COOPERATIVE CONSERVATION
It feels that there is a ‘war’ between environmentalists and UK farming at the moment. I’m sure there are numerous stories of UK farming and environmentalists working together – and I am heartened when I uncover such gems – but, alas, the media would like to portray a different story. I do, at times, feel picked on as to how I could support both. If asked, I would say that I’ve always been quite ‘green’ in my behaviours, but the trilogy of Brexit, Covid-19 and the climate crisis has forced me to think more deeply on things.
I have made significant changes: plant-based cleaning products, eliminating wipes of any description from my life, bamboo toothbrushes, scourers and washing-up brushes, walking to do my weekly shop (five-mile round trip) and reducing my food waste to miniscule proportions. I have not stopped eating meat or fish but instead buy all my meat from a local organic farm scheme, buy game when in season, have stopped eating salmon and changed to chalk-stream trout due to my concerns about how farmed salmon impacts the environment.
I hope that in making these changes
I can play my part in reducing climate change while increasing my support of sustainable UK farming. However, something that environmentalists view as positive about UK farming is the increased use of animals for land and wildlife management, be that ancient breeds of
Editor Fergus Collins replies:
Firstly, your determination to make positive changes to help our wild world is wholly admirable. On your last point, using traditional breeds to manage landscapes for wildlife is a big deal in Britain today and many conservation organisations use horses, cattle, sheep and even pigs to maintain meadows and uplands to benefit a wide variety of invertebrates, birds and reptiles. We’ve featured the Knepp Estate in Sussex, which has had huge success using traditional breeds, and it’s something we will return to.