Why are Britain's farmland bird vanishing?? (1 Viewer)

[Michael Frankis]

Is it any surprise ?!? . . . .


Nature's Way My A*** . . .
http://www.natureswayfoods.co.uk/images/field.jpg
http://www.natureswayfoods.co.uk/images/irrigation.jpg
http://www.natureswayfoods.co.uk/images/fieldd2.jpg
and down on the farm . . . .
http://www.natureswayfoods.co.uk/images/loading.jpg


Or these . . .
http://www.nutritionalmed.co.uk/images/pics/field.jpg
http://www.dawson98.freeserve.co.uk/NewFiles/Rape-Seed-Field.jpg
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/graphics/field.jpg
http://www.biotal.co.uk/cereals/wholecropgoldmill/gfx/field.jpg
http://www.ap-ic.co.uk/images/field.jpg

:-C

Michael

 

[Fulmar]

Well, we have to eat of course, but ways should be found to at least make some allowance for the conservation of nature in food growing areas.

Maybe a start could be made to change the name of such food growing establishments from "farm" to "food factory" and thus change the name of those massive uniform crop growing areas to "industrial estate". Legally, in many (?) countries nature compensation has to be paid then, or compensating nature areas have to be assigned when a new industrial estate is set up.

Here now lies a huge task for the European Union to prevent the new EU countries like Poland going the same way as several West European countries in their agricultural reform, abandoning all small scale farming to massive food "manufacturing", a very difficult task indeed.

Western Europe still had a buffer in Eastern Europe from which some declining bird- and other animal species were replenished partly with individuals from the East, but loosing that source would also mean a further deterioration in the West. I'm not optimistic.

Peter

 

[jose]

At the end of the day it is us ''consumers'' that demand these products at the lowest possible price at any time of the year. If you are willing to pay for it, someone will produce it. Very few people can say that they do there shopping taking into consideration the production methods used and what effects they may have on the environment or even on a social scale. Environment friendly products are available it's just a question of choosing them.

 

[Edward woodwood]

I have never believed any of this wonderful new economy we live in is 'consumer-led'.

consumer-led my arse.

They don't stock food like that because we demand it of them (as they'd like you to think). It's so they make maximum profit off it. My farm shop is MUCH cheaper than my local Tescos. The mantra that they supply the 'cheap' food we want is a lie. It's not cheap and we don't want it.

Plus Tescos is now refusing to pay sick pay to it's employess for the first few days off in an attempt to discourage people taking 'sickies'. Does anyone give a toss? :h?:

How many more of our hard-fought for rights are we going to roll over and give away? :C

 

[alanhill]

I think the Poland example is a good one. I've never been myself, but have heard many accounts of people who have been to eastern Poland and talk about the fantastic bird life there - all linked to traditional small scale farming, in which the farming families seem to live a good life, not at all at the subsistence level as some would try to make us believe.
Now, with membership of the EU, all this is likely to change.
(1) The big agri-businesses will move in, try to buy up as much farmland as they can, pressure the government to drain the marshes and 'improve' the land, on the model of the prairie-type (hedgeless) farmland of eastern England;
(2) the supermarkets will also move in and undercut the prices which the small farmers need to sustain their living, this will drive many of them off the land and into the towns and cities, EU regulation will force the closing of local abbatoirs as has happened in this country, further damaging local communities and hugely increasing the distance food travels from farm to consumer.
All this is likely to see and end of the small farmer, and the impact of the environmental changes on birds and wildlife will be similar to what we are experiencing here.
All very depressing, don't you think?

Alan Hill

 

[Bluetail]

Yes, the EU has a lot to answer for. And they claim to be concerned about the environment... :C

 

[Michael Frankis]

At least the EU is an elected political organisation, and can be reformed. Those big agri-businesses and the supermarkets aren't, and can't.

There's already been a lot of EU legislation which is pro-wildlife, more than I reckon we'd have got if we'd not been in the EU. Look at the number of industrial developments in Britain that would have gone ahead without EU legislation. Or even just the requirements for environmental impact assessments on new projects - that's EU legislation, too (and provides a lot of income for birders!).

Votes coming up soon - use them wisely!

Michael

 

[scampo]

I have never believed any of this wonderful new economy we live in is 'consumer-led'.

consumer-led my arse.

They don't stock food like that because we demand it of them (as they'd like you to think). It's so they make maximum profit off it. My farm shop is MUCH cheaper than my local Tescos. The mantra that they supply the 'cheap' food we want is a lie. It's not cheap and we don't want it.

Plus Tescos is now refusing to pay sick pay to it's employess for the first few days off in an attempt to discourage people taking 'sickies'. Does anyone give a toss? :h?:

How many more of our hard-fought for rights are we going to roll over and give away? :C

It's called (pretty near unbridled...) capitalism, Tim. When this lot came in, especially for a second term, I thought things would be at least a smidgeon different than before. But things have become worse; and far worse in many ways. And still many are blaming "the last lot" - even Thatcher.

 

[Edward woodwood]

The day they got in was the best day of my life (I'm that age you see......) and boy did we have a party. Realy though i knew they were basically the same. Now all the parties are offering us the same economic system but with different faces in charge.....

don't encourage them......

 

[christineredgate]

One of the reasons some of the farmland birds are disappearing is because people are constantly hacking the hedges down.The poor birds have nowhere to nest.Also,this does not apply to farmland birds especially,but everytime there is a piece of nice green expanse,some property dealer wants to fill it with little concrete boxes for human habitation.

 

[Grousemore]

Thanks for bringing this back on topic,Christine.

 

[Edward woodwood]

Hiya Trevor,
the topic could even be widened to include loss of birds on a global scale - something i work to counter for free on a daily basis (most of today at an OBC meeting in Cambridge for example) ....dig a little deeper than the surface (call it off topic if you like) and the underlying reason is there for all to see.....we need to realise it and change things quickly

 

[Bluetail]

At least the EU is an elected political organisation, and can be reformed. Those big agri-businesses and the supermarkets aren't, and can't.

There's already been a lot of EU legislation which is pro-wildlife, more than I reckon we'd have got if we'd not been in the EU. Look at the number of industrial developments in Britain that would have gone ahead without EU legislation. Or even just the requirements for environmental impact assessments on new projects - that's EU legislation, too (and provides a lot of income for birders!).

Votes coming up soon - use them wisely!

Michael

Voting isn't going to make a ha'p'orth of difference, Michael. Politicans only deal in high-level strategies - they dictate what they want to happen and leave the detail to civil servants. It's just the same, only more so, with Brussels. And supposing by some miracle MEPs all decided that small-scale, organic farming was the way to go: how many years would it be before the European Commission could swing the battleship round onto its new course?

 

[Grousemore]

Hiya Trevor,
the topic could even be widened to include loss of birds on a global scale - something i work to counter for free on a daily basis (most of today at an OBC meeting in Cambridge for example) ....dig a little deeper than the surface (call it off topic if you like) and the underlying reason is there for all to see.....we need to realise it and change things quickly

Hi Tim,
I'm sure lots of us do what we can to help prevent loss of birds,without necessarily publicising the fact.However,I'm not sure how Tesco's sick-pay policy impacts upon those losses!

 

[Jane Turner]

Voting isn't going to make a ha'p'orth of difference, Michael. Politicans only deal in high-level strategies - they dictate what they want to happen and leave the detail to civil servants. It's just the same, only more so, with Brussels. And supposing by some miracle MEPs all decided that small-scale, organic farming was the way to go: how many years would it be before the European Commission could swing the battleship round onto its new course?

I don't know about you Jason, but I finally have a Green candidtae to vote for in the European election..... it has to be a start!

 

[Brian Stone]

If you are fortunate enough to have a Green Candidate then it will not hurt to support them. This round of elections is likely to have a very low turn out ( :C ) so there is a real chance of minority parties achieving headline grabbing percentages of the vote. I would rather this was parties like the Greens than the National Front.

As Tim said the shades of difference between the main parties are small, especially in relation to wildlife conservation, so why not try to raise the profile of environmental issues.

http://www.greenparty.org.uk/index.php?nav=nextelection

 

[Edward woodwood]

Trevor

Tesco are builing on green field sites, reducing habitat for birds. They are also involved in huge agri business, therby destroying habitat. They appear to have little regard for their employees well being..... so i wonder where birds and the environment come in the list?

these things are linked by economic systems that enable these policies to be followed.

 

[Grousemore]

I shall instruct my Stockbroker to sell my Tesco shares forthwith.

 

[Edward woodwood]

Trevor, i'm sure that will have them quaking in their boots at Tesco Towers :eek!:

 

[scampo]

dig a little deeper than the surface (call it off topic if you like) and the underlying reason is there for all to see.....we need to realise it and change things quickly

If only a few more people would realise that this is very much on topic, Tim. Why do farmers cut their hedgerows, rip up their hedgerows, plant hedgerows... I wonder!

I'm pleased to hear you are active in this.