10-18-2019, 12:06 PM
Despite my pretty apocalyptic view, which roughly coincides with that of hudds (grumpy old men, eh?) there are things we can do on a national scale.
Some time ago DEFRA and the NUF signed up to a joint warning that the UK's arable land would probably support no more than about a hundred sustainable harvests; in other worlds the potential for famine in a supposedly first world country before the end of the century. The primary reason was the loss of arable topsoil in lowland areas due to flooding - a direct consequence of poor land management practices in the uplands. A bit rich on the part of the NUF, considering that their members are among the worst offenders, albeit not the only ones. As an unrepentant remainer I'll come clean and admit that the CAP, and how it is applied, has been a major facilitator of these practices.
We can do something about this, but we need to start now and it might already be too late. It would take political will and the resolve to face down entrenched, wealthy and powerful interests. Projects like Cairngorm Connect (just as an example) will achieve more than any amount of climbing on top of trains; but we need national policy, not just random pockets of enlightened action.
Some time ago DEFRA and the NUF signed up to a joint warning that the UK's arable land would probably support no more than about a hundred sustainable harvests; in other worlds the potential for famine in a supposedly first world country before the end of the century. The primary reason was the loss of arable topsoil in lowland areas due to flooding - a direct consequence of poor land management practices in the uplands. A bit rich on the part of the NUF, considering that their members are among the worst offenders, albeit not the only ones. As an unrepentant remainer I'll come clean and admit that the CAP, and how it is applied, has been a major facilitator of these practices.
We can do something about this, but we need to start now and it might already be too late. It would take political will and the resolve to face down entrenched, wealthy and powerful interests. Projects like Cairngorm Connect (just as an example) will achieve more than any amount of climbing on top of trains; but we need national policy, not just random pockets of enlightened action.