Opening the lid on Moorland Association pressure on DEFRA

I’ve praised Guy Shrubsole’s adroitness with the information request before – here are some more products of the information requester’s art. As a start, there is more to come, I’ll post here three letters between the Moorland Association and DEFRA from last late summer. They all relate to burning of heather as part of the…

Coul Links, good news – RSPB press release

Scottish Government refuse Coul Links planning permission Decision warmly welcomed by RSPB Scotland The Scottish Government has confirmed today that it has refused planning permission for a golf course to be built at Coul Links in East Sutherland. RSPB Scotland, one of the Save Coul Links coalition members, hugely welcomes this decision. Anne McCall, Director…

Justice for Hen Harriers – the appeal

The date is set for our (and the RSPB’s) appeal against the judgment in our judicial reviews challenging the legality of brood meddling. I challenged the legality of Natural England’s licensing of this otherwise illegal act on the grounds that there are legal alternatives to brood meddling that Natural England unlawfully ignored and failed to…

Looking back at 2019 – Jan – March

I was out on 1 January last year doing a winter farmland bird survey where I was rewarded by first hearing and then seeing a Wood Lark in east Northants. That was a good way to start the year. A post on 2 January predicted that it was going to be a bad year for…