Friday, May 11, 2012
Devon Show Debate will Explore the Questions for the Countryside.
With food and farming bubbling up the political agenda, visitors to next week’s Devon County Show will be able to ask some of the best brains in the business what they think are the questions confronting the countryside.
“Questions for the Countryside” is the title of the CLA breakfast-time debate on the first day of the Devon Show (Thursday May 17) when CLA national president, Harry Cotterell, will lead a team of panellists which includes Countryfile’s Adam Henson, Julie Girling MEP, Tony Richardson, South West Director of the RSPB and David Fursdon, head of the South West Rural and Farming Network.
The event is being held in conjunction with the show organisers and will take the form of an “Question Time” style discussion. CLA South West Director, John Mortimer, says he’s looking forward to a lively exchange on the key issues facing the countryside.
“Reform to the CAP is certain to feature among the questions – but we’ll want to explore what is to become of the CAP beyond its 2014 reform - and whether this is the beginning of the end of a European wide subsidy regime?
“I’m sure the weather won’t be too far from people’s thoughts and, although we have endured record rainfall over the past few weeks, floods and swamped fields still don’t appear to be enough to prevent the annual headache of water shortages. Perhaps the panel will be challenged to give their ideas on who should be doing what to solve the problem of water shortages.”
Mr Mortimer said Devon audiences could usually be relied on to set the panel some tough questions but, he added, the level of expertise and experience among the panellists meant they should be more than capable of fielding a few fast balls.
Devon Show Secretary, Ollie Allen, said: Agricultural shows offer an ideal platform for people involved in the industry – politically or practically - to talk about the really important issues of the day. The Show and the CLA have a long track record of working together and we both want to offer people the chance to hear about the issues from those involved the sharp end.”
Admission to the event, which is sponsored by Michelmores and Knight Frank, is by ticket only and these are available to members of the CLA and their guests or to members of the DCAA. To apply for a ticket contact the CLA on 01249 700200
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
CLA urges South West farmers to reveal their good work
The CLA is urging farmers across the South West to stop hiding their light behind a bush and reveal how they are voluntarily protecting and enhancing the wildlife, soil and water - by completing the annual survey for the Campaign for the Farmed Environment.
The Association says it is vitally important for the farming industry to come forward with the evidence before the CFE initiative is reviewed by the Government.
The CLA is asking all of its members who receive the Survey, which has just been sent to 5,500 randomly selected farmers across England, to make every acre of voluntary management count.
CLA South West surveyor, Graham Clark, said: “Farmers undertake a great deal of voluntary environmental management through agri-environment schemes such as ELS and HLS - but this is usually unpaid and often unrecognised. Unless the industry can demonstrate that existing practices sufficiently benefit the environment, legislation may still be introduced adding further to the burden of red tape already suffocating the industry.
“South West farmers have plenty to be proud of, so please don’t keep your good work to yourself.”
For further information on CFE see http://www.cla.org.uk/Policy_Work/Campaign_for_the_farmed_environment/
The Association says it is vitally important for the farming industry to come forward with the evidence before the CFE initiative is reviewed by the Government.
The CLA is asking all of its members who receive the Survey, which has just been sent to 5,500 randomly selected farmers across England, to make every acre of voluntary management count.
CLA South West surveyor, Graham Clark, said: “Farmers undertake a great deal of voluntary environmental management through agri-environment schemes such as ELS and HLS - but this is usually unpaid and often unrecognised. Unless the industry can demonstrate that existing practices sufficiently benefit the environment, legislation may still be introduced adding further to the burden of red tape already suffocating the industry.
“South West farmers have plenty to be proud of, so please don’t keep your good work to yourself.”
For further information on CFE see http://www.cla.org.uk/Policy_Work/Campaign_for_the_farmed_environment/
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
CLA calls on the Government to follow up its pledge to ‘free-up’ farming
A Government pledge to free-up farming by slashing red tape will blow a breath of fresh air through the industry – according to the CLA, the Country Land and Business Association.
The comments follow the publication of the Government’s response to the report of the Farming Regulation Task Force – which was led by Richard Macdonald – and Farming Minister Jim Paice’s promise to follow the recommendations through and get on with the job of ridding the industry of red tape.
CLA South West Director, John Mortimer said: "Knocking down the barriers to economic growth in rural areas is essential if rural businesses are to play their part in delivering sustainable development.
“We are clear that cutting the mountains of paperwork and recognising the importance of online communications are key to winning the war on red tape, so we are pleased to see that Defra has made getting farmers online a top priority - but we remain to be convinced that the Government’s current plans will actually meet the needs of the 10 percent of rural communities who will not have access to superfast broadband.”
The CLA has also given an enthusiastic reception to proposals which will see regulators rewarding landowners for taking steps to maintain high farming and environmental standards with a much-needed reduction in red tape, inspections and form-filling – the so called "earned recognition."
The Task Force had, he said, been very effective in listening to land-based businesses and conveying their frustrations and concerns to Ministers – the challenge now was for the Government to ensure those recommendations were implemented quickly.
“It will require a change in attitude to farm businesses. This is about enabling land-based businesses to get on with their job and to do it as efficiently and effectively as we know they can – without the threat of a big stick.”
For further information and interviews please contact:
Paul Millard CLA South West Communications Manager on 01380 830179 or 07831 674345
For further information on the CLA please go to www.cla.org.uk
The comments follow the publication of the Government’s response to the report of the Farming Regulation Task Force – which was led by Richard Macdonald – and Farming Minister Jim Paice’s promise to follow the recommendations through and get on with the job of ridding the industry of red tape.
CLA South West Director, John Mortimer said: "Knocking down the barriers to economic growth in rural areas is essential if rural businesses are to play their part in delivering sustainable development.
“We are clear that cutting the mountains of paperwork and recognising the importance of online communications are key to winning the war on red tape, so we are pleased to see that Defra has made getting farmers online a top priority - but we remain to be convinced that the Government’s current plans will actually meet the needs of the 10 percent of rural communities who will not have access to superfast broadband.”
The CLA has also given an enthusiastic reception to proposals which will see regulators rewarding landowners for taking steps to maintain high farming and environmental standards with a much-needed reduction in red tape, inspections and form-filling – the so called "earned recognition."
The Task Force had, he said, been very effective in listening to land-based businesses and conveying their frustrations and concerns to Ministers – the challenge now was for the Government to ensure those recommendations were implemented quickly.
“It will require a change in attitude to farm businesses. This is about enabling land-based businesses to get on with their job and to do it as efficiently and effectively as we know they can – without the threat of a big stick.”
For further information and interviews please contact:
Paul Millard CLA South West Communications Manager on 01380 830179 or 07831 674345
For further information on the CLA please go to www.cla.org.uk
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
CLA Seminar Pulls in Leading Specialists on Public Access
Somerset will be the focal point for a major seminar on public access next month when three of the leading specialists in the field will come together to provide an analysis of the key issues confronting all those involved in the debate on the future of public access to land.
The seminar, which is being organised by the South West Region of the Country Land and Business Association in conjunction with lawyers, Dyne Drewett, will consider opportunities for improvements to access in the future as well as the problems of the present. The speakers will be Sarah Slade, a Chartered Surveyor and the CLA‘s National Access Adviser; Dr Karen Jones, a Barrister with Tanfield Chambers and former head of the CLA legal department and Jonathan Cheal, a solicitor and partner with Dyne Drewett who is a leading rights of way lawyer.
CLA South West Director, John Mortimer, says access issues affect every county across the South West – but Somerset had been chosen as a venue for the event because it offered clear examples of the difficulties confronting land owners and managers as well as the difficulties confronting those charged with managing public access.
Somerset, he said, also provides a good example of one of the key issues the speakers will be discussing – which is what land owners should do when applications are made to re-establish rights of way across their land. Mr Mortimer said that Somerset County Council’s Rights of Way Department had received more than 200 applications for unrecorded rights of way to be included on its Definitive Map; many of which had been incorrectly submitted because insufficient efforts were made to contact the owners of the land affected.
Coastal Access, with its questions on spreading room and liability; the need for reforms to the Animals Act plus controversial legislation relating to village greens were, he said all presenting challenges for land owners and managers. At the same time, Government proposals for improving rights of way based on the Stepping Forward report were being developed - which meant that the policy agenda was also changing.
“Public access continues to raise issues which landowners must ensure they understand and they must also be certain that appropriate measures are in place to enable them to manage access successfully on their land. But if we really want to make our rights of way fit for 21st Century - rather than the 19th Century - then we need to move away from the premise of increasing the amount of access at whatever cost and we need instead to look at improving what is already there.”
The three speakers are leading figures in the access debate and bring a wealth of knowledge, specialism and practical experience to the table. The event is being held at Holbrook House, Wincanton, Somerset, on Tuesday 27 March 4pm-7pm and the cost is £17 for CLA members and £30 for non-members.
Places can be reserved by calling the CLA regional office on 01249 700200; by emailing sarah.fern@cla.org.uk ; or by going to www.regonline.co.uk/claswevents
The seminar, which is being organised by the South West Region of the Country Land and Business Association in conjunction with lawyers, Dyne Drewett, will consider opportunities for improvements to access in the future as well as the problems of the present. The speakers will be Sarah Slade, a Chartered Surveyor and the CLA‘s National Access Adviser; Dr Karen Jones, a Barrister with Tanfield Chambers and former head of the CLA legal department and Jonathan Cheal, a solicitor and partner with Dyne Drewett who is a leading rights of way lawyer.
CLA South West Director, John Mortimer, says access issues affect every county across the South West – but Somerset had been chosen as a venue for the event because it offered clear examples of the difficulties confronting land owners and managers as well as the difficulties confronting those charged with managing public access.
Somerset, he said, also provides a good example of one of the key issues the speakers will be discussing – which is what land owners should do when applications are made to re-establish rights of way across their land. Mr Mortimer said that Somerset County Council’s Rights of Way Department had received more than 200 applications for unrecorded rights of way to be included on its Definitive Map; many of which had been incorrectly submitted because insufficient efforts were made to contact the owners of the land affected.
Coastal Access, with its questions on spreading room and liability; the need for reforms to the Animals Act plus controversial legislation relating to village greens were, he said all presenting challenges for land owners and managers. At the same time, Government proposals for improving rights of way based on the Stepping Forward report were being developed - which meant that the policy agenda was also changing.
“Public access continues to raise issues which landowners must ensure they understand and they must also be certain that appropriate measures are in place to enable them to manage access successfully on their land. But if we really want to make our rights of way fit for 21st Century - rather than the 19th Century - then we need to move away from the premise of increasing the amount of access at whatever cost and we need instead to look at improving what is already there.”
The three speakers are leading figures in the access debate and bring a wealth of knowledge, specialism and practical experience to the table. The event is being held at Holbrook House, Wincanton, Somerset, on Tuesday 27 March 4pm-7pm and the cost is £17 for CLA members and £30 for non-members.
Places can be reserved by calling the CLA regional office on 01249 700200; by emailing sarah.fern@cla.org.uk ; or by going to www.regonline.co.uk/claswevents
CLA Charitable Trust sponsors opportunity for urban youngsters
A West Country based charity has just been given the first of a series of annual £10,000 donations from the CLA Charitable Trust – money which will be used to give youngsters from schools in inner city or disadvantaged areas a week on a working farm.
The first cheque was handed over at Wick Court, Gloucestershire, and this week where 30 children from a primary school in Enfield, Middlesex, were enjoying lambing, milking and carrying out the other daily tasks of farming life courtesy of the Farms for City Children Charity.
Wick Court is one of three farms operated by Farms for City Children which was founded by ‘Warhorse’ author Michael Morpurgo and his wife, Clare, at their farm at Nethercott, Devon.
The charity provides working holidays for around 3,000 youngsters from urban backgrounds across the UK on its three farms. For many it is their first experience of the countryside and their first opportunity to get close to farm animals.
The £10,000 a year donation agreement by the CLA Charitable Trust will be used to fund three separate one-week stays for a total of more than 100 children at one of the charity’s centres in Devon, Gloucestershire or Pembrokeshire. The money will also be targeted at providing farm breaks for youngsters with disabilities.
CLA Charitable Trust director Peter Geldart said: “The work of Farms for City Children matches the objective of the CLA Charitable Trust to promote education about the countryside to children from inner city schools. Without such opportunities these kids might never experience contact with farm animals or begin to understand where their food comes from.”
Farms for City Children Chief Executive Helen Chaloner said: “This fantastic support from the CLA Charitable Trust means so much to us. Our aim of giving city children an unforgettable experience staying on a working farm sits so well with the aims of the Trust. We are excited at the prospect of working closely together over the next few years.”
The key element, says the farm children’s manager, Heather Tarplee is that the youngsters get to do all the jobs on the farm from milking and feeding the cattle, chickens, sheep and pigs to mucking out the horse livery, working in the gardens and even pressing the apples for apple juice and cider at harvest time.
“We make sure they are involved in every aspect of work on the farm, they are not allowed games consoles and there are no televisions so they have to learn to engage with each other and with what’s going on around them – but by the end of a full day, they’re usually too tired for television,” she said.
Note to Newsdesks:
A photo of the presentation at Wick Court is available on request. Please respond to this email if you require a copy.
For further information on this news release please call Paul Millard,
CLA SW Communications Manager, on 01380 830179 or 07831 674345
For further information on the CLA please go to www.cla.org.uk
For further information on Farms for City Children please call Tracy Izod on 01837 55876
The first cheque was handed over at Wick Court, Gloucestershire, and this week where 30 children from a primary school in Enfield, Middlesex, were enjoying lambing, milking and carrying out the other daily tasks of farming life courtesy of the Farms for City Children Charity.
Wick Court is one of three farms operated by Farms for City Children which was founded by ‘Warhorse’ author Michael Morpurgo and his wife, Clare, at their farm at Nethercott, Devon.
The charity provides working holidays for around 3,000 youngsters from urban backgrounds across the UK on its three farms. For many it is their first experience of the countryside and their first opportunity to get close to farm animals.
The £10,000 a year donation agreement by the CLA Charitable Trust will be used to fund three separate one-week stays for a total of more than 100 children at one of the charity’s centres in Devon, Gloucestershire or Pembrokeshire. The money will also be targeted at providing farm breaks for youngsters with disabilities.
CLA Charitable Trust director Peter Geldart said: “The work of Farms for City Children matches the objective of the CLA Charitable Trust to promote education about the countryside to children from inner city schools. Without such opportunities these kids might never experience contact with farm animals or begin to understand where their food comes from.”
Farms for City Children Chief Executive Helen Chaloner said: “This fantastic support from the CLA Charitable Trust means so much to us. Our aim of giving city children an unforgettable experience staying on a working farm sits so well with the aims of the Trust. We are excited at the prospect of working closely together over the next few years.”
The key element, says the farm children’s manager, Heather Tarplee is that the youngsters get to do all the jobs on the farm from milking and feeding the cattle, chickens, sheep and pigs to mucking out the horse livery, working in the gardens and even pressing the apples for apple juice and cider at harvest time.
“We make sure they are involved in every aspect of work on the farm, they are not allowed games consoles and there are no televisions so they have to learn to engage with each other and with what’s going on around them – but by the end of a full day, they’re usually too tired for television,” she said.
Note to Newsdesks:
A photo of the presentation at Wick Court is available on request. Please respond to this email if you require a copy.
For further information on this news release please call Paul Millard,
CLA SW Communications Manager, on 01380 830179 or 07831 674345
For further information on the CLA please go to www.cla.org.uk
For further information on Farms for City Children please call Tracy Izod on 01837 55876
Sunday, January 29, 2012
CLA says Access Decision is a Retrograde Step
Natural England’s insistence on introducing a statutory right of access over land around Weymouth Bay will result in a negligent waste of money – according to the CLA, the Country Land and Business Association.
The comments follow the publication of Natural England’s document relating to the first stretch of the All-England Coastal Path: Coastal Access Weymouth Bay – which has been approved by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Caroline Spelman – but the CLA says it recreates public access that already exists and will represent a backward step in access provision for much of the proposed area.
CLA South West Director, John Mortimer, said that approximately 4 miles of the “new” route” is owned by the The Lulworth Estate which has provided open access and recreation areas along this stretch of coastline and the beaches for nearly 100 years. The estate, he said, had also provided an exemplary management regime, conserving and caring for the coast as well as providing a ranger service to maintain and repair the paths whenever needed and to ensure the safety of the users – at no cost at all to the public purse..
“Natural England is proposing to replace a system which has provided a fantastic public benefit for hundreds of thousands of people apid for by private finance with a statutory route.. That means Natural England will assume the responsibility for maintaining and managing the access and that they will also assume responsibility for the cost of doing so – and that is an indefensible waste of public money.”
Mr Mortimer said the situation at Lulworth was a clear demonstration that the access provisions of the Marine and Coastal Access Act needed to be rethought.
Lulworth, he said, had not only looked after and conserved the coast, but had championed the World Heritage Site and made sure that the many thousands of visitors who come every year had every opportunity to access and enjoy what is a spectacular part of our natural heritage.
“This whole exercise appears to be a waste of time and money and appears to us represent more of a symbolic gesture than any improvement to access to the coast. People feel frustrated and let down because the vast majority of this part of our coast has been easily accessible from a combination of the South West Coast Path with additional access provided by the local land owners.”
CLA Dorset member, James Weld, the owner of the Lulworth Estate, said: ”This is a backward step in the provision of public access in the Lulworth area. It is very clear that Natural England do not have the resources to maintain the level of access previously provided and certainly not at the standard to which it has been kept for many years by the Estate.”
The comments follow the publication of Natural England’s document relating to the first stretch of the All-England Coastal Path: Coastal Access Weymouth Bay – which has been approved by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Caroline Spelman – but the CLA says it recreates public access that already exists and will represent a backward step in access provision for much of the proposed area.
CLA South West Director, John Mortimer, said that approximately 4 miles of the “new” route” is owned by the The Lulworth Estate which has provided open access and recreation areas along this stretch of coastline and the beaches for nearly 100 years. The estate, he said, had also provided an exemplary management regime, conserving and caring for the coast as well as providing a ranger service to maintain and repair the paths whenever needed and to ensure the safety of the users – at no cost at all to the public purse..
“Natural England is proposing to replace a system which has provided a fantastic public benefit for hundreds of thousands of people apid for by private finance with a statutory route.. That means Natural England will assume the responsibility for maintaining and managing the access and that they will also assume responsibility for the cost of doing so – and that is an indefensible waste of public money.”
Mr Mortimer said the situation at Lulworth was a clear demonstration that the access provisions of the Marine and Coastal Access Act needed to be rethought.
Lulworth, he said, had not only looked after and conserved the coast, but had championed the World Heritage Site and made sure that the many thousands of visitors who come every year had every opportunity to access and enjoy what is a spectacular part of our natural heritage.
“This whole exercise appears to be a waste of time and money and appears to us represent more of a symbolic gesture than any improvement to access to the coast. People feel frustrated and let down because the vast majority of this part of our coast has been easily accessible from a combination of the South West Coast Path with additional access provided by the local land owners.”
CLA Dorset member, James Weld, the owner of the Lulworth Estate, said: ”This is a backward step in the provision of public access in the Lulworth area. It is very clear that Natural England do not have the resources to maintain the level of access previously provided and certainly not at the standard to which it has been kept for many years by the Estate.”
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Bid to reinstate ‘lost’ rights of way ‘costly and inappropriate’ says CLA
Landowners in Somerset have condemned laws which have enabled a local access group to attempt to resurrect lost or defunct rights of way at a potential cost to the taxpayer of more than £1million.
The South Somerset Bridleways Association has applied to Somerset County Council to have around 200 rights of way reinstated on to the Definitive Maps – bridleways the Association says were mistakenly missed off the map.
But the CLA says that the whole costly and time-consuming exercise underlines an essential flaw in the system which it has been campaigning to change for years.
Of the 240 applications submitted to Somerset County Council’s Rights of Way Department, more than four-fifths were submitted by the SSBA. The CLA says it misses the point of how to bring about improvements and positive gains to the rights of way system.
“The cost of processing each application can be as much as £7,000 – excluding the cost of physically reinstating the bridleway - and with the number of applications already in the pipeline, it will take the county council until 2036 to process them – 10 years beyond the date when the Definitive Map is due to be closed. And we believe that this is just the tip of the iceberg. The issues that have come to light in Somerset are being replicated throughout the country with a potential cost to the public purse many millions of pounds,” said CLA South West spokesman Paul Millard.
He said a costly and ill-fated effort to put disused rights of way back on the definitive map, initiated by Natural England under the Discovering Lost Ways project, had been abandoned four years ago – but the door had been left open for user groups to attempt to reinstate rights of way which they claim were not lost, simply not properly recorded.
Mr Millard said: “It is difficult to believe this is really what the public wants to see its money spent on. If we really want to make our rights of way fit for 21st Century rather than 19th Century demand then we need to move away from the premise of increasing the amount of access at whatever cost. We need to look at improving what is already there.
“There appear to have been mistakes in the applications by the South Somerset Bridleways Association which had also failed to make sufficient effort to contact the owners of the land affected.
“My understanding is that if the SSBA wishes to pursue these applications it will have to re-submit them – but we would urge the Association to think long and hard about the financial and practical consequences of their action before doing so. Surely they – and all the other access groups – would be better served working with landowners to achieve a system of voluntary or permissive access routes by mutual agreement.”
Any landowner concerned or affected by the proposals should, he said, contact the CLA Regional Office on 01249 700 200 for advice.
For further information on the CLA go to www.cla.org.uk
The South Somerset Bridleways Association has applied to Somerset County Council to have around 200 rights of way reinstated on to the Definitive Maps – bridleways the Association says were mistakenly missed off the map.
But the CLA says that the whole costly and time-consuming exercise underlines an essential flaw in the system which it has been campaigning to change for years.
Of the 240 applications submitted to Somerset County Council’s Rights of Way Department, more than four-fifths were submitted by the SSBA. The CLA says it misses the point of how to bring about improvements and positive gains to the rights of way system.
“The cost of processing each application can be as much as £7,000 – excluding the cost of physically reinstating the bridleway - and with the number of applications already in the pipeline, it will take the county council until 2036 to process them – 10 years beyond the date when the Definitive Map is due to be closed. And we believe that this is just the tip of the iceberg. The issues that have come to light in Somerset are being replicated throughout the country with a potential cost to the public purse many millions of pounds,” said CLA South West spokesman Paul Millard.
He said a costly and ill-fated effort to put disused rights of way back on the definitive map, initiated by Natural England under the Discovering Lost Ways project, had been abandoned four years ago – but the door had been left open for user groups to attempt to reinstate rights of way which they claim were not lost, simply not properly recorded.
Mr Millard said: “It is difficult to believe this is really what the public wants to see its money spent on. If we really want to make our rights of way fit for 21st Century rather than 19th Century demand then we need to move away from the premise of increasing the amount of access at whatever cost. We need to look at improving what is already there.
“There appear to have been mistakes in the applications by the South Somerset Bridleways Association which had also failed to make sufficient effort to contact the owners of the land affected.
“My understanding is that if the SSBA wishes to pursue these applications it will have to re-submit them – but we would urge the Association to think long and hard about the financial and practical consequences of their action before doing so. Surely they – and all the other access groups – would be better served working with landowners to achieve a system of voluntary or permissive access routes by mutual agreement.”
Any landowner concerned or affected by the proposals should, he said, contact the CLA Regional Office on 01249 700 200 for advice.
For further information on the CLA go to www.cla.org.uk
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)