Farming, Forestry and the Natural Heritage
Farming, Forestry and the Natural Heritage

Author: Richard Davison

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2006-07-27

Total Pages: 344

ISBN-13: 9780114973247

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There have been significant changes to farming and forestry, and new strategies for agriculture, forestry and biodiversity have been launched. The influence of farming and forestry on Scotland's landscapes is seen as increasingly important, and new access rights have been put in place by the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003. Although these changes bring uncertainty and challenges, they also bring a major opportunity to move decisively towards integrating landscape, biodiversity and recreational objectives in land management. This book takes stock of the changes taking places and considers a number of case studies, which together suggest that progress is being made, looks ahead at future research and advisory needs, and highlights some key challenges to achieving better integration in the future.

New Labour's Countryside
New Labour's Countryside

Author: Michael Woods

Publisher: Policy Press

Published: 2008-09-10

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 9781861349323

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This book analyses the specific ways in which family lives have changed and how they have been affected by the major structural and cultural changes of the second half of the twentieth century.--

The review of the less favoured areas scheme
The review of the less favoured areas scheme

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Lords: European Union Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2009-06-04

Total Pages: 262

ISBN-13: 9780108444357

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In this report, 'The Review of the Less Favoured Areas Scheme (HL Paper 98)', the European Union Committee calls for the swift adoption of reforms to the EU Less Favoured Areas (LFA) scheme, a method of distributing EU agricultural funding to disadvantaged areas where farming land might otherwise be abandoned. The report stresses that the justification for the LFA scheme is to maintain farming in marginal areas where farming activity generates benefits for the environment and landscape, rather than to compensate for regional economic hardship.

Farming in the uplands
Farming in the uplands

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2011-02-16

Total Pages: 158

ISBN-13: 9780215556462

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In this report MPs recommend changes to the way money from the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is used to support hill farmers. Farming, in particular grazing livestock, is an essential part of the landscapes and traditional systems of land management in these beautiful and fragile areas. A return to headage payments in limited circumstances, with appropriate environmental conditions to prevent overstocking, would provide fairer funding to hill farmers. The Committee also calls on the Government to do more to enable hill farmers to diversify into other land management activities-such as carbon storage and water quality schemes. The report calls on the Government to demonstrate a stronger commitment to upland communities. Having abolished the Commission for Rural Communities - the public body that advised Government on rural issues -the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs must ensure that rural policies and their delivery are not neglected. Ministers should: publish a strategy for the uplands that sets out a clear action plan with practical measures to be implemented immediately; provide strong leadership to make sure that rural and upland communities get a fair deal; create a statutory definition of the uplands to assist in targeting policy; ensure all farmers and rural communities can get access to development grants once RDAs have been abolished; work across Government to put in place policies that support those that live and work in the uplands, in particular rolling out super-fast broadband for remote rural communities and increasing the availability of affordable housing.

The Rise and Fall of Countryside Management
The Rise and Fall of Countryside Management

Author: Ian D. Rotherham

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-07-16

Total Pages: 415

ISBN-13: 1135014884

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For at least half a century since the emergence of Country Parks and Forest Parks, countryside services have provided leisure, tourism, conservation, restoration and regeneration across Britain. Yet these services are currently being decimated as public services are sacrificed to the new era of austerity. The role and importance of countryside management have been barely documented, and the consequences and ramifications of cuts to these services are overlooked and misunderstood. This volume rigorously examines the issues surrounding countryside management in Britain. The author brings together the results of stakeholder workshops and interviews, and in-depth individual case studies, as well as a major study for the Countryside Agency which assessed and evaluated every countryside service provision in England. A full and extensive literature review traces the ideas of countryside management back to their origins, and the author considers the wider relationships and ramifications with countryside and ranger provisions around the world, including North America and Europe. The book provides a critical overview of the history and importance of countryside management, detailing the achievements of a largely forgotten sector and highlighting its pivotal yet often underappreciated role in the wellbeing of people and communities. It serves as a challenge to students, planners, politicians, conservationists, environmentalists, and land managers, in a diversity of disciplines that work with or have interests in countryside, leisure and tourism, community issues, education, and nature conservation.

House of Commons - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee: Implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy in England 2014 - 2020 - HC 745
House of Commons - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee: Implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy in England 2014 - 2020 - HC 745

Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 166

ISBN-13: 9780215064721

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Against a background where farm incomes are falling, the Government needs to recognise that cutting payments to England's farmers will reduce their ability to compete in the marketplace, will leave farmers less able to invest in vital infrastructure and may make them more vulnerable to shocks such as poor weather, higher input costs and price variations. The Committee also warns against plans to transfer more money away from direct payments to farmers by shifting it towards environmental schemes. It recommends that the Government maintains the current 9% rate of transfer away from the direct payment budget. This rate of transfer should rise to 15% in 2017 only if it can demonstrate that additional funds are required and that this change will deliver a clear benefit. Money should also only go to people who actually farm the land and meet an 'active farmer test'. From 2015, 30% of the direct payment will be conditional on farmers achieving basic environmental measures. A National Certification Scheme approach to 'greening' does not offer the flexibility to avoid the Commission's impractical crop diversification rule so the Government is right to dismiss this approach. A new, single IT system is being developed, and the Government want access to CAP funding to be 'digital by default', meaning farmers will have to apply online. A lot went wrong in the last round of changes, and these problems gave rise to £580 million in penalties. Does it make sense to introduce a new computer system at the same time as complex new payment rules?