Excellent article about rewilding

[Wombat]

Do you know the story about the Emperor's new clothes?
Somebody needs to point out that Defras plans have no fabric to them.

I believe the NFU have made alternative suggestions.

Mine is in essence simple.
Take the BPS money and spend it wisely on alternative energy sources. Ditch ELMS.
Offer a premium on all UK produce which is carbon neutral and pay for it by taxing any imports that are not.

Mine is even more simple, take the BPS money, split it between a load of research into some really nasty diseases such as MND, Parkinson’s, dementia etc

Give everyone in Defra involved with bps, elms etc their P45

we get on with farming

simples

 

[BrianV]

The thing is I have put some suggestions in and I think they will be quite the opposite to your permanent pasture should get it all( despite me having quite a lot) crap. That really is the crux of it, what you want as a farmer is quite different to me and what I would like to see them do.

Most of the charities and institutions want the same things so it’s easy to have a concerted view and put it across as the way forward. As farmers we have very different views to each other so getting a common one is nigh on impossible

What we should be doing as farmers is making sure the smallest & newest farmers are protected from these draconian cuts, far too much time is wasted on here fighting over how we established farmers can get a few extra pounds with some daft Defra scheme.
It does us & the NFU no credit that we appear so short sighted to the crippling affect on those the least able to cope!

 

[ollie989898]

I want someone to show me their workings for encouraging all these wetlands when it is known that natural wetlands and swamps release huge amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas?

 

[DaveGrohl]

Mine is even more simple, take the BPS money, split it between a load of research into some really nasty diseases such as MND, Parkinson’s, dementia etc

Give everyone in Defra involved with bps, elms etc their P45

we get on with farming

simples

Wombat to replace Boris. You heard it here first folks.

 

[DaveGrohl]

I want someone to who me their workings for encouraging all these wetlands when it is known that natural wetlands and swamps release huge amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas?

Oh get away with your facts…..

 

[gatepost]

Well I think a useful article, in so much, someone who is stating that food security is an issue, who isn't a farmer, we have all been shouting this for years, unheard.

 

[Henarar]

Mine is even more simple, take the BPS money, split it between a load of research into some really nasty diseases such as MND, Parkinson’s, dementia etc

Give everyone in Defra involved with bps, elms etc their P45

we get on with farming

simples

was that the suggestions you put in ?

 

[onesiedale]

Is it really an "Excellent article" ?

Considering the author is due to give evidence to the UK’s Trade and Agriculture Commission in the coming weeks I would have least expected a 5 point plan from him telling us what he would see a successful ELMS look like.
Whilst the article pointed out the obvious he fell into the Westminster trap of leaving out any real alternative for DEFRA , so they will acknowledge his input and carry on regardless.
Unless somebody steps up with a 5 point plan of something sensible, radical and economically sound, this rhetoric will just keep being recirculated

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

Well I think a useful article, in so much, someone who is stating that food security is an issue, who isn't a farmer, we have all been shouting this for years, unheard.

The main benefits of abundant food go to the people that buy it and the people that supply the industry. It suits both of them that we produce more.

There may be climate induced shortages coming in the future but there certainly aren't any at the moment.

Clearly the food buying public don't think it's an issue. Spend on food is around 8% of household income and a third of what they do buy is thrown away.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

I don't see how articles like this help. They just feed the 'whingeing farmers' narrative. Everyone bellyaches that ELMS is being driven by the likes of the RSPB, Wildlife Trusts etc. Why is that ? Could it be that they know, specifically, what they want out of ELMS, and employ the best that money can hire to get that message across ? What do we do, beyond cheer when someone writes an article slagging it off ? Where are the articles from our national bodies saying, specifically, what ELMS needs to look like ? Look at the NFU submission to the Public Accounts Committee, all it does is moan and call for a 12 month delay. The NFU have known this has been coming for years. Why don't they have their version written ?

I couldn't help but think of you when I read: "ask the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), who have been developing and implementing impressive plans to drive environmentally and economically sustainable agriculture, what they think"

 

[BrianV]

Is it really an "Excellent article" ?

Considering the author is due to give evidence to the UK’s Trade and Agriculture Commission in the coming weeks I would have least expected a 5 point plan from him telling us what he would see a successful ELMS look like.
Whilst the article pointed out the obvious he fell into the Westminster trap of leaving out any real alternative for DEFRA , so they will acknowledge his input and carry on regardless.
Unless somebody steps up with a 5 point plan of something sensible, radical and economically sound, this rhetoric will just keep being recirculated

I cannot for the life of me see why the NFU aren't fighting their guts out for a base Single farm payment as is for the first 100 hectares with all ELMS schemes on top of this amount, that would give good security to all small & newly formed farming businesses & also give every working farmer at least a base payment to start & work with.
We are expected by law to keep all hedges in place like a museum & farm properly, this is what that first base payment should be for, ELMS schemes to improve the environment should only then come into play.

 

[Henarar]

I cannot for the life of me see why the NFU aren't fighting their guts out for a base Single farm payment as is for the first 100 hectares with all ELMS schemes on top of this amount, that would give good security to all small & newly formed farming businesses & also give every working farmer at least a base payment to start & work with.
We are expected by law to keep all hedges in place like a museum & farm properly, this is what that first base payment should be for, ELMS schemes to improve the environment should only then come into play.

this is what BPS is for more or less, its a payment to keep land in GAEC it not really a subsidy its a payment and its definitely not a subsidy for land ownership as some silly buggers would have you believe.

 

[BrianV]

'Surreal' January wildfire shuts California highway​

Published
Share
Related Topics

• Our Planet Now

Media caption,
Watch: Wildfires light up the night sky in California
An unseasonal wildfire is raging in California's Monterey County, forcing evacuations and the closure of Highway 1, US officials say.
The National Weather Service (NWS) reported a "surreal fire behaviour given the wet Oct and Dec".
The blaze along the Big Sur Pacific coast, dubbed the Colorado Fire, has scorched about 1,500 acres (607 ha).
Strong winds pushed the fire toward the sea, and flames were seen burning near the famous Bixby Creek Bridge.
Senior forestry and fire protection official Mike Meddles said firefighters from 13 agencies from around California's central coast had been deployed to tackle the blaze, according to KTLA digital channel.

• World's biggest tree gets blanket as US fire rages
• Are wildfires getting worse?
• Firefighters tackle historic California wildfire
• Listen to Justin Rowlatt on California's wildfires

The area where the blaze is burning had "little or no fire history," the NWS's Bay Area branch said in a Twitter post. .
"Anecdotally it seems as though the long term drought is acting like a chronic illness where even recent rains and cold winter weather isn't helping to keep fires from developing," the statement said.
Climate change increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that is likely to fuel wildfires.
The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.

IMAGE SOURCE, THE MERCURY NEWS VIA GETTY IMAGES
Image caption,
Flames were seen moving towards the famous Bixby Creek Bridge on Saturday morning

------------

This is the inevitable future for large parts of our uplands if Johnson & his Eco lunatics have their way, it is bound to happen if they are not stopped from destroying our countryside!!

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

'Surreal' January wildfire shuts California highway​

Published
Share
Related Topics

• Our Planet Now

Media caption,
Watch: Wildfires light up the night sky in California
An unseasonal wildfire is raging in California's Monterey County, forcing evacuations and the closure of Highway 1, US officials say.
The National Weather Service (NWS) reported a "surreal fire behaviour given the wet Oct and Dec".
The blaze along the Big Sur Pacific coast, dubbed the Colorado Fire, has scorched about 1,500 acres (607 ha).
Strong winds pushed the fire toward the sea, and flames were seen burning near the famous Bixby Creek Bridge.
Senior forestry and fire protection official Mike Meddles said firefighters from 13 agencies from around California's central coast had been deployed to tackle the blaze, according to KTLA digital channel.

• World's biggest tree gets blanket as US fire rages
• Are wildfires getting worse?
• Firefighters tackle historic California wildfire
• Listen to Justin Rowlatt on California's wildfires

The area where the blaze is burning had "little or no fire history," the NWS's Bay Area branch said in a Twitter post. .
"Anecdotally it seems as though the long term drought is acting like a chronic illness where even recent rains and cold winter weather isn't helping to keep fires from developing," the statement said.
Climate change increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that is likely to fuel wildfires.
The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.

IMAGE SOURCE, THE MERCURY NEWS VIA GETTY IMAGES
Image caption,
Flames were seen moving towards the famous Bixby Creek Bridge on Saturday morning

------------

This is the inevitable future for large parts of our uplands if Johnson & his Eco lunatics have their way, it is bound to happen if they are not stopped from destroying our countryside!!

In recent years we've seen wildfires in Wales of all places. I don't know if this is a new phenomenon in recent times but it does question the wisdom of creating very large blocks of forestry IMHO......

 

[Jackov Altraids]

I believe that starting point of all proposals is this document;

At a glance: summary of targets in our 25 year environment plan

www.gov.uk

which says;

We will take all possible action to mitigate climate change, while adapting to reduce its impact. We will do this by:

• continuing to cut greenhouse gas emissions including from land use, land use change, the agriculture and waste sectors and the use of fluorinated gases
• making sure that all policies, programmes and investment decisions take into account the possible extent of climate change this century
• implementing a sustainable and effective second National Adaptation Programme

WTF is that supposed to mean?

 

[Jackov Altraids]

I believe that starting point of all proposals is this document;

At a glance: summary of targets in our 25 year environment plan

www.gov.uk

which says;

We will take all possible action to mitigate climate change, while adapting to reduce its impact. We will do this by:

• continuing to cut greenhouse gas emissions including from land use, land use change, the agriculture and waste sectors and the use of fluorinated gases
• making sure that all policies, programmes and investment decisions take into account the possible extent of climate change this century
• implementing a sustainable and effective second National Adaptation Programme

WTF is that supposed to mean?

" Agriculture has a vital role to play in managing the UK’s land and landscape, with more than 70% of England being managed as farmland. Farmland can make an important contribution to adaptation, including through support for biodiversity, mitigation of flood risk, and improved soil management. Changes may be needed to the crops grown, taking advantage of resource efficiencies, ensuring that the knowledge gained from R&D is transferred to changes on the ground, and taking up new technologies. Sustainable soil management will be critical to ensuring farm systems are resilient. While much of the 28 planning will rightly fall to individual farm businesses, government will continue to support research, and will be introducing a new environmental land management scheme underpinned by natural capital principles. Our new Environmental Land Management Schemes will contribute to the delivery of the environmental outcomes outlined in the 25 Year Environmental Plan, such as adaptation to the effects of climate change. Our objective in the first NAP was to increase the resilience of agriculture by effectively managing the impact of volatility in the occurrence and severity of rainfall events on water availability, flooding, soil erosion and pollution due to runoff. Many other policy areas will have an impact on, or be impacted by, agriculture. The 25 Year Environment Plan outlines goals across other policy areas which are addressed elsewhere in this document: to tackle soils degradation, improve soils management and monitor soil health (see section 2.6.1); to protect and restore vulnerable peatlands (see section 2.6.2); and to ensure sustainable use of water resources and resilience of supply (see section 2.4.1) We have also been working towards embedding climate change adaptation into agriculture, horticulture and forestry research programmes, in order to improve knowledge of likely climate impacts and contribute to the development and uptake of climate resilient crops, tree and livestock species as well as relevant technologies. In the 25 Year Environment Plan we have committed to support farmers to turn over fields to meadows rich in herbs and wildflowers, plant more trees, restore habitats for endangered species, recover soil fertility and attract wildlife back. Alongside this we will ensure that food is produced sustainably and profitably. In working to increase resilience, government will work to ensure that the right actions are targeted in the right locations. Our plans will balance competing and conflicting demands to ensure that land is used in the best way to safeguard long-term sustainability, safety and productivity. Our new Environmental Land Management schemes will aim to deliver a range of environmental benefits such as mitigation and adaption to climate change. We are working closely with farmers, food producers and environmental experts across Britain to design a ‘user friendly’ scheme for farmers and land managers, which reduces prescription, encourages scheme uptake, and could incentivise collaboration and landscape scale working. We will continue to support farmers and land managers in delivering the outcomes and to help them to work together to achieve benefits at landscape and catchment level. Agriculture is a key consumer of water, most notably during what tend to be drier months, when there is an increased public demand for water. We are working with farmers and other abstractors to ensure that abstraction licences are sustainable (see section 2.4.1) and that the agriculture sector has access to water and uses it efficiently. 29 In February we published a consultation paper setting out options for supporting farming once we have the left the European Union. We will work closely with the devolved administrations on a framework that works for the whole of the UK and reflects the needs and individual circumstances of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England. As part of this, we will continue to engage regularly with all the devolved administrations to explore options on the design and appropriate extent of the forthcoming Agriculture Bill. The government actively promotes awareness of flood risks to farm businesses and encourages action to improve flood resilience – these actions are expanded on in section 4.3. Government is also stimulating industry-academia collaboration, for example through the Agri-tech catalyst, which will help improve agricultural productivity and contribute to more environmentally sustainable agricultural systems. The Countryside Productivity scheme offers grants for farmers to invest in cutting edge technology and new equipment. Grants are available to help livestock, dairy, arable and horticulture farmers improve productivity through investing in new technology to reduce cost or improve product quality. In partnership with industry, we will encourage widespread adoption of precision agriculture, pioneer new approaches to crop protection and encourage more commercial research to improve plant breeding and agronomic techniques through schemes such as the ISCF Transforming Food Production programme which was launched in February 2018. New approaches, such as vertical farming, can harness the combined power of robotics, photonics, artificial intelligence and smart energy management systems, as well as plant biotechnology"

So what are they doing to "Alongside this we will ensure that food is produced sustainably and profitably."?

 

[BrianV]

In recent years we've seen wildfires in Wales of all places. I don't know if this is a new phenomenon in recent times but it does question the wisdom of creating very large blocks of forestry IMHO......

The forced removal by various means of farmer's livestock from these uplands by the EA means there are now few green firebreaks & there are very few farmers prepared to spend their time burning out firebreaks, this will inevitably result in massive uncontrollable fires as our summers continue to warm up.
The likes of Monbiot & the EA should be held totally responsible for this when it occurs & pilloried in the newspapers.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

" Agriculture has a vital role to play in managing the UK’s land and landscape, with more than 70% of England being managed as farmland. Farmland can make an important contribution to adaptation, including through support for biodiversity, mitigation of flood risk, and improved soil management. Changes may be needed to the crops grown, taking advantage of resource efficiencies, ensuring that the knowledge gained from R&D is transferred to changes on the ground, and taking up new technologies. Sustainable soil management will be critical to ensuring farm systems are resilient. While much of the 28 planning will rightly fall to individual farm businesses, government will continue to support research, and will be introducing a new environmental land management scheme underpinned by natural capital principles. Our new Environmental Land Management Schemes will contribute to the delivery of the environmental outcomes outlined in the 25 Year Environmental Plan, such as adaptation to the effects of climate change. Our objective in the first NAP was to increase the resilience of agriculture by effectively managing the impact of volatility in the occurrence and severity of rainfall events on water availability, flooding, soil erosion and pollution due to runoff. Many other policy areas will have an impact on, or be impacted by, agriculture. The 25 Year Environment Plan outlines goals across other policy areas which are addressed elsewhere in this document: to tackle soils degradation, improve soils management and monitor soil health (see section 2.6.1); to protect and restore vulnerable peatlands (see section 2.6.2); and to ensure sustainable use of water resources and resilience of supply (see section 2.4.1) We have also been working towards embedding climate change adaptation into agriculture, horticulture and forestry research programmes, in order to improve knowledge of likely climate impacts and contribute to the development and uptake of climate resilient crops, tree and livestock species as well as relevant technologies. In the 25 Year Environment Plan we have committed to support farmers to turn over fields to meadows rich in herbs and wildflowers, plant more trees, restore habitats for endangered species, recover soil fertility and attract wildlife back. Alongside this we will ensure that food is produced sustainably and profitably. In working to increase resilience, government will work to ensure that the right actions are targeted in the right locations. Our plans will balance competing and conflicting demands to ensure that land is used in the best way to safeguard long-term sustainability, safety and productivity. Our new Environmental Land Management schemes will aim to deliver a range of environmental benefits such as mitigation and adaption to climate change. We are working closely with farmers, food producers and environmental experts across Britain to design a ‘user friendly’ scheme for farmers and land managers, which reduces prescription, encourages scheme uptake, and could incentivise collaboration and landscape scale working. We will continue to support farmers and land managers in delivering the outcomes and to help them to work together to achieve benefits at landscape and catchment level. Agriculture is a key consumer of water, most notably during what tend to be drier months, when there is an increased public demand for water. We are working with farmers and other abstractors to ensure that abstraction licences are sustainable (see section 2.4.1) and that the agriculture sector has access to water and uses it efficiently. 29 In February we published a consultation paper setting out options for supporting farming once we have the left the European Union. We will work closely with the devolved administrations on a framework that works for the whole of the UK and reflects the needs and individual circumstances of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England. As part of this, we will continue to engage regularly with all the devolved administrations to explore options on the design and appropriate extent of the forthcoming Agriculture Bill. The government actively promotes awareness of flood risks to farm businesses and encourages action to improve flood resilience – these actions are expanded on in section 4.3. Government is also stimulating industry-academia collaboration, for example through the Agri-tech catalyst, which will help improve agricultural productivity and contribute to more environmentally sustainable agricultural systems. The Countryside Productivity scheme offers grants for farmers to invest in cutting edge technology and new equipment. Grants are available to help livestock, dairy, arable and horticulture farmers improve productivity through investing in new technology to reduce cost or improve product quality. In partnership with industry, we will encourage widespread adoption of precision agriculture, pioneer new approaches to crop protection and encourage more commercial research to improve plant breeding and agronomic techniques through schemes such as the ISCF Transforming Food Production programme which was launched in February 2018. New approaches, such as vertical farming, can harness the combined power of robotics, photonics, artificial intelligence and smart energy management systems, as well as plant biotechnology"

So what are they doing to "Alongside this we will ensure that food is produced sustainably and profitably."?

And this bit:

We are working closely with farmers, food producers and environmental experts across Britain to design a ‘user friendly’ scheme for farmers and land managers

 

[BrianV]

And this bit:

We are working closely with farmers, food producers and environmental experts across Britain to design a ‘user friendly’ scheme for farmers and land managers

You have to wonder what useless bit of paper makes them a so called "Enviromental Expert" as most don't seem to have a clue of the damage they are doing!!

 

[egbert]

The forced removal by various means of farmer's livestock from these uplands by the EA means there are now few green firebreaks & there are very few farmers prepared to spend their time burning out firebreaks, this will inevitably result in massive uncontrollable fires as our summers continue to warm up.
The likes of Monbiot & the EA should be held totally responsible for this when it occurs & pilloried in the newspapers.

Beware....that has apparently just been ratchetted up locally.
I won't repeat details, but it's not pretty.

If the details are as they appear, and come into the public domain, I can't see any hill farmer would ever enter agreement again.
(swan vesta here we come!)