Sir,
Matt Ridley gives the government only five out of ten for its new environment policy (Comment, Jan 15, and letter Jan 17). That seems harsh. For the first time we are committed to working with, rather than against, farmers - the very people that provide homes to the majority of our wildlife.
Encouraging farmers to embrace conservation through cutting bureaucracy, making grant application processes simpler and the provision of expert advice (research shows this alone can increase biodiversity by 20 per cent) is exactly the sort of thing we need. I suggest our wildlife would give this new approach ten out of ten for rejecting five decades of even-greater regulation, inspection and fines - which failed.
Andrew Gilruth
Director of communications
Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust.
You can help us to propose a better farming policy post-Brexit
With your support, we can make a real difference to conservation policy in Britain. By getting our research into the hands of politicians and the public, we can keep conservation policy on track and make sure that we give a voice to those who are working hard to improve the future for wildlife in our countryside.
£25 could help us to turn our research papers into easy, digestible summaries for ministers and civil servants
£100 will help us to give the wider public a true picture of what is being done for wildlife on farms and estates
£250 allows us to monitor how the media report on the role of farming and fieldsports in conservation and correct misinformation
Donate here >