I was interested to see the FT Westminster blog pick up on the fact that we aren't pushing ourselves forward to run the New Forest.
And I've done a radio interview with Farming Today (BBC R4) and a TV interview with the Politics Show (BBC1 - Sunday) on the same subject. Everybody is talking forests at the moment.
So let's talk about something else. I was interested to see the Agriculture and Forestry (ooops, I mentioned the F word again) Minister, James Paice, talking tough about the Campaign for the Farmed Environment last week.
According to Farmers Guardian, Mr Paice praised the work of the Campaign in using targeted land management to deliver valuable environmental benefits and said: “The Government is putting food production back up the agenda, but we have made it clear that this must be done alongside protecting and enhancing the environment and farmers must show they can do both.
“We want the Campaign to be a success and don’t believe that we should regulate and impose more red tape if the farming community can achieve the same results through its own actions.
“The CFE is the farming industry’s chance to demonstrate that this voluntary approach can work better than regulation and that they are best placed to decide on, and tackle, their local environmental priorities, without intervention.
“But if the farming community cannot step up and achieve these results voluntarily the Government will have to consider a compulsory approach to deliver these same benefits.”
From next Monday, Defra will be sending out the annual survey of land managed under the CFE to 5,500 farmers and land managers across England. The survey will reveal what voluntary measures they have put in place to support the campaign and will help determine its future.
NFU President Peter Kendall applauded ‘those farmers and advisers who are ensuring that the Campaign has already had real impact’ but said compulsory measures were a ‘real threat’ unless more is done.
He said: “I urge those who are about to renew their Environmental Stewardship agreements or considering entering, to choose key target options, those that deliver most for wildlife and resource protection. The success of our industry’s campaign lies in our hands.”
There are some chickens, skylarks and corn buntings coming home to roost here. Way back, when I was a naive and energetic blogger, I wrote on 20 May 2009 about how Peter Kendall might be worried about getting what he asked for on the subject of a voluntary approach to replacing the wildlife value of set-aside. And then when Hilary Benn announced that he was going with the NFU's(and CLA's) voluntary approach I pointed out, 10 July 2009, that Defra were putting 'a huge amount of trust in the NFU's ability to persuade farmers' and then when the Campaign for the Farmed Environment was launched on 5 November 2009 we wished it well but questioned whether the voluntary approach would work. It's not too late for it to work - but clearly government and farmers aren't exactly cock-a-hoop at this test of Big Society.
And I notice that on 10 July 2009 I wondered whether Peter Kendall's own farm would be having skylark patches - I still wonder.
A love of the natural world demonstrates that a person is a cultured inhabitant of planet Earth.
I think the total designated is 42% - and there's been realtively little mention of the huge areas of Natura 2000 sites - almost the whole of Thetford is SPA, the New Forest SAC & Ramsar. More is under discussion for Nightjar & Woodlark SPA in the Sherwood area and the North Yorks Moors forests probably qualify (up from 50 which was seen as very good when i surveyed them in the early 80s to over 200 pairs today).
And, Sooty, it won't come to force - but it could come to subsidy - Mrs Spelman has made it clear things are going to change and wildlife-free farming might want to consider whether its ready to be subsidy free too ?