BEHIND THE HEADLINES

From the badger cull to building on the green belt and the health of birds and wildflowers, the past 10 years have been momentous for the UK countryside. Mark Rowe takes a look at some of the major rural issues of the past decade...

The past decade has been fairly momentous for the countryside – but what have been the biggest rural issues? BBC Countryfile Magazine investigates.

WILDLIFE DECLINES AND INCREASES

Biodiversity indicators for the UK were first published in 2007 and highlighted long-term deteriorations in farmland and woodland birds, butterflies and plant diversity. The 2016 State of Nature report showed the situation had got even worse: farmland birds down by 54% since 1970; butterflies by 41% since 1976. Between 1970 and 2013, 56% of species declined, though 44% of species increased. The report said climate change had had a “highly significant impact” along with a switch from spring to autumn sowing, reducing food and habitat for many species. Farmers say recent changes are now filtering through and improving the picture. A ban on neonicotinoids, linked to a decline in bees, was introduced in 2013 and remains in place.

DAIRY CRISIS

Dairy herd numbers had dropped from 2.2m in 2003 to 1.8m by 2013. The number of UK dairy farmers is below 10,000 for the first time and the NFU warns there could be fewer than 5,000 dairy farmers in the UK by 2025. In 2015, the price dairy farmers were paid for milk dropped 16% and led to blockades at processing plants as the industry reached crisis point. Major long-term factors include international oversupply and a supermarket retail price war.

POLLUTION AND LITTER

Littering remains a bugbear for visitors to the countryside and appears to be getting worse. Serious littering increased by 22% between 2012 and 2014. More than 180,000 sacks of litter are collected from motorways and major A roads every year. Funding for cleaning rural roads was cut by £74m between 2010 and 2014. Air pollution, including particulates from rural diesel vehicles, heating oil and for villages located on busy roads, remains a problem.

NEW TOWNS AND HOUSING

House building has risen significantly in recent years. In the sixth months to June 2017, new homes totalled 153,330, up 11% on last year. This is 141% above the slump of March 2009 but still 16% below the 2007 peak. Supporters say development is essential to provide affordable homes for rural families and inject new life into the countryside. The Campaign to Protect Rural England says it is unnecessary to build on green belt land while so much brownfield land remains unused.

BADGER CULL

The most emotive and controversial issue of the past decade. Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is an infectious disease of cattle that has devastated thousands of farming businesses, and badgers are believed to be partly to blame for spreading it. Badger culls started in 2013 in Gloucester and Somerset amid much opposition. In 2017, the Government announced further culls in 11 new areas including Cheshire, Wiltshire and Devon. The culls have been described as “ineffective and inhumane” by the Government’s own advisers and there is much ongoing argument over the scientific basis for the cull.

FISHING

Some stocks are rebounding after decades of over-fishing. Management measures mean it’s possible to eat many species with a clear conscience (with 20,000 Marine Stewardship Councillabelled products – North Sea cod recently joined the list for the first time in 20 years). The fishing industry has endured large-scale decommissioning; in 2015 the value of landings was 11% lower than 1994. There are 12,000 fishermen, down from 20,000 in the mid-1990s.

WIND FARMS

Nothing polarises opinions more than a wind farm. In 2008 wind contributed just 1.5% of UK electricity generation compared with 11% in 2015. In 2016, wind generated more electricity in the UK than coal power plants for the first time. Improved technology and the economies of scale are making offshore wind more competitive: in the medium-term, along with developments in solar, tidal and wave energy, this is likely to ease pressure for onshore wind turbines in beautiful places. Strong opposition remains.

TRANSPORT

Subsidies to rural bus routes have been reduced by £78m since 2010, creating problems for low-paid workers and contributing to the isolation felt by many villagers. In 2013 the Government admitted that just 37% of rural residents without a car could make necessary journeys within reasonable time. Increasingly, authorities and communities run post-bus type services and fund schemes to provide young people with mopeds to reach work.

BREXIT

The great unknown. A majority of the farming and fishing industry voted for Brexit and, while these sectors have been assured that subsidies will continue in the short-term, the future promises a radical shake-up in how payments are issued. The sector’s dependence on seasonal migrant labour will also have to be unpicked. Environmental groups cautiously see the opportunity that Brexit may bring for more wildlife-friendly funding and management but are wary that the many EU protections, such as the Habitats Directive and on water quality, may be watered down.

RAPTOR PERSECUTION

Many raptors, most notably hen harriers, are targeted for persecution. Wildlife groups blame managed shooting estates that believe the raptors take their quarry; the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation says a range of factors is responsible. The figures are disturbing: breeding pairs of hen harriers in England dropped from 12 in 2010 to 4 in 2016. In 2008 the RSPB documented 210 reports of shooting, trapping and destruction of birds of prey and 133 poisonings; in 2015 it reported 196 such incidents.