Author Archives: Miles King

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About Miles King

UK conservation professional, writing about nature, politics, life. All views are my own and not my employers. I don't write on behalf of anybody else.

Some initial thoughts on a post-CAP farm subsidy system

Posted on June 24, 2016 by Miles King

Well that was a bit of a shock. In the absence of exit polls I was looking at what the betting markets were doing – all the money seemed to be piling in on shortening odds for Remain. The Bookies … Continue reading →

Posted in Brexit, Common Agricultural Policy, farm subsidies | Tagged , , | 19 Comments

Guest Blog by Ian Hepburn: Nature and the environment: what happens if we vote ourselves out of the EU?

Posted on June 22, 2016 by Miles King

If the UK votes tomorrow to leave the European Union, giving a clear run for the ‘Vote Leave’ politicians, elite supporters and advisors to flex their muscles in the corridors of power, how will that affect our wildlife in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Brexit, EU referendum | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

A vote for Brexit is an attack on public spending and the public sector

Posted on June 14, 2016 by Miles King

Once again today we hear pro-Brexit ministers claim that all the things that are funded via the EU will continue to be supported, from the Treasury. So, according to Farm minister Eustice, things like farm subsidies will stay the same … Continue reading →

Posted in Brexit, climate change, neoliberalism, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Guest blog from Sandra Bell at Friends of the Earth: Govt considering scrapping ban on Neonicotinoids

Posted on June 14, 2016 by Miles King

I’m reblogging this post from Sandra Bell at Friends of the Earth. The NFU are trying to overturn the ban on neonicotinoids, and the regulatory group is considering their proposal today. 7 reasons why the Government must not allow bee-harming … Continue reading →

Posted in Friends of the Earth, Neonicotinoids, NFU | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Wood Meadows, Flood Meadows and McMeadows

Posted on June 13, 2016 by Miles King

Last week was a meadows week for me, visiting Hagge Woods, followed by the annual Floodplain Meadows Partnership steering group meeting, in Northamptonshire. Wood Meadows Hagge Woods was a 25 acre barley field in 2012. It’s been converted into a … Continue reading →

Posted in floodplain meadows partnership, Hagge Woods, wildflower seed | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Parliament calls for ban on double subsidy for biogas #Maize.

Posted on June 2, 2016 by Miles King

  Maize is in the news again, especially Maize specifically grown to power Anaerobic Digesters to produce biogas. In response to at least two years of calls for reform to the biogas subsidy regime,  last week the Government finally launched … Continue reading →

Posted in Anaerobic Digester, biogas, cross compliance, Maize | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

George Eustice clueless on impacts of Brexit on laws protecting UK wildlife

Posted on May 30, 2016 by Miles King

Farm Minister, former UKIP parliamentary candidate and Brexiter (Brexiteer? Brexetier?) George Eustice today displayed a continuing failure to have absorbed anything useful during his now considerable time at the Department allegedly for the Environment, Defra. Speaking to the Guardian he … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds Directive, Brexit, EU referendum, George Eustice, Habitats Directive | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

Farm minister George Eustice reveals more of his vision for post-Brexit farm subsidies

Posted on May 27, 2016 by Miles King

Farmers Guardian asked five experts from farming and the environment what they would like to see farm subsidies supporting in 2020, whether the UK stays in the EU or not. Well I say experts, two of them were current or … Continue reading →

Posted in Brexit, EU referendum, George Eustice | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Shared from Ruth Davis’ blog nature and the common good : Five things I’ve learnt during the referendum campaign.

Posted on May 26, 2016 by Miles King

I enjoyed reading this piece from Ruth Davis, formerly of Plantlife, RSPB and Greenpeace, now at E3G. Ruth writes at Nature and the Common Good.  I thought I would share it with you: 1) Project fear is really Project Common … Continue reading →

Posted in EU referendum, Europe, ruth davis, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Paper recommendation: power relations in ecosystem services work

Posted on May 24, 2016 by Miles King

Originally posted on Ideas for Sustainability:
By Joern Fischer I’d like to recommend the following paper: Berbés-Blázquez M, González JA, Pascual U. 2016. Towards an ecosystem services approach that addresses social power relations. Curr Opin Environ Sustainability 2016 Apr; 19:134-43. DOI: 10.1016/j.cosust.2016.02.003 With the…

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment