Hinterland
Rural News
New plan to pay farmers who protect winter soil
This story shows how the landscape will change as a consequence of rural policy as it evolves over the next 3-5 years it tells us: The empty brown fields of England’s winter countryside could be transformed under government plans for farming. Cold naked acres will in future be clothed in vegetation as farmers are paid […]
Farmers fear Defra will not deliver on post-Brexit support, says CLA head
Small upland farmers beware – the whole policy mood music arising from the roll out of the post EU rural land based agenda points towards difficult times for smaller and livestock orientated producers going forward. This story tells us: Farmers are anxiously awaiting further detail from the government on imminent changes to their subsidy payments, […]
Fly-tipping in England increases during Covid pandemic
This story rings very true in terms of my experience of driving around rural Lincolnshire. It reveals one very depressing side effect of the pandemic. Fly-tipping incidents in England increased last year, with household waste accounting for by far the biggest proportion of the problem, which has been worsened by the impacts of the coronavirus […]
Woodland walks save UK £185m a year in mental health costs, report finds
In these difficult times something to cheers us all up. This story tells us: Walks taken by people in UK woodlands save £185m a year in mental health costs, according to a report. Spending time in nature is known to boost mental health, but the report by Forest Research is the first to estimate the amount […]
‘Immoral’ developers ‘targeting rural areas and refusing to build on brownfield sites’
These sound like a well balanced (not) series of statements from CPRE. I wonder if its just developers who want to build in rural areas? I suspect it takes more than one side of the equation to make a market and after all when was the last time anyone under 25 got a mortgage in […]
UK water firms spilled sewage into sea bathing waters 5,517 times in last year
Not a good trend in relation to the image of rural seaside places and their economies…. Water companies spilled raw sewage into coastal bathing waters used by holidaymakers and families 5,517 times in the last year, an increase of more than 87%, new data reveals. The discharges, through storm overflows, went on to beaches that […]
MPs launch inquiry into ‘sometimes hidden’ issue of rural mental health
This is a really important theme and something we at Hinterland will keep a sharp eye on. This article tells us: MPs on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee are set to embark on a wide-ranging inquiry into rural mental health, it has been announced today. Farming and other agriculture-related professions are known to […]
Government should back British farming standards in global market, says Welby
The Church of England owns very large swathes of agricultural land. I hope its land agents are listening to Mr Welby….This article tells us: The Government must work with farmers to encourage good trade deals that preserve UK export standards, the Archbishop of Canterbury has said. Archbishop Welby was delivering the annual Henry Plumb Lecture […]
National Trust bans trail hunting on its land
This article serves to remind us of the scale and reach of the National Trust as a landowner….It reports: The National Trust will stop issuing licences for trail hunts on its land, the charity’s board of trustees said. Trail hunting is legal and sees dogs and riders follow an artificial scent along an agreed route. […]
‘I’ve done 332 so far’: man aims to visit England’s 10,449 civil parishes
I admire this man’s grit – only 10,117 parishes left to visit…… When Andy Smith moved from the Lincolnshire countryside where he grew up, to Rotherham, he immediately longed for a return to his rural life. “For the first 24 years of my life I lived in a village, and living in a town is […]
WW1 Essex soldier’s bugle used in Remembrance Last Post
This is remembrance week and we start with a heart warming story from rural Essex full of musical remembrance. This article tells us: A bugle played during World War One by a soldier has been used to sound The Last Post at a Remembrance service. Pte Henry Howard was in the Royal Army Medical Corps, […]
COP26: How might decisions at the climate summit change our lives?
You should follow the hyperlink for this story. It sketches out in detail how our lives are likely to change as a consequence of the COP agreements made this week. A number of the impacts will need a radical rethink about how we live in rural England, particularly in relation to car use, farming, tourism […]