Am sitting in my top room in a balmy Cambridge reflecting on a glorious end to a working week and preparing for an important week ahead. President Barroso meets his college of Commissioners on Wednesday to discuss the draft EU Budget. We'll probably know sometime on Thursday just how much of the 970 billion euros will be spent on wildlife. We'll be paying particular attention to plans for the future Common Agriculture Policy and the budget for wildlife friendly farming. But we're also keen to see the only dedicated fund for biodiversity - the aptly named Life programme - dramatically increased from the paltry 300 million euros. As soon as we get any news, I'll let you know.
But, before we move forward, here's a quick overview of my enjoyable Friday at Rainham with John Cruddas MP for Dagenham and Rainham. He was impressed by the work that we were doing in his constituency and seemed thrilled to see young people from the local schools getting their hands dirty while on a field trip. He also seems to be responding well to one of my jokes, or perhaps he was just overjoyed not to be spending another day on the backbenches in the House...
Jackie Doyle-Price, MP for Thurrock, was also on site and joined many other MPs across the UK as part of a festival of field teaching. The visits were part of a drive by the RSPB, Field Studies Council and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust to get every child outdoors. Nearly a quarter of a million children and young people benefit annually from the facilities offered by the partnership, but much more can be done.
We're calling on government to enable every child to have regular contact with the natural environment: through the school curriculum, by supporting teachers through their training and, despite funding difficulties, by making schools aware of the opportunities to spend dedicated funding for underprivileged children on outdoor learning.
But, enough looking back. Here's to some good news this week...
Hi Martin,I can only comment on things I have reasonable knowledge on.Find it nice that you and indeed RSPB seem to have resisted saying nasty things about farmers getting less payments on Pillar 1 as really that is only E U and farmers business.We can surely be sensible enough that we want pillar 2 wildlife grants to stay the same or increase without putting pillar 1 grants at risk to farmers as everyone I challenge to have a go at farming if they think it is a piece of cake,they always decline even really clever people and if we farmers of only average intelligence can make a packet as they make out then they should make a fortune.
Maybe coincidence but farmer and conservationists seem to be getting increasingly better relations since you started as conservation officer and long may it continue as various things seem in pipeline,in paper today Jordan cereals are creating links with farmers.
Went to Arne on Sunday and pleased they are growing wild bird mixture again,sadly a big fire has destroyed lots of heathland and also lots of wildlife on that heath near Arne.