Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Too much money and time lost in wilderness
The issue of rewilding of parts of the British countryside refuses to go away, much to the irritation of Bridgwater and West Somerset Conservative MP Ian Liddell-Grainger, as he tells Defra Secretary George Eustice
DEAR George, I do not, as you know – and despite my own background in the industry – slavishly endorse every opinion voiced by our farming organisations.
But there are occasions when I believe they are absolutely on the button with their pronouncements and one such has suddenly popped up on the radar.
It concerns their generally voiced opinion to the effect that Defra’s plan to establish a ‘rewilding forum’ is an idea straight out of the Mad Hatter’s tea party.
Defra, it seems to me, has got a bee in its bonnet about ‘rewilding’ mainly as a result of being effectively nobbled by some very persuasive lobbyists who have managed to convince the department that the entire country is behind the notion of allowing nature back into areas that have been under cultivation for generations.
I find it somewhat dispiriting that your department is prepared to devote quite so much effort to this subject when it has failed dismally for so many years to face up to and tackle sensibly and forcefully the fundamental problem that constantly threatens the profitability and indeed future of large sections of the farming industry – and that’s the continuing refusal of supermarkets to adequately remunerate their suppliers.
(And don’t talk to me about the Groceries Code Adjudicator, the creation of which post has done the square root of damn-all to improve things.)
Rewilding is fine where it happens naturally, such as in Galicia, for example. There it’s the consequence of rural depopulation which has left about 3,000 settlements totally abandoned so, naturally, nature is moving back in.
That is one thing: deliberately sacrificing potentially productive agricultural land to create wilderness is a shockingly wasteful act and a potentially dangerous one. As is becoming clearer by the day we have absolutely no idea where climate change is taking us. We may indeed be able to argue today that technological advances are allowing us to produce more food from less land but that happy situation may not pertain for very long. Within a very short space of time we could find ourselves scrabbling furiously to cope with an ever more inhospitable climate and needing to bring every square inch of land back into production merely to stand still. I (and most farmers) would also argue, George, that the country is already well supplied with wild areas but that they are – with the exception of a few notorious hotspots – woefully underused.
As you know I am fortunate enough to have most of Exmoor within my constituency.
It is touted as containing some of the finest walking country in southern England, a view to which I subscribe as I frequently walk there myself. But there are days when you are more likely to encounter a unicorn than another walker.
Where, therefore, is the justification for creating more wilderness just because a group of particularly vocal ideologists believe it is a good idea?
We have a monumental task on our hands to ensure the profitability of British agriculture, particularly when the economics are being turned upside down by the withdrawal of area-based support payments. Let’s concentrate on the essential task of getting that sorted first before devoting time, money and effort to rewilding – or to any of the other non-essentials.
WEST Country game meat producers who sell everything from woodpigeons to venison are promoting their goods in a campaign this month designed to counter the rising vegan movement.
The British Game Alliance (BGA), an organisation set up to promote game meat production and encourage more people to choose game, has declared this month “Game Meat March”.
Organisers say the scheme is designed to celebrate “the sustainability, health and environmental benefits of game in response to antimeat campaigns”.
The Alliance – which works to ensure as much shot game as possible goes into the food chain – has been liaising with its BGA-assured stockists to offer a discount on game throughout March to celebrate the #GameMeatMarch online campaign and further spread the word to get the general public involved.
The initiative is being run and supported by The Exmoor Game Company, which says it wants to promote the health and environmental benefits of game for the whole month of March.
Jack Hills, company founder, said: “We wanted to support the industry with the Game Meat March campaign to promote the vast environmental and health benefits as well as the sustainability of game meat over a dedicated month.
“By visiting our Instagram page, people can find great discounts and innovative recipe ideas, making it all the more accessible for people to enjoy eating and cooking with game.”
The campaign is asking people to share ideas with the #GameMeatMarch hashtag, to continue to promote the flexibility and benefits of game meat to a wider audience.
In response to this, the BGA is supporting the initiative by organising month-long discounts from the following BGA-registered stockists on game products:
The Exmoor Game Company is offering 10% off all products using GMM2021 at check-out. The Exmoor Game Company has a sole focus on
People can find great discounts and innovative recipe ideas for game cookery JACK HILLS, EXMOOR GAME
making accessible, delicious game products.
Holme Farmed Venison is offering 10% off its entire range of awardwinning, prime quality, sustainable venison and feathered game, with the discount code on the website GMM2021.
M C Kelly’s The Meat Box Company is offering 20% off all game products on the website, from standard to customised Meat Boxes, pies and more. They are also offering 20% off Raw Pheasant and Beef Raw Dog Food from The Farmer’s Dog.
■ Wild and Game is offering 10% off all products until the end of March. Wild and Game offer a range of game meat products including pies, pasties, sausages, ready meals and more.
■ Talking Game is offering 25% off the magazine, which includes recipes from top UK chefs and shoots.
Louisa North, head of operations at the BGA, said, “Game Meat March was set up in a similar response as #Regenuary was to #Veganuary.
“Although we try and promote the health and environmental benefits of game on a daily basis, we want to throw our support behind any campaign that dedicates a focus towards the delicious ways game meat can be used. We look forward to seeing the exciting dishes people create!”
Nigel Sampson, managing director of Holme Farmed Venison, said: “We’re delighted to be offering customers 10% off our entire online range to celebrate Game Meat March. We support any campaign that seeks to promote the benefits of eating and cooking with game and
Above: Prime cuts of roe deer, another popular game meat, promoted as part of Game Meat March. Left, woodpigeons can be shot all year round, to protect crops – and make delicious dishes you can even buy BGA-assured pheasant and partridge from your local Sainsbury’s, which sits alongside our Sainsbury’s Scottish Wild TTD Range, so plenty of ways to get cooking.”
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