Countryside Management Association News

Limited movements of animals susceptible to Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) will be allowed under strict biosecurity arrangements to address immediate welfare issues, in line with the contingency plan. The ban on movements of animals susceptible to FMD, announced earlier today, remains in place.
In addition, a decision has been taken to slaughter on suspicion animals on a farm adjacent to the Infected Premises in Surrey that was confirmed earlier today. This is a precautionary measure and was identified by Animal Health during surveillance this afternoon.
Debby Reynolds Chief Veterinary Officer said:
“This is a developing situation . Our objective is to contain and eradicate the disease. As with the outbreak last month, we will be seeking to take a staged and risk-based approach to controls. I urge all animal keepers to remain vigilant and follow the most stringent of biosecurity measures.”
Under the national movement ban rules the decision has been taken to permit under general licence :
• Movements of dairy cattle across or along public highways for the purpose of milking;
• Movement of FMD susceptible animals for emergency veterinary treatment;
Movement of animals from markets and shows will be allowed to farms under specific licence issued by Animal Health and subject to veterinary inspection.
Some very limited movements are necessary for immediate welfare and practical reasons where animals have been at markets or at shows . Movements and collections will only be permitted to take place in accordance with strict licensing conditions, in particular biosecurity measures . Similar arrangements are in place in Scotland and Wales.
Further information
The details of current Protection and Surveillance Zones in Surrey and the Temporary Control Zone in Norfolk can be found on the Defra website at: www.defra.gov.uk/footandmouth/

The English countryside is shrinking rapidly, and much of it could disappear within 80 years unless there are curbs on new developments.

Alarm over the loss of undisturbed areas of the landscape is being raised today by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE). It has commissioned new maps charting the pace of construction that has changed the landscape since the early 1960s.

The striking images show that almost 50 per cent of England is now disturbed by roads, industrial developments, out-of-town retail and business parks and new housing estates.

The intrusion maps show exactly how the growth in motorways and roads, power stations, airports, railway lines, power lines, wind farms, mines, and quarries has affected the countryside. According to the CPRE, only 26 per cent of England s land area had been disturbed by urban intrusion before the 1960s. This grew to 41 per cent by the early 1990s, and this year to almost 50 per cent, 25,614 square miles (66,399 sq km). The extent of incursion may be even greater, however, as the mapping exercise did not take into account the impact of aircraft noise.

The maps show that the main area of remaining, undisturbed countryside is in the National Parks Dartmoor, Exmoor, the Yorkshire Dales, the North York Moors, the Lake District and Northumberland which have strong planning controls. There are also large swaths of deep, unfragmented countryside along the Marches of Herefordshire and Shropshire, and in the North Pennines.

Land in the South East is under the most pressure. In the past decade, 320 square miles (830 sq km) of countryside have been affected by the impact of new developments.

The CPRE is publishing the maps in the hope that they help to rein in the Government s planned shake-up of the planning system making it easier to build new infrastructure. The CPRE is calling for more building on brownfield sites, and for greater promotion of public transport. Shaun Spiers, the group s chief executive, said: The countryside is one of our greatest national assets.

51,300

square miles, England s land mass

25,614

square miles affected by noise or visual intrusion today

www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article2419146.ece

There were 1109 incidents involving wild birds in 2006 - more than a 50 per cent increase on the previous year when there were 726.
The latest figures are revealed in the RSPB's Birdcrime report and come 25 years after the introduction of the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
The RSPB believes the rise is due in part to more wildlife crimes being reported as the result of the setting up of a National Wildlife Crime Unit in 2006.
But the Society says it is particularly concerned with the number of crimes against some of our most endangered birds, particularly birds of prey.
Three counties in England - Derbyshire, North Yorkshire and Northumberland - were identified as the worst for reported persecutions of birds of prey.
There were 12 reported cases of persecution in Derbyshire, 11 in North Yorkshire and 10 in Northumberland. All three counties are important for a number of birds of prey including red kite, goshawk and hen harrier which are struggling to recover after years of persecution.
The RSPB has now employed a full-time investigations officer in the area in an attempt to cut down the number of attacks.
Dr Mark Avery, the RSPB's conservation director, said: "After 25 years of legal protection, we should be seeing dramatic cuts in wildlife crime.
"Thankfully, some birds of prey are heading towards recovery in the UK, but let us not forget that illegal slaughter of birds of prey that caused their extirpation and extinction in the first place. We mustn't allow age-old attitudes towards birds of prey once more put these magnificent birds under threat."

Plans to create a massive wetland habitat near Huntingdon was recently given a further boost at the Inland Waterways Association's festival at St Ives.

Baroness Young, opened the festival and announced that the Middle Level Commissioners had become a formal partner of the Great Fen Project.

The project is seeking to link the Woodwalton Fen and Holme Fen nature reserves to create a super reserve covering more than 9,000 acres.

The scheme has been so successful that it has attracted Prince Charles as Royal Patron, Stephen Fry as president and former Prime Minister Sir John Major as a patron. The project is now running years ahead of schedule, has also just been awarded a record-breaking £8.9 million grant by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The Middle Level Commissioners - who control the area's flood protection and water management system and manage navigable waterways in the area - become the fifth partner in the project, joining the Environment Agency, Huntingdonshire District Council, Natural England and the Wildlife Trust.

They have responsibility for the largest section of the Great Level of the Fens, created by drainage during the 17th Century, and are responsible for 120 miles of water courses and 170,000 acres of land, including the Great Fen Project area.

As a partner they will offer advice and expertise on water management in the project area and the potential for access to the reserve by water.

It will also enhance flood protection by increasing flood storage areas in the Great Fen