Blogger: Erica Howe, Communications Officer
I was swiftly bumped back down to reality last week with the post bank-holiday blues as I sat at my computer watching the emails slowly clogging up. The grey Wednesday morning drizzle wasn’t doing too much to lift my spirits and i was already wondering when i could watch a repeat of the Jubilee concert to get me back into the party mood. After all, it was quite the celebratory weekend. Whether or not you were involved with a local street party, packing the bunting around your telegraph poles and beckoning neighbours to crack open the bubbly or you were nestled into the crowds in London, wearing the latest pac-a-mac and waving for the cameras, it certainly made me feel proud to be British. It’s all too easy to fall into a cynical stupor about the state of the country, but taking a step back and letting a little pride creep in is refreshing.
So, after spending most of Wednesday morning procrastinating and drinking copius amounts of tea (in honour of her majesty of course!), a phone call was all it took to put a smile back on my face. It’s the start of the Nature of Farming Award season and it marries two of my favourite pastimes. Getting competitive and celebrating! Simon Tonkin who is our Farmland Conservation Officer at the RSPB, called to tell me he was heading out to judge some of the regional entries. The East region is always up there amongst the best, battling for a place in the final four and the crowing title of ‘UK’s most wildlife friendly farmer’. And this year, Simon is feeling confident. It’s no secret that farmland birds have taken an epic turn for the worst, with 300 million birds wiped out in the last 30 years across Europe alone. But, farmers are hardy souls and fight they can. As custodians of our countryside, they know only too well how important it is to make sure that our skylarks are thriving and that bees, butterflies and creepy crawlies are well catered for. And they do all this whilst managing a healthy farming business.
Declines of farmland birds on this scale can and must be tackled with better policy and more effective targeting through the Common Agricultural Policy. Nevertheless, on the ground we, together with farmers have to pioneer new ways of reversing declines so as to have the evidence to influence policy and to make a local difference.
Farmers in the East are working against the odds to do amazing things and to protect our countryside for future generations. There can’t be many things more worth celebrating than that? The regional Nature of Farming candidates will be announced very soon so look out and get voting.