Tag: Natural England

Letters

The Clipboard-Wielding Zealots of Natural England

Dear Editor, Ben O’Rourke’s excellent article last week, Shamefully Burning Taxpayers’ Cash, is a blistering indictment of the bureaucratic lunacy that now passes for countryside stewardship. At last, someone has dared to say what every farmer and gamekeeper has known for years: that the clipboard-wielding zealots of Natural England and the RSPB are not just misguided—they’re actively dismantling rural Britain in the name of saving it. … Continue reading The Clipboard-Wielding Zealots of Natural England

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countryside

Shamefully Burning Taxpayers’ Cash

BY BEN O’ROURKE The fuses have been lit. Does Bruce Willis still have time to save the countryside? There’s a popular trope in films where authorities are convinced of one thing and people in the know telling them they’re wrong get ignored. A good example is Die Hard. In the 1988 blockbuster, terrorists take over a building in Los Angeles and their leader, Alan Rickman, … Continue reading Shamefully Burning Taxpayers’ Cash

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editorial

Unreasonable Hurdles for Farmers: Licence to Kill, Take or Disturb Chaos

CSM EDITORIAL In the complex world of UK farming, managing land, livestock, and crops is an already Herculean task. Yet, as if these responsibilities weren’t challenging enough, farmers now face an additional layer of bureaucracy with the latest updates to the licence to kill, take or disturb by Natural England. This licence, which permits the control of wild birds for essential purposes like preventing agricultural … Continue reading Unreasonable Hurdles for Farmers: Licence to Kill, Take or Disturb Chaos

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countryside

Notes from the Actual Countryside

BY GARY BAXTER You may think that my Notes from the actual countryside rants are nothing but rants but believe me they convey the true strength of feeling in the British Countryside. We really are getting more than just a little bit pissed off out here in the sticks! We are tired of the townie rabble. Chavs and spivs dressed up as ‘doctors’ or TV … Continue reading Notes from the Actual Countryside

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editorial

Wild Justice – Lightweight & Vile

CSM EDITORIAL A member of the Great British Public recently wrote to us with copies of a series of extraordinary email exchanges they had with the campaign group Wild Justice, which is run by Mark Avery, Chris Packham and Ruth Tingay. The (redacted) exchanges published below will boil your blood. We have given the author of the emails a random pseudonym, Mr Constantine Beavertail. We … Continue reading Wild Justice – Lightweight & Vile

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Conservation, Letters

Investigative Journalists, Where are You?

BY BERT BURNETT Dear Editor, We have a growing number of people having to choose between heat or food, relying more and more on food banks. Mental health issues are on the up alongside homelessness and child poverty, all apparently created in great part because there is not enough funding to cover the issues. By contrast over the last couple of decades we have seen … Continue reading Investigative Journalists, Where are You?

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countryside

The Blindness of Zealots

BY JAMES BARRINGTON Asking what methods of wildlife management anti-hunting or anti-shooting groups actually support, as opposed to the activities they are keen to condemn, should always be part of any debate surrounding field sports. The usual response is either a deafening silence or an idealistic ‘leave it all to nature’. Practical examples of how these alternative models of the countryside might look tend to … Continue reading The Blindness of Zealots

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countryside

Town V Countryside?

BY JAMIE FOSTER The latest outbreak in the war between the town and the countryside was caused by Natural England rescinding the general licence for shooting pest species of birds after campaigning by anti-shooting group Wild Justice headed up by Chris Packham. The rescinding of the general licence has left farmers and landowners in the lurch with no way of controlling predatory species such as … Continue reading Town V Countryside?

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