Category Archives: guest blogs
Farm based inspiration out of the Westminster Bubble: guest blog by Vicki Hird
Policy work these days can be stifling; keeping you stuck to a desk, locked in meetings and shuffling around Westminster. It is only a matter of time before we hear news of Brexit fatigue or even burn out. The sheer … Continue reading
Guest Blog: Soil Association response to 25 Year Environment Plan
A guest blog today from Laura MacKenzie, Head of Policy (farming and land-use) at the Soil Association. Soil at heart of 25 year environment plan Last week, the Prime Minister gave her first major speech on the environment, … Continue reading
Will farm subsidies be slashed after Brexit? Guest Blog by Guy Shrubsole, campaigner at Friends of the Earth,
“After we Vote Leave”, said the official Leave campaign’s farming leaflet, “we can protect farmers’ subsidies – and even increase them”. Eighteen months on from the Brexit referendum, that promise is looking decidedly shaky. The Government has pledged … Continue reading
LEGOs, Landscapes and Catchments – guest blog by @UKSustain farm campaigner @VickiHird
I am delighted to post another guest blog from Sustain’s Campaign Co-ordinator for Food and Farming Policy, Vicki Hird. The rich debate about how we deliver new farming and land management support after we leave the CAP is … Continue reading
New Natural Areas: time to really make space for nature and people? Guest Blog by Steve Jones
Over at Mark Avery’s blog, Steve Jones outlined the idea of creating a series of pilot New Natural Areas, a new class of natural landscape to sit alongside National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Steve stressed that … Continue reading
Guest Blog: Agri-environment – a need for detailed scrutiny, by Steve Peel
As the process of changing from an European agriculture policy into a UK one starts, I’m delighted to publish a guest blog by former Natural England grassland specialist Steve Peel. Steve looks at how … Continue reading
Why Taxpayers need a “housemate agreement with Farmers: Guest Blog by Vicki Hird.
The dreaded ‘red tape’ and interference in farm decisions under the European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is why many UK farmers voted ‘leave’. But I aim to justify the uncomfortable but … Continue reading
Guest blog by Vicki Hird: Imagine the death of UK farms
As the Government continues to fail to develop any coherent plan for farming after Brexit, Vicki Hird, Sustain Campaign Coordinator and independent consultant (@vicki Hird) writes a guest blog. Imagine the death of UK farms Is it an exaggeration … Continue reading
‘Look but don’t pick’ – Wild Mushrooms and the Forestry Commission; Guest blog by Peter Marren
I am delighted to publish this guest post from Peter Marren, conservationist, author and fungi expert. The Forestry Commission has decided to ban the picking of wild fungi in the New Forest. A press release to that effect was … Continue reading
Guest Post: Austerity and the Environment by Pete Johnstone
It’s a great pleasure to publish a Guest Blog today written by Pete Johnstone: the topic if Austerity and the Environment: News that the Government will be cutting Defra’s budget again this year comes as no surprise. There will of … Continue reading
