The Big Picture

The British countryside today...

• British agriculture is collapsing - each year Europe donates £5bn to UK agriculture in the form of subsidies
• The situation is likely to get worse - as the European Union grows to include more member states, vast areas of agricultural land will become available for the efficient and cheap production of sheep and beef.
• The British countryside relies on agriculture - most landowners are farmers
• And not just farmers rely on the countryside -  rural tourism (eg hoteliers) suffered during the Foot & Mouth crisis
• People appreciate visiting the countryside - rural tourism to the UK is worth £12bn every year

...growing wildlife "as a crop" is the agriculture of tomorrow:

• Visitors to the countryside currently do not pay for what they enjoy, yet maintaining the countryside costs money - development mitigation legislation is inevitable, and will represent a fair way to pay for rural 'upkeep.'
• In the short term, subsidies should be diverted towards wildlife - in the long term they can be reduced / eliminated.
• Given the right guidance, farmers can turn their efforts towards enriching the UK's wildlife resources - the countryside can pay for itself without continuing with globally uncompetitive agricultural produce.

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