pavman Posted June 3, 2008 Report Share Posted June 3, 2008 Anyone have any news? I understand Natural England that incorporates various old government departments like the old DEFFRA has a hand in payments like HLS and is drawing up plans of new areas that will be eligible for payments. You will not be surprised to learn that you may as well put a pin in the map of most traditional Wildfowling clubs leased land as being considered. Is this Anti but in another form? There also seems to be no even hand with some of NE having the belief that shooting does not constitute disturbance with ref to HLS payments and another NE office may have a 100% differing view . Public Ramblers with unruly dogs and litter dropping kids of course don’t constitute disturbance ,,,,,perish the thought its plain that the only group of countryside users that effect a land owners claim to HLS must be shooting folk who sit quietly minding their business waiting for the odd shot at a passing duck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highlander Posted June 3, 2008 Report Share Posted June 3, 2008 I've said for a long time that organisations such as NE are probably mostly staffed by antis, veggies and/or greenies and all those other flakey folk. Since the beginning of the year NE have also been responsible for the General Licences which we all shoot under. The future may very well be orange! The last colour a shooting man would vote for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scolopax Posted June 3, 2008 Report Share Posted June 3, 2008 I've heard that several clubs in the south have lost shooting land due 'incompatibility' with the HLS requirements. I think it has mainly effected clubs with shooting over inland wet grazing marsh but some big acreages have been lost. My own club has major ongoing issues with NE with regards to wildfowling consents, there were a couple of articles on it in Shooting Times about a year ago. We did hold a very successful wildfowling workshop/ fundraiser last July which some of you may have been aware of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight32 Posted June 3, 2008 Report Share Posted June 3, 2008 I've heard that several clubs in the south have lost shooting land due 'incompatibility' with the HLS requirements. I think it has mainly effected clubs with shooting over inland wet grazing marsh but some big acreages have been lost. My own club has major ongoing issues with NE with regards to wildfowling consents, there were a couple of articles on it in Shooting Times about a year ago. We did hold a very successful wildfowling workshop/ fundraiser last July which some of you may have been aware of. The truth is- wildfowling consents are becoming harder to obtain due to the awkwardness of Natural England. Yes I genuinely believe N.E are staffed by predominantly Anti types all over. Yet they do-not have the savvy to be honest about it. Referring to pavman's earlier post I have a copy of the proposed HLS payment area's in the south east, Does it not seem just a little strange that every area selected for Higher stewardship is leased or owned by major suffolk/norfolk wildfowling clubs? Some of the ground is clearly unsuitable for the ideal's of HLS payments but it does give NE the opportunity to suppress shooting if the payments are accepted by the landowners's. Regards starlight32 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pavman Posted June 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2008 comment welcome from David BASC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suffolk shooter Posted June 3, 2008 Report Share Posted June 3, 2008 Pavman, It would be unfair to ask David BASC as this is not his speciality, but granted he would be able to prepare some sort of Party line answer. I think its fair to say that BASC at the moment is keeping its cards very close to its chest in the fight against such problems as they arise, taking each case on its own individual merits. I am fully aware that BASC are on the case with regards to helping clubs out over such land, but ultimately can you blame any landowner for taking the money for doing very little on land, which other than to graze cattle, is pretty much useless for growing much in the shape of wildfowling Marshes. I believe our friend Highlander is of the view that people should pay for their shooting, and in this case, if the shooting fraternity wishes to stave off this veiled attack, then they must be prepared to pay in the form of longterm leases or out right buying of said land. Recent events in Suffolk of a large wildfowling clubs loss of prime Marshland being brought by a RSPB anti, should be a lesson to all really. Don't get me wrong, I'm not in favour of it any more than you guys, but lets face it it is the harsh reality of the world. And yes it would seem that there are now more Anti's in the mix than pro shooting people, but unless we all suddenly re-train to take up the positions within these organisations and have the money to back ourselves, it is going to stay that way. Even more reason to get all country and field sport organisations to form under one umbrella to fight these issues. Scalopax, We have our own battle right here on the Suffolk/Essex Border with the Stour and Orwell wildfowlers, speaking to BASC Eastern Region Director, William Heal, in January he told me that they had reached an agreement for the coming season, but were still tying to resolve the long term issue. If there is a member of those clubs that shoot these areas, it would be great to hear from them on the latest as it appears to have gone a bit quiet. SS PS Pavman, Aren't you a committee member, I would have thought that you will no doubt already know the majority of what has been stated/passed and likely to come up? I would have thought you would have seen the minutes from the Wildfowling conference in March, I know I did? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldrick Posted June 7, 2008 Report Share Posted June 7, 2008 Pav, with more and more farmers ditching ELS and HLS due to the constraints tthat he schemes impose (when land could be more productive), I would imagine that Natural England will try to gain more control of wetlands. The pool of money for HLS is fixed, and it's a small sum. If farmers cannot (quite justifiably) be bothered to commit to a 10-year scheme that requires them to pay more attention to beetle populations than world food shortages, then the wildfowling clubs are definitely going to get 'invited' to join HLS. Not a pleasant prospect. I detest NE's arrogant, misguided and blinkered attitude, and I find NE very difficult to deal with in my job as a land agent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustyfox Posted June 8, 2008 Report Share Posted June 8, 2008 Where I work we share the same building with Scottish Natural Heritage and I can tell you its mostly woman and the few men that are their are save the earth type of people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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