The environment once again figured prominently in the news last week. The government halted its consultation on proposals to sell off our public forest estate. While welcoming this common sense decision we do hope that it will now lead to a rounder discussion that considers carefully the future of our forests, and here in the south west, the future of many existing and potential heathlands that lie within public forest boundaries.
But one move forward was countered with one potential move back with the publication of the EFRA select committee report on uplands. Our regional policy officer Mark Robins described it as lacking ambition and not really moving the debate forward. It also raised the spectre of headage payments. If re-introduced, as is being advised, we worry that, even with safeguards, paying farmers based on the number of animals they have may lead to overgrazing on our precious south west moors.
Don’t get us wrong, these places need cattle, and one of the biggest threats they face is farmers vacating the land. But equally, too much grazing is a bad thing, destroying the delicate balance of upland vegetation on which so many other creatures rely. We want to see farmers properly recognised and rewarded for managing the right grazing schemes that provide both high quality food and wildlife. Let’s hope the government heeds the advice of conservationists when it responds to the report in the next few weeks.