inglorious 12th
Tomorrow is the Inglorious 12th – the start of the Red Grouse shooting season. Since the first Hen Harrier Day events on 10 August 2014 in Derbyshire, Northumberland, Dorset and Northern Ireland we have come a long way, together. Driven grouse shooting is on its knees and cannot survive long. That’s partly because of the…
Gamebird releases and bird/poultry flu – an astounding risk to take
Today the RSPB calls for a moratorium on gamebird releases, because of bird/poultry flu, in an article in the Guardian. I’m interested in bird flu and in gamebirds. Thanks to Wild Justice’s activity on gamebird releases I’m quoted at the very end of the article. The quote I gave the Guardian was slightly longer than…