The Village Voice Dec 18 Jan 19

WILDLIFE MATTERS ……... to all of us
NEW AGRICULTURAL BILL
In September, the Government introduced its
new Agricultural Bill. As expected, it contains
provisions about paying farmers for managing
their farms during the transition period
following our exit from the EU. The Bill tries to
reassure us that our food supply chains will be
protected. It is complex legislation which I will
not bore you with, but how will this change help
wildlife and habitats?
Before the Government produced the Bill,
independent wildlife groups such as the RSPB,
BTO and our national Wildlife Trusts provided
evidence and suggestions to make sure that
wildlife could also benefit from change. The
Wildlife Trusts said:
• The recovery of our diminishing wildlife would
depend on the new Agricultural Bill enabling
farmers to create and restore natural habitats
because 70% of our land is farmed.
• Farmers should receive public money for
producing benefits to society, such as creating
habitats for wildlife, conserving soils and
protecting communities against flooding.
The Trusts says that farming with nature makes
sense and that healthier soils would help nature
recover – from pollinators to natural pest
controls. The Red List for bees says that one in
ten wild bees face extinction and that over the
past 50-years. Half the bee, butterfly and moth
species studied in the 2013 State of Nature
Report had declined! Ellie Brodie, senior policy
manager for the Wildlife Trusts says: “It’s time
the Treasury acknowledged that the public want
to see tangible change to meet the scale of the
challenge that lies ahead”. There is further
concern about how the new legislation will be
enforced, especially because much of the policy
is not formally linked to the Bill and so has no
legal underpinning!
On a positive note, there is at least certainty
that the current payments for Higher Level
Stewardship and Countryside Stewardship
schemes will be available through the 7-year
transition period, which allows farmers to be a
little more confident in making their future
business decisions.
‘BRENT GEESE’ – ARCTIC SIBERIA
TO THE SOLENT
Keen-eyed birdwatchers will have noticed the
first arrivals of the Dark-bellied Brent Geese to
their wintering grounds along the Solent. A
single bird spotted on the 8th October could
well have been an adult which sometimes oversummers
here. The
first small numbers
arrived in our part
of the Solent from
their Siberian
breeding grounds
on about 15th
October, with 100
recorded between
Hurst Castle and Saltgrass Lane, Milford.
The Solent is a stronghold for Brents holding
some 30% of all Brent Geese visiting the UK in
the winter, of which up to 13% can be found
along our part of the coastline. Their journey
starts in the Arctic tundra, where extreme
weather conditions allow them just 3 or 4-
months in which
to bring up their
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young. They
depart Siberia in
mid-September
and start arriving
back here in
early/mid-
October, having
migrated some
2,500 miles. When they depart in March/April
they stop off along the Baltic coast before
reaching the Arctic in early June. Family groups
migrate together, mostly at night.
Further information from:
Keith Metcalf – MCV Conservation Officer
(01590) 645825 or (07771) 918449 or email
keithmetcalf@btinternet.com
www.milfordcv.org
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