politics

Why is more clarity needed from Defra?

The Brexit referendum in June 2016 triggered a wholesale change, including in the way that Britain sees itself as a country, as well as practical ‘differences’ in the way we live and work. Change in farming and environmental policy was one of these intended changes and over the past five years Defra has worked toContinueContinue reading “Why is more clarity needed from Defra?”

Meet the Farmers – episode 28 – ‘Searching for Common Ground at the Oxford Farming Conference and the Oxford Real Farming Conference’

Every January well over a thousand people gather in Oxford to talk all things connected to food and farming, at the Oxford Farming Conference and the Oxford Real Farming Conference. For the first time I attended both conferences in an attempt to search for common ground and to see whether delegates would be interested inContinueContinue reading “Meet the Farmers – episode 28 – ‘Searching for Common Ground at the Oxford Farming Conference and the Oxford Real Farming Conference’”

‘Meet the Farmers’ – episode 25 – The East of England Farming Conference 2018

This is a special episode of the podcast covering my recent visit to the East of England Farming Conference at the East of England Showground near Peterborough. The show features Neil Parish MP, Emily Norton from Savills, farmer and Conference Chair Tom Martin and Suffolk farmer Brian Barker.

The long awaited 25 Year Environment Plan

I’ve been stuck indoors today, struck down by flu yesterday. There are a lot of things going around at the moment, and I was being optimistic and hoping that I wouldn’t catch anything this winter. Oh well! Hopefully I’m now over the worst of it but you never really can tell with these things. ItContinueContinue reading “The long awaited 25 Year Environment Plan”

Choices, choices

We are told that the upcoming election will help shape Britain for a generation. True, it will influence the tone and context of the Brexit negotiations, as we choose which ‘team’ we wish to lead them. However, when it comes to the future of the country it will not be one single government but several that willContinueContinue reading “Choices, choices”