Farming Transition all at sea – but where’s the Captain?
With yet another announcement from UK Government to add to farmers increasing concerns, Barnaby Coupe, senior land use policy manager, reflects on what the budget changes mean for nature.
Blog: Barnaby Coupe
Terry Whittaker/2020VISION
Blog
Nature-friendly farming budget escapes cuts but leaves Defra with important decisions to make
With the details of the Labour Government’s long anticipated Budget now unveiled, The Wildlife Trusts’ Senior Land Use Policy Manager Barnaby Coupe looks at the implications for Defra’s flagship…
Pitting food security against nature recovery is a dangerous distraction – our food security depends on a thriving natural world
This week, The Wildlife Trusts announced the launch of a new £6 million programme, ‘Transforming Nature’s Recovery’, which will accelerate wildlife recovery in the UK by supporting rewilding…
Farming announcement today a welcome step in the right direction
Today Defra has finally published more details on the Environmental Land Management schemes (ELM) that farmers have been clamoring for. Whilst many questions remain, The Wildlife Trusts, RSPB, and…
A new Vision for Food, Farming, and Nature
With the ever present nature and climate crisis making itself known, a collective of farmers, landowners and environmental charities came together to form a vision for food, farming and nature…
Defra confirms that ring-fenced funding for ambitious nature recovery has disappeared from farming schemes
This is a significant reversal on Defra's previous commitment to fund landscape-scale change needed for nature and climate in England. Barnaby Coupe explores what this means, below.
Long promised farm reforms under threat
The Wildlife Trusts are extremely concerned that the UK Government’s imminent response to the National Food Strategy – due any day now – will signal a U-turn on their promise to reform farming…
Nutrient Policy: Fertile ground for change?
Today, Defra has announced a series of steps to assist farmers with the availability of fertilisers as disruption to global supply chains is dramatically increasing the costs of these products.…
Decision to authorise banned chemical puts Government commitments at risk
Today, the Government has given the green light to the use of the banned neonicotinoid chemical Thiamethoxam on sugar beet crops this year. This follows the decision earlier this year to grant an…
Environmental Land Management is too important to fail, but risks remain
After the Environmental, Food and Rural Affairs Committee published its report on Environmental Land Management today, Barnaby Coupe, Land Use Manager at The Wildlife Trusts and Alice Groom,…