Neglect is not the answer for conservation

Environment Secretary Michael Gove oversees the release of a pair of beavers to help combat flooding.

JOHN R Goodman hit the nail on the head in his letter about the stupidity of using beavers in the flood battle (The Yorkshire Post, April 25).

In many areas of rural life, conservation has become synonymous with neglect. Local authorities, Network Rail, the Environment Agency and others all see the norm as “do nowt”.

From time to time I see farming on the Cambridgeshire Fens. Here, large-scale farming has successfully combined conservation with well-managed and maintained ditch and river systems. All overseen, I believe, by the local drainage authorities and without the input of the Environment Agency.

Sadly, administered by soundbite politicians, obsessive so-called naturalists and those conservationists whose deeper ulterior motives are the destruction of capitalism, Natural England, the Environment Agency and Defra combined have all now contributed to the chaotic decision-taking process in our countryside.

The latest fiasco has been the ban on shooting wild bird vermin which have a huge damaging effect on crops. I expect next week there will be an edict whereby farmers will wear flat caps and suck straws. When will our rulers get a grip?

Neglect is not the answer for conservation – YP Letters