Guy Smith, just an ordinary farmer (not!), was doing his usual thing of trying to undermine the Farmland Bird Index on Farming Today yesterday. He has been making the same points for years and he knows perfectly well what the answers to them are. But this time he seemed to have quite a lot of…
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What the eye doesn’t see….
If local farmers were killing hundreds of birds every year then there would be uproar, but if you can’t see those deaths then it’s easier to ignore them. I was pleased to hear that the Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority closed some areas of a local fishery after news of the deaths of hundreds…
Trusting in nature?
Last week I wrote a blog, mildly questioning the NT’s own claim to be one of Europe’s leading nature conservation organisations. That blog ruffled a few feathers but also seemed to strike a chord with quite a few readers of this blog. I was very grateful to David Bullock for his reply which was…
What did the Romans never do for us?
I wondered what it was like in Roman times as I headed up Ermine Street to the south bank of the Humber. The legions probably didn’t have to judge when to overtake a large lorry as they headed north from Lincoln, and when they got to the estuary they had to make a ferry crossing…
Moving or not?
Is it just me, I bet it isn’t, that thinks the Earth Flight series is unmissable but also a bit tacky? I enjoyed Thursday’s programme, they were in Europe, and there were some very memorable sights: the polar bear eating barnacle goslings, the swallow catching a feather in flight, the cranes dancing, all those starlings…
Guest blog from NT’s David Bullock
My blog on Monday, which questioned the claim of the National Trust to be one of Europe’s leading nature conservation organisations attracted many comments from you. I’m very pleased to post here a reply from David Bullock the Head ofNature Conservation at the National Trust. I’ll come back to this subject, myself, on Monday. …
20:26 Vision
Have a look at the CPRE vision for farming in 2026. I wonder what farmers think of it. As a vision it’s got a lot of what I would like to see from farming – and of course you and I invest in farming to the tune of well over £2bn per annum so it’s…
Breather
Comments Off on Breather
Yesterday I spent the day finishing off the manuscript for my new book. So there is no blog today. But you could buy my old book, that would be heroic of you. There are some interesting comments about the NT as a conservation organisation still appearing on Monday’s blog. I did wonder whether to post…
What the public wants
According to a survey by ICMResearch for CPRE more than four out of five of the public believe that farmers have a responsibility to look after the landscape and wildlife for future generations – so most people are wrong! I don’t think that farmers have that responsibility but I am grateful to those who behave…
The National Trust
Do you think that the National Trust, which operates in England, Northern Ireland and Wales is a nature conservation organisation or not? In its own words: Conserving nature, for the benefit of everyone, is at the heart of the National Trust’s work. We are one of Europe’s leading nature conservation organisations. The scale of our…