Rural Issues

Climate change and food
Lord Stern, who wrote the 2006 Stern Review on the cost of global warming, was quoted recently in The Times newspaper that people would need to move towards a vegetarian diet as meat production was wasteful of water and farm animals were significant contributors to greenhouse gases. Farming organisations have suggested that this is a simple analysis of a complex issue and that livestock farming was an intelligent use of land that was less productive of other outputs and that grassland was an important carbon store. The industry also claimed that there had been a 17% reduction in methane emissions from UK agriculture since 1990 and that the sector accounted for only 1% of the UK’s total CO2 emissions.

Biodiversity
The government has announced that it will review the costs and benefits of connecting sites rich in biodiversity, such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) to make ecological corridors as a way of helping wildlife cope with the threat from climate change. “Re-wilding” of certain areas, where land management is largely abandoned in order to promote return to the natural (wild) habitat, is also under consideration.

Agriculture needs new blood
A report published by the Royal Agricultural Society suggests that UK agriculture needs to attract 60,000 new entrants over the next decade if it is to maintain the level of skills and labour needed for the industry. Agriculture’s 150,000 businesses accounts for 6% of total UK businesses and 2% of employment. However the average age of farmers is 55 and 41% of agriculture’s employees are aged 50 or more.

New coalition for rural issues
Six national organisations have joined to form “The Rural Coalition”, arguing for a new vision for rural communities and wishing to safeguard the future of the countryside. The six: Action for Communities in Rural England (ACRE), Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), Country Land and Business Association (CLA), Local Government Association (LGA), Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and the Town and Country Planning Association; represent councils, rural businesses, environmental campaigners and planners. They are pressing for new policy initiatives to ensure the countryside can meet the challenges of the 21st century.