The following letter from Stephen Ramsden was published in Farmers Guardian this week.
14 May 2024
Predation from all directions
The government’s plan for Nature Recovery is seriously flawed, with increasing amounts of predation from all directions.
We all commend the government’s work (and considerable taxpayer’s money) for the sake of protecting the environment we all live and work in, but if there isn’t serious management of all species that predate on wildlife, this policy will fail.
All ground-nesting birds are particularly vulnerable in this area, and numbers are declining due to predation, not poor habitat.
Traditional and historical management has become increasing restricted in recent years, which is increasing the rate of decline and once some of these iconic bird species are lost, they will never return.
No system of management is perfect in everyone’s eyes, but the problem of predation needs addressing now, before it is too late.
Stephen Ramsden, landowner and farmer, Middlesmoor, North Yorkshire