We have just a few day days left (six days!) to pressure Owen Paterson into a move which could aid our goal of saving and supporting farmland wildlife across the south east.
He’s considering whether he can get away with transferring the full 15% allowance of cash that he’s allowed from the pot of Common Agriculture Policy cash, granted by the EU to support farming, into a pot of cash that will support wildlife friendly farming.
With this tax payers money our farmers will happily invest in work that will directly save turtle doves from vanishing within our lifetimes and help realise the long held dream of boosting lapwings in the south east. I don’t need to tell you all what it would mean for wildlife to secure this money.
Transferring the money allows farmers to be true custodians of our countryside; people visiting can continue to enjoy wildflower meadows with banks of cornflower and prickly poppy; buzzing with bees and butterflies around fields alive with brown hares and breeding farmland birds, like lapwing, corn bunting and turtle dove.
We benefit from this funding here at Rainham too – helping us deliver wetland habitats for key species like lapwings, redshank and water voles.
We need everyone to get behind this to convince the Government that not only is the right thing to do, but that there is also widespread public support.
Please do sign the e-petition (link below) and urge your family, friends, neighbours and their friends to sign it too. A small investment of your time now will ensure the next generation doesn’t grow-up thinking the two turtle doves mentioned in the “Twelve Days of Christmas” song were mythical beasts.
https://e-activist.com/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=13&ea.campaign.id=23157
Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)