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.
The NFU essentially represents businesses, and like other businesses, some (most?) will maximise profits at all costs, and in the case of some farmers at all cost to wildlife. This is the reality - the crushingly disappointing thing is that the NFU just will not recognise that wildlife has value and that as the body that represents supposed 'guardians of the countryside' it has a moral duty to acknowledge a) that there have been devastating crashes of wildlife populations in this country and b) that they, more than anyone, should encourage those people who work the countryside to do all they can to protect and encourage it. If the RSPB are the 'CND' then sign me up. The elephant in the room are subsidies I'm afraid - and other concessions - red diesel, planning relaxations etc etc