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Tag: countryside

Sewage Discharges

Posted on November 29, 2021July 30, 2024 by Andrew Davis

Somewhat surprisingly, the Thames is the most photogenic of all rivers according to an American travel website. To demonstrate that claim, it has found that the Thames is mentioned more frequently on Instagram than any other river in Europe. Even more surprising is a report from the Zoological Society of London which states that the Thames is ‘a rich and varied home for wildlife’ after being declared biologically dead sixty years ago.

And yet there has been a lot of publicity recently about the discharge of raw sewage into rivers and coastal waters. There has been passionate debate during the passage of the Environment Bill, now enacted, through both Houses of Parliament with claims that the Government is not taking enough action to remedy the situation, specifically that the powers conferred by the Act are not sufficient to force water companies to stop the practice. Despite numerous amendments and intense lobbying, the Act only requires the Government to ensure that water companies secure a progressive reduction in the adverse impacts of discharges from storm overflows.

Shooting season

Posted on November 8, 2021July 30, 2024 by Andrew Davis

As we head into November, we are entering the main period of the shooting season, thankfully free of the Draconian Covid restrictions it faced during the last one. The start was not auspicious as the Glorious Twelfth, the opening of the grouse season in August, was not as resounding success. Grouse are entirely natural, not reared and released, and thus vulnerable to vagaries of the weather and other limiting factors. The cold late spring and wet May were less than ideal for chick survival so grouse numbers have been low this year. This has resulted in many shoot days cancelled or reduced.

Commons Land

Posted on November 8, 2021July 30, 2024 by Andrew Davis

Commons make up some of our most cherished landscapes in Britain, not least because there is open public access across them. They date back hundreds of years and have their origins in mediaeval patterns of land use.

The feudal system of farming was adopted in the Middle Ages. Large estates were held for the king by nobles who were obliged to provide men to serve the crown in times of war or insurrection. In turn, Lords of the Manor held smaller holdings on a similar basis. Farming was carried out for the Lord of the Manor by villagers, most of whom also held commoners’ rights to enable them to farm on their own account. Land around the village suitable for arable cropping was laid out in strips with each commoner entitled to cultivate a number of strips. There were usually three fields; one for cereals, perhaps winter wheat, one for spring cropping, turnips or other restorative crops, and one for fallow to recover fertility.

Carbon Trading

Posted on October 22, 2021July 30, 2024 by Andrew Davis

Food production may be the most significant use of rural land in this country, but there are many others that provide benefits, notably nature conservation, public access and mitigation of climate change. As the environment sits at the top of many political agendas, so these other land uses are promoted. The UK’s secession from the European Union and thus the Common Agricultural Policy means that we are developing our own agricultural and environmental policies. Direct subsidies to farmers are being phased out to be replaced by public money for public goods. But funding is increasingly coming from the private sector too.

Grant Scheme

Posted on September 13, 2021July 30, 2024 by Andrew Davis

As the Environment Bill completes its parliamentary stages, the Government’s plans for the countryside are becoming clearer. There have been numerous amendments debated; it is a large and critical piece of legislation as we are now free to set our own policies. Ministers have resisted any legally binding targets for biodiversity but have agreed to ‘halt’ the decline in the abundance of species rather ‘further the objective of halting’.

Country Matters – Summer

Posted on August 5, 2021July 30, 2024 by Peter Geldart

It has been an extraordinary spring. It seems that whenever I write about the growth of farm crops, I start by describing extreme weather, perhaps we need to redefine what we expect from our climate! But this spring has brought a very dry, sunny but cold April followed by a drenching but still cold May. All sorts of records have been broken yet again.

At least wild spring flowers have enjoyed the weather as primroses, dandelions, buttercups and bluebells have all had a bumper year. One suggestion is that when a plant is under stress, especially if the season is late, it may send up more flower heads in the hope of seeding whilst it can. By mid-May, with waterlogged, very cold soils, the season seemed about three weeks behind normal. It is amazing how quickly nature can recover and the recent dry sunny weather has enabled growth to catch up. Even ticks seem to be around early in large numbers.