Hi folks,
I have, this week, written to the UK's 'Minister for Nature', Mary Creagh, who was appointed to the post after Labour won the election. I waited for the dust to settle after the election before making contact with her, but now I feel the time is right to open some dialogue. I have shared details of our campaign with her and asked her to consider supporting our call to overhaul Natural England's contentious licensing system. Wholesale culling As we all know, there is wholesale culling of our birds (and other animals) under officially issued licences, enabling the legal slaughter of wildlife, so I wanted to make sure that she - as Minister for Nature - is aware of the current system and its significant shortfalls. By way of an example, I highlighted one of the specific concerns we have, that of the licences to harvest Black-headed gull eggs for human consumption. Earlier discussions I had with Natural England, backed by pressure from our campaign, have helped to get most of these abhorrent licences withdrawn, though at least two remain in place. I asked her to look specifically at this example by way of an introduction to the problems with the licences, pointing out that far too much of our wildlife is killed every year under Natural England's licences, without any real justification and often for spurious reasons. I hope that Mary Creagh chooses to engage with us, especially as I pointed out that more than 400,000 people now support the campaign. Rapid decline in nature The UK is suffering a rapid decline in nature, especially through damage to natural habitat, resulting in widespread destruction of entire ecosystems. Adding to this serious problem is the clumsy wildlife licensing system, administered by Natural England, which suffers from questionable decision making and insufficient monitoring. A new government should bring hope and we must keep that hope alive, but there are already signs that we might see further industrialisation of our countryside, including dubious plans for 'affordable' housing (that never seems to be affordable) and renewable energy projects that cause more harm than good; not forgetting my bugbear - the industrialisation of our seas with vast offshore wind farms, the evidence is growing to suggest that marine wildlife is struggling to survive amid the rapid expansion of the offshore wind industry. At the time of writing, I have yet to receive a response from the Minister for Nature - but rest assured I will let you know when I do. If I do. Just a reminder that you can follow me on X/Twitter: @jasonendfield (HERE) And you can read my articles about the issue of wind farms on my other blog, CLICK HERE Thanks for your ongoing support, the campaign continues. Best, Jase
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December 2024
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