The Hen Harrier Affair – a personal perspective Tim Birch is the Conservation Manager of the Derbyshire Widlife Trust. He has worked in nature conservation for many years, much of it abroad, but grew up in Derbyshire to which he has now returned. It’s now been almost 18 months since I’ve been back…
BLOG POSTS
FoI Friday – 5
This is a copy of my earlier blog post but now including the Peak District National Park’s rapid and helpful response to points 1 and 2. They tell me that they are checking on point 3 now. Dear Peak District National Park This is a request under the Freedom of Information regulations, but in…
Martha and Martha 2 and a great review in the Independent
The World at One say they had such a strong response to the chat between Martha Kearney and me on the subject of Passenger Pigeons that they have put up a separate link to it and included a film of the interview too – click here to hear and see the interview. I also enjoyed…
FoI Friday – 4
Dear Defra You may have noticed, though I wouldn’t bet on it, that there is an e-petition relevant to you rapidly gathering signatures. Once it reaches 10,000 signatures, you will have to reply to it. I point this out to you so that you might, with all this warning, make a better fist of it…
FoI Friday – 3
Comments Off on FoI Friday – 3
Dear Defra You really are shocking. You have not acknowledged or answered this FoI request made on 7 April this year. I have reminded you about this once before. Please respond by Wednesday next week or else I will complain to the Information Commissioner about your woeful disregard for the principles of open government. Mark…
FoI Friday – 2
Dear Times newspaper I don’t believe you are under any legal obligation to answer this question, but I also cannot see any reason why you should not be happy to answer it: Have you received any representations from the Peak District National Park or landowners, land managers, farmers etc in the Peak District National Park…
FoI Friday – 1
Dear Peak District National Park This is a request under the Freedom of Information regulations, but in any case you should be happy to answer it. Please answer the following: Did the PDNP contact The Times newspaper by email, letter or telephone concerning Simon Barnes’s articles about raptor persecution in the Peak District? I ask,…
Glad we’ve cleared that up
From Guy Smith’s Twitter feed (@essexpeasant): @bbcfarmingtoday please note that reports I mentioned on your prog of 70% of the Swedish OSR crop being destroyed by flea beetle were wrong and Now seen transcript and fully admit what I said was wrong. Apologies. Will not be repeating it again. Well done to Guy, NFU Vice-President,…
Live on BBC Radio 4 on The World at One
I’ll be talking to Martha Kearney on The World at One today – some time after 1pm (because they told me to turn up at 1pm!). It’s A Message from Martha to Martha Kearney. Publication is a week today but you can order right now.
Shooting – good for wildlife?
BBC Countryfile magazine has a poll about the good that shooting does in the countryside following the Countryfile programme last Sunday. The poll asks ‘Does the shooting industry do more good than harm to Britain’s wildlife?’. I know several people who have voted in the opposite way to that which they intended because of the…