environmental commentator
The Agriculture Act 2020 slipped quietly into law last year. All change ahead as it takes over the driving seat from the 1947 Agric Act. It’s time to get on board now. A little context. Where to start? Let’s try 1970. The birth of the Range Rover, open air combine harvesters, benchmark date for farmland … Continue reading Acting on land
My face-to-face ‘field intel’ trips provide enlightenment as to what people really think. Conversations can be so different in the field than online or indoors. This road trip (aka ‘field intel’) between lockdowns showed me how land managers, academics, govt, activists might exchange insight from different views. A previous intel trip along the Marches garnered … Continue reading Join the dots
Ever since I took a call from the letters Editor at The Times in March 1999, I’ve fallen into writing about environmental stuff. Usually on topics many might seek to avoid or ignore. OK, let’s dive in. Hedgehogs, horsemeat, sea eagles, badgers, raptors, deer, fungi, little owl, wildfire, invasive species, conifers, ducks, urban foxes, stoats, … Continue reading Dear Sir,
Ben Goldsmith was appointed a non-executive director of DEFRA’s board in March 2018. I asked him about a range of environmental and land issues Interview first published by the RICS RY: What is your role in the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA)? BG: As an informal adviser to the secretary of state, … Continue reading An informal Defra adviser
An exclusive interview with a previous Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – Michael Gove for BBC Countryfile Magazine (first published Feb 2018) RY (Rob Yorke): Firstly, what are your personal connections to rural Britain and where do you love to walk? MG (Michael Gove): Both sides of my family have … Continue reading Gove green
2020 – a year to face up to rocky issues, explore new ground, re-frame narratives while avoiding going down rabbit holes. Updated. Here’s an eclectic take on past and future issues to kick off the year. Most unexpected result – after my talk at an international rewilding conference – an interesting number would wear beaver … Continue reading Rocks and rabbit holes