Was it just me - maybe it was - but was Peter Kendall in a bit of a bad mood today?
Have a look at the Farmers Guardian debate and judge for yourself.
Peter seemed very keen to have a go at me and the RSPB whatever I said.
And how predictable to see NFU mouthpiece Guy Smith going back to criticising the FBI - there is precious little acceptance, by the NFU President or by Guy Smith, that there is a problem with farmland birds. The NFU's attitude to the environment may be summed up by Peter Kendall's phrase 'wrapping (farmers) in green tape'. Remember please, NFU, that's the taxpayers' money you get and so there do have to be some rules attached to it.
But very good to see lots of good comments - many I guess from farmers who are working closely with the RSPB in all sorts of ways.
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A love of the natural world demonstrates that a person is a cultured inhabitant of planet Earth.
Badgers and TB - let us have a little clarity. TB is a disease of high population and poor hygiene in humans - look where it is at its most virulent? Badgers populations are high where they occur; why else would they create setts in abnormal habitat? Best guesstimates suggest 500,000 badgers in UK, double the fox population. The disease must be cured before the UK dairy industry disappears. The cure is lowering the badger population in places of known disease, then filling in the setts so that the bacillus is killed.
As to the NFU’s comments about the CFE - I suggest it is not disingenuous – it is that they have not found the right method of convincing their members to sign up. Their members do not understand they can still be just as profitable and look after wildlife; they have to change their mindset and understand how to do it.