Hedgelife: Hedge planting/laying/coppicing in East Anglia and the South East. Mixed farming
Essex
Joined November 2012
- Tweets753
- Following1.2K
- Followers680
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Ian Metson retweeted
After 23 years we have decided to stop contracting. We are selling all of our kit. Lots of happy memories but time to move onto a new exciting adventure #Consultancy #Milling #Education #SellLocal
Ian Metson retweeted
Summer hedge e-news featuring:
🌳hedge carbon
🕊️'peak bird' coppice regrowth from @stuttonsparrows
📊making farm scale hedge management plans
🌳a poster helping you work out where hedge trees are best established
🔥laying/biochar dynamic from Mike Reed
clicks.ptes.org/ct/m6/k1/D8t…
Ian Metson retweeted
The oldest court in the world isn’t in Athens or Rome.
It’s in Valencia, Spain —
And it’s been settling irrigation disputes for more than 1,000 years… 🧵
Ian Metson retweeted
Simply stunning.
Today, the Farming Minister was asked by the EFRA Select Committee why he closed the SFI scheme at a moment’s notice without giving the promised 6 weeks notice.
Instead, he passed the buck onto his official, who was clear in her response it was the Minister’s own decision.
Clearly, all is not well within DEFRA - and our farmers are right to be absolutely outraged.
Politics aside, today’s meeting shows the pure incompetence at the heart of DEFRA.
If you know the SFI scheme is filling up and you have that data in front of you, why not at the very least give farmers the 6 weeks notice they were promised?
Our land drains into London’s 3rd largest river, the Roding. Can the urban parts of it it be made clean enough to swim in within 10 years?
Brilliant that our Head of Improving Rivers, John Bryden, featured in today's @bbcnews report on if "London's rivers can be swimmable by 2035".🧵
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c75z…
Ian Metson retweeted
Brilliant that our Head of Improving Rivers, John Bryden, featured in today's @bbcnews report on if "London's rivers can be swimmable by 2035".🧵
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c75z…
Ian Metson retweeted
Another of my huge frustrations with the @RachelReevesMP attack on APR and BPR.
To deliver the legislated Environment targets @Keir_Starmer needs to be working in partnership with the farming industry.
Unfortunately the trust and goodwill has been absolutely shattered!
🔍 @OfficeforEP has assessed government progress on the environment in 2023-24.
📉 The verdict? It's largely off track.
🚀 This government can catch up if it acts now.
theoep.org.uk/report/governm…
A very good summary of a complex issue. The knock ons of the current limbo around funding for hedges will go beyond this season. And the longer it goes on, the bigger the impact will be 🌳 🌳🌳
@KapilaSandy Hi Sandy when will we get some clarity on what is happening with Capital Grant applications that have been submitted? We are very keen to deliver this work for customers but every day that we are stuck in limbo decreases the amount we can do in this short season.
Ian Metson retweeted
It's good to see NGOs and others coming out to support nature friendly farming. If Government wants to deliver on its nature and climate targets it will need to be helping farmers do it through public money for public goods.
Green champions, including @WildlifeTrusts and @WWF_UK, are urging the Government to fix our broken agricultural system. It’s time to support farmers in embracing nature-friendly practices that protect our planet and secure our future.
Ian Metson retweeted
Demoralising at present. Especially those that have put in an application heard nothing and now it seems the goal posts have moved yet again. We simply can’t plan businesses like this. To me the IHT is small news in comparison to BPS cuts quicker and also cutting other funding.
This is like saying ‘we knew we were going to crash, so didn’t see any point applying the brakes’ @DavidatWestons @herdyshepherd1 @LinesMartin @NFUtweets @TrooperSnooks
Ian Metson retweeted
"This is yet another moving of the goalposts in the ELMs process."
NFU Deputy President David Exwood @DavidatWestons says the NFU is urgently seeking clarification on delays to Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier applications.
Ian Metson retweeted
Absolutely staggering
This goverment and DEFRA are basically dismantling 20 years of effort and good will from thousands of people to create a system to deliver nature recovery on farms
Friends are ringing me up saying ‘can you believe this is happening?’
No, I can’t
Ian Metson retweeted
As a farmer the messaging coming out of @DefraGovUK is really messed up. Capital payments for trees in agroforestry on hold but yesterday Defra launch a new tree planting task force to plant more trees.🤯defraenvironment.blog.gov.uk…
These are projects we are working on at the moment, some funded through CSS capital grants. We need urgent clarity on grant applications sat with the RPA to avoid a huge wasted opportunity to plant and rejuvenate miles of hedges over the next few months
Ian Metson retweeted
19 Nov: “We are investing £5 billion into farming over the next two years – the largest amount ever…” Chancellor Rachel Reeves & Defra secretary Steve Reed
25 Nov: Defra pauses new capital grant scheme offers “due to budget pressures…” fwi.co.uk/news/farm-policy/d…
Ian Metson retweeted
This plan is gold standard hedge establishment:
Plant
Leave
Lay
It makes hands down the best hedges
We could do with this as an available option for young hedges in SFIs- any chance of a rethink for the next iteration @JanetHughes?
Its also best way to establish hedge trees
Ian Metson retweeted
I've been following the same Kazakh family on their 140km spring migration across the Altai Mountains of #Mongolia for the last 8 years.
This year I shot the whole trip on my smartphone.
Here are some photos...
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