Category Archives: dogs

Why EU laws to stop pets chasing wildlife (and livestock) are not comical.

Posted on March 19, 2019 by

  It’s always tempting, when writing a weekly column, to return over and over again to a well chewed bone called Brexit. And despite Westminster having descended into full-blown Whitehall Farce territory last week, I am going to resist the temptation … Continue reading →

Posted in dogs, Michael Gove, Natural England, Tony Juniper | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Stewart continues his journey, and it’s Coffey Time at Defra

Posted on July 18, 2016 by

We now know which ministers will work with Andrea Leadsom at Defra. Rory Stewart, who was apparently punished by David Cameron for disagreeing with him over Afghanistan, has now been rehabilitated. Having served his time at Defra, he is now … Continue reading →

Posted in Defra, dogs, Dredging, flooding, Therese Coffey, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Miliband and Truss combine to declare EU best for climate action. #EUreferendum

Posted on May 2, 2016 by

          Ed Miliband surfaced from the political ocean depths today, to join forces with Liz Truss. There’s a sentence I never expected to write. With Caroline Lucas and former LibDem energy minister Ed Davey, they have … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds Directive, dogs, EU referendum, greenspace, housing, Liz Truss, lowland heathland | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Ecosystem Services for whom?

Posted on November 25, 2015 by

Ecosystem Services – the idea that we benefit from goods and services provided for free by nature. To be frank, the phrase is ugly. It’s ugly language to use to describe so much beauty – Nature; the bringer of joy, … Continue reading →

Posted in bees, Dieter Helm, dogs, ecosystem services, Natural Capital, Neonicotinoids | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

Which is the biggest threat to sheep – Dogs or Lynx?

Posted on May 19, 2015 by

It’s understandable why sheep farmers and their organisations should be worried about the reintroduction of Apex Predators such as Wolf and Lynx. Recent proposals to reintroduce Lynx have met with stiff opposition from the likes of the National Sheep Association, … Continue reading →

Posted in dogs, lynx, National Sheep Association, rewilding, Uncategorized, wolves | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Kennel Club challenges Corporation of London over Burnham Beeches Dog Control

Posted on June 23, 2014 by

I recently wrote about Dogs and nature. Dogs undoubtedly have a fantastic social value, but also a large environmental footprint, not least in areas valuable for their nature. This causes some interesting tensions to arise, as dog-lovers also tend to … Continue reading →

Posted in corporate lobbying, dog poo, dogs, greenspace, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 22 Comments

Dog Wars IV: The NFU piles in

Posted on May 28, 2014 by

  As a non-subscribing reader of the Farmers Weekly website, I only have ten free articles per month, but as we are near the end of May, I decided to splash out today and read this article, which I reproduce … Continue reading →

Posted in dog poo, dogs | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Dog Wars III: Parasites from Dog Poo make dairy cows abort

This article was in yesterday’s Farmer’s Weekly. As there is a partial paywall on that website now, I am copying in the article so you don’t have to go the FW website to read it. Stop using our fields as … Continue reading →

Aside | Posted on May 16, 2014 by | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Dog Wars 2: the battle for Rodden Meadow

Posted on May 13, 2014 by

who could have done that? It wasn’t my dog….. Following Sunday’s dog blog, as if on cue, this story pops up, albeit in the Mail. A retired haulier and beef farmer bought a 29 acre meadow in the middle of Frome, … Continue reading →

Posted in dogs | Tagged | Leave a comment

Gone to the Dogs

Posted on May 11, 2014 by

I grew up with dogs. We had a succession of Welsh collies. Kirsty was a family pet before I was born, but sadly died young. Meg accompanied me through childhood into teenage years – I will always remember going up … Continue reading →

Posted in agricultural pests, bees, dogs, ecosystem services, eutrophication, Neonicotinoids, Uncategorized, wolves | Tagged , , , , | 21 Comments