Thread by @cachivers

The @uk_aspen webinar on the future of the UK countryside is about to begin! Featuring a wide range of speakers including @NFUtweets @Natures_Voice @CPRE @CLAtweets @van_griffiths @EnvAgency @Minette_Batters

I'll be live-tweeting the session in this thread #agrichat 1/?

Sounds like a huge range of topics will be covered in this session including climate change, Covid, trade deals, supermarkets, biodiversity and more! @uk_aspen

First question: Can we put a value on accessing the countryside?

Crispin Truman of @CPRE: We need to talk about the positive value of the countryside, it should be beautiful and thriving for all. The countryside has intrinsic value, sweeping landscapes make us feel good. 2/?

Crispin Truman (ctd) Accessing countryside is = ££, community life depleted, most homes = unaffordable, reliant on cars. We need sustainable lifestyles, investment in rural social housing, rural transport fund, better planning. 3/? @CPRE

Crispin Truman: The cost of having this rural transport fund is nothing compared to the £27bn the gov plan to spend on roads! A holistic approach is needed to encourage modern rural living @CPRE

Now for @Minette_Batters @NFUtweets who begins by saying that Covid could offer huge opportunities for change, argues that 'building back better' post-Covid shouldn't be urban-centric & must look at rural communities (e.g., broadband connectivity for those WFH in rural areas)

Mark Bridgeman of @CLAtweets: Local communities need to be allowed to thrive. We're turning the corner with connectivity in rural areas but there's still a way to go; people need to be able to run their businesses from home regardless of where they live #rurallife

Mark Bridgeman of @CLAtweets: We need to connect more with rural areas, there's still a disconnect. Technology, school visits, education could help people to understand where their food is coming from & how our rural landscapes are managed and created #rurallife @FFC_Commission

Beccy Speight of @Natures_Voice: People are realising that the countryside provides us with food, a living & an environment in which we can all thrive. We need to think about both carbon & biodiversity, we're dependent on these for our own survival.

Beccy Speight of @Natures_Voice: feels as though we're going through a time of change at the moment, she thinks we may be changing how we think about the countryside.

Vanessa Griffiths of @EnvAgency agrees and says it's vital that everyone works together.

Conversation is moving onto conflicts between urban-rural people (e.g., rural dwellers against visitors hiking in local countryside).

Littering, sheep scaring = exacerbated this divide.

C.Truman @CPRE: The more people feel welcome in countryside, the more they'll look after it

A great idea for reducing the rural-urban divide from Crispin Truman @CPRE: having QR codes for footpath users to scan when they pass through farms, allows them to learn about the farm and where food comes from!

M. Bridgeman @CLAtweets: There isn't just a rural-urban divide but also rural-rural divide where people have moved into the area & may not understand farming/rural communities. There needs to be >communication, social media = key for helping people learn about countryside/farming

Now onto how orgs can cooperate to secure healthy future for the countryside.

@Minette_Batters: We all want the same things (e.g., carbon-neutral food prod). Covid/Brexit = wake-up call that we have to work collectively, be ambitious & collaborate like never before. @NFUtweets

Becky Speight @Natures_Voice says that policy needs joining up, the government have a lot to do in terms of linking agricultural policy, Brexit, trade deals etc. etc.

Individuals can make a difference too, e.g., through planting a tree/volunteering in your local community

M. Bridgeman @CLAtweets: farms/hamlets need to be allowed to evolve, asks what should be done about derelict barns in national parks: let them crumble/become 'museums' or allow them to be repurposed (done sympathetically)? Planning is good but must be done well #rurallife

B. Speight of @Natures_Voice concerned about planning, need to ensure biodiversity is protected and that not ALL red tape is removed. We must seize opportunities to protect biodiversity.

What do the panellists think about 'rewilding'?

@Minette_Batters: she & many others = frustrated by the 'either/or' narrative. All farms have wild spaces regardless of farm size, we must maximise those; let's end the binary narrative & move on! Food/wildlife should be intrinsic.

Mark Bridgeman of @CLAtweets now discussing insecticides, argues it would be great to be able to reduce reliance and thinks opportunities to do so will come with technology. #agrichat @SprintH2020

Beccy Speight of @Natures_Voice argues that if we're serious about restoring biodiversity, we need to think about whether certain areas could be wilder than they currently are; e.g., SSSIs are often in poorer condition than they should be, could be doing more for nature.

Now onto Brexit, audience asks whether the panellists/farmers are worried.

@Minette_Batters: Still plenty of work to make sure we get it right. @NFUtweets = fighting for food standards, want to maintain European market and ensure food imports are produced to the same standard.

Great to hear that an unprecedented coalition has been formed with environmental organisations, @Minette_Batters says the NFU & others collaborating are for the same cause to ensure Brexit is done right and that our farmers are not undermined #ukfarming

Crispin Truman @CPRE: Covid has made us realise how important the countryside is to us so it's time that we give back to it and make an effort to look after it. Now's the time to write to your MP and give the countryside a bigger voice! #rurallife #ukfarming

Beccy Speight @Natures_Voice: We haven't got time for another lost decade in terms of biodiversity and climate, we must grab this opportunity to help the countryside.

Now for countryside safety @Minette_Batters @NFUtweets: If you are walking in the countryside, understand the countryside code and stay safe (e.g., DON'T go in between cattle & their calves).

Just to add: Keep dogs on leads when in fields with any livestock! #countryside

That's all folks! Excellent seminar, thanks to @uk_aspen for hosting. Now to go and rest my wrists after an hour of frantic typing! 😂