Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Eu says bugger it to our countryside

Sort of.  I came across this post on one of the RSPB's blogs today:

(fully crossposted)
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It’s been a shocking week to say the least! And it’s only Tuesday!


The RSPB announced today that the EU are planning to sever a rather important leg from our Common Agricultural Policy. That all sounds rather jargonny I know so i’ll try to make it as simple as possible. Our old friend Mark Avery couldn’t have put it better himself.

Farmland covers a whopping 75% of our region and is a vital part of the ecosystem for some our most loved (and threatened) wildlife. If President Barroso makes this decision, the money that goes directly into conservation and farming to ensure that our countryside stays fit for wildlife will vanish, along with our turtle doves, our skylarks and many more species along the way.

I for one, couldn’t think of a worse scenario to be in. It worries me greatly that our European leaders think that this is a GOOD idea! If our UK farmers were to lose this vital stream of income and organisations like the RSPB were to lose funding for major species and habitat recovery projects because of this short-sighted approach, then we can all kiss goodbye to a countryside full of birdsong for our grandchildren.

There is something we can do. By signing this e-action you will be pledging your support to the RSPB and perhaps we can get this decision reversed.

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How about you all go and sign the e-action, huh?  You've got till the 29th of June to make a difference.

3 comments:

Feminist Avatar said...

This should surprise no one! It is driven by the same economic mindset that is making cuts to the public sector- if it can't support itself, it shouldn't be publically funded.

Tonk said...

Of course none of this can support itself.

This is a tiny amount of public expenditure from the EU budget but huge amount of public benefits.

Of all the things in the EU this is the most compelling case for funds its vital for Europes long-term suistanable future.

Feminist Avatar said...

As show here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13616543