DEFRA Cuts: RSPB cheered by stewardship scheme’s protection
The RSPB has welcomed the DEFRA’s decision to protect wildlife-friendly farming from spending review cuts by retaining and prioritising Higher Level Stewardship.
Better use of European funding, thought to stem from more favourable currency exchange rates, helped DEFRA to keep environmental stewardship schemes open to all farmers.
DEFRA also plans to increase HLS funding by 80%.
RSPB director of conservation Mark Avery said: “Environment secretary Caroline Spelman has done a good job in defending wildlife friendly farming against the worst of the cuts.
“Those who care for our natural environment have made their voices heard on this issue. The message from our members and the wider public has been loud and clear and the government has clearly taken notice.
“It is great to know that a lot of hard work being done by farmers to create habitats for lapwings, stone curlews, corn buntings and other threatened species will continue.”
But wider environmental spending had taken a big hit, he added. DEFRA’s overall cut represented the second-worst settlement of any department.
Organisations like the Environment Agency and Natural England would be considerably smaller and there would be less money available to spend on conservation projects aimed at halting the decline in biodiversity in this country, Dr Avery added.
“The Government still has a long way to go to prove it can be ‘the greenest government ever’, so it is vital we kick start a public debate on how nature conservation is to be funded in the future.”