BIODIVERSITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

THE PRESENT

EU policies constitute one of the most influential bodies of environmental law in the world. Achievements include regulation in the use of pesticides, a substantial decline in industrial sources of air and water pollution and The Habitats Directive, to ensure the conservation of threatened animal and plant species. The EU Environmental Stewardship scheme also offers financial rewards to farmers for ongoing good stewardship of the land, ranging from establishing beetle banks to hedgerow management and creation of species-rich, semi-natural grassland.

CONCERNS

Financial incentives from the EU’S Environmental Stewardship scheme have motivated farmers to increase biodiversity and support the environment in the UK. Without payments, farmers may have no choice but to eschew environmentally friendly practices in favour of large-scale farming to turn a profit. Trade deals brokered outside the EU also give us little say in the welfare standards and environmental approach of our partners.

POTENTIAL BENEFITS

Although farming has made great strides in improving biodiversity in recent years, with 56% of the UK’S species in decline partly due to intensive farming methods8, some say measures haven’t gone far enough. Brexit may offer a chance to create a more effective and Uk-specific environmental strategy, paid for by reallocated EU funds. Ironically, a soft Brexit could actually result in stronger environmental laws in the UK; in this arrangement we would still be bound by almost all EU laws, but have no say in them. This would mean that these regulations could not be diluted by the British government, as has controversially happened in recent years with issues such as fracking.