Plaid Cymru seems to be the party of Welsh farmers rather than the party of Wales – or Welsh taxpayers. It favours a continuation of the CAP that keeps 80% of Welsh farmers in business with direct payments. That’s pretty blatant. Plaid supports a regressive form of income support funded by the rest of Wales…
Tag: Natural England
Politicians all at sea
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Let’s start at home – for we English anyway. On Friday, a consultation closes on whether the government should go ahead with a further tranche of designation of Marine Conservation Zones. And the answer is ‘they should’. The UK Marine and Coastal Planning Act is five and a half years old. Under its provisions Marine …
Fourth birthday
This blog is four years old today. There have been over 2111 blog posts and over 26,000 comments in that time. This blog is an independent voice for nature, primarily in England, but in the UK, the EU and the world. Apart from Guest Blogs, every word of it is written by Mark Avery. It’s…
Open letter to Marc Bolland of M&S
Dear Marc Congratulations on your increased profits and increased share price! It can’t all be due to customers flocking back to you after your decision not to sell grouse meat last year, but I have certainly been doing my bit to increase your profits. Your wise decision not to sell grouse meat in your stores,…
2020 biodiversity target
Lord de Mauley seems to think that we are a shoo-in to meet the 2020 biodiversity target of halting biodiversity loss. This is what four of our leading wildlife NGOs think: Martin Warren, Chief Executive of Butterfly Conservation says: ‘I think it is extremely unlikely that the UK will meet all the targets set out…
Natural England seem to have lost the West Pennine Moors
I view the north of England pretty much as an enigma wrapped in a cloth cap and walking a whippet. I’m better on the east of the country than the west where everywhere seems to be a town beginning with B, and it is indeed the area between Bolton and Blackburn with which we are…
Anyone there in NE?
I am very much amused to hear that the daily media summary received by NE board members ends with an item on ‘Mark Avery’s blog’. It’s good to know that they all get a daily reminder of what’s happening in the world from a reliable source. To save time and effort for the staff involved,…
High Peak Vision, Henry?
What’s that Henry? You support the National Trust’s High Peak Vision and wish they’d get on with it as quickly as possible? I so agree Henry. Are you a member of the NT? I am.
Minister misleads
I was talking to a former, very distinguished, colleague yesterday about the environmental question time event the week before last, and how Rupert (Lord) de Mauley was so slippery and smooth that nobody could get hold of him. He was like a Turkish wrestler covered in olive oil. But his statement, which I have now…
Guest blog – In favour of the EU by Richard Wilson
Richard Wilson is an independent professional ecologist with more than 15 years experience. When in the field, he specialises in avian and invertebrate ecology, with a smattering of botanical surveying thrown in for good measure. His background as a consultant has led to a keen interest in EU and UK law in the context of…