BUMBLEBEE CONSERVATION — IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BUZZING AND THE GIVING

view online Bumblebee Conservation Trust logo Christmas scene of holly and fir cones with gifts and hoodie in centre 🎄Choose bee-friendly gifts this Christmas🎄 Your bumblebee friendly Christmas guide is here to help you find thoughtful presents that truly make a difference! This gift guide is packed with bee-rilliant ideas to bring joy to your loved ones, while supporting our friendly pollinators. The choice is endless - from cards, soft toy, pin badges, cards, calendars, 100% organic hoodies, mugs and much more. Every sale supports the work of the Trust to secure a future for the UK's bumblebees 🛍️ By shopping with us, you're not just giving a gift - you're contributing to a world where bumblebees can thrive. Shop with purpose this season and spread a little bumblebee magic with every gift you give! ✨ The gift to keep our bumblebees buzzing 🐝 Graphics of holly and love heart with two membership packs displaying contents Treat your bumblebee-loving friends and family to a Bumblebee Conservation Trust gift membership this Christmas! It's the gift that keeps on giving all year round and provides vital funds to protect the UK's bumblebees through our conservation and engagement work. Each member pack is full of bumblebee themed goodies - a thoughtful present that makes a real difference for nature 🌸 Order before Wednesday 17 December to ensure it arrives before the big day 💌 Browse gift membership options 💌 Your 2026 bumblebee calendar has landed! 📆 Collage of calendar pages showing bumblebee species Plan ahead with this 2026 bumblebee calendar! Featuring stunning bumblebee photos taken by our supporters from across the UK, bring the beauty of bumblebees into your daily life for just £12.00. We've also included a handy illustrated bumblebee ID guide for you to refer to, to help you identify the bumblebees you see throughout 2026. Bee quick! Buy now 🎁 Wrap up your wardrobe and home with Teemill Selection of gifts with cream and gold wrapped presents and blue price tags on items Discover feel-good gifting with this Teemill Christmas gift guide. From beautifully made organic clothing to homeware and caps. You'll be sure to find a thoughtful, bee-rilliant present for everyone on your list 🛍️ All items are made of natural materials using renewable energy in real time as they are ordered, so there's no waste. Great news! Use the code TAKE10 for 10% off and free shipping on Teemill orders this Black Friday only. Every purchase supports our charity's vital conservation work, so you can feel good knowing your gift is giving back! 💚 Shop Christmas Teemill store 🎁 Personalised Santa sack in front of lit Christmas tree Shop Santa sack Reindeer Christmas jumper in box with fir cones and presents around it Shop Christmas jumpers Big 8 bumblebee mug with Christmas decor around it Shop mugs and bottles Send a smile, the bee-friendly way 📨 Bumblebee on red and green flower with words in white Reindeer with bumblebee baubles hanging from antlers design Send a festive eCard this Christmas - a greener, quicker way to spread joy! It's faster and better for the planet and with our cheerful, personalised eCards you get to: 👍 Donate the cost of cards and stamps to the Trust 🌎 140g carbon saved per paper card not sent 😊 Save your time for what you enjoy 📬 Send by email, WhatsApp and Messenger! We've added four new designs this year, so grab a cuppa, choose your card and spread love like pollen this Christmas 💌 Send a Christmas eCard 💌 Bumblebee gifts from stocking to tree!🧦 Red tailed pin badge on cream background with gold heart graphic Show your love for bumblebees with an enamel bumblebee pin badge at only £3.00 each! This glossy enamel pin has a butterfly clasp backing and measures 25mm, making it the perfect stocking filler, a great conversation starter and the bee-st way to cover that hole in your jumper! These charming pins come in 10 different bumblebee designs, each celebrating our fuzzy friends. Shop pin badges 🐝 Bumblebees - an introduction front cover on cream background with gold love heart graphic Discover the fascinating world of bumblebees with a beginner-friendly book written by Trust staff. This beautifully crafted introduction covers the ecology of bumblebees to identifying each species in the UK. Priced at only £10.00, it's the perfect companion to learn about bumblebees! Shop book 📘 Luco the bumblebee with tag on cream background with gold love heart graphic Meet Luco, the White-tailed bumblebee soft toy! This plush, huggable toy features two bright yellow stripes, soft velvety wings, and authentic details like antennae, eyes and legs. Whether as a gift for a loved one or to add to your bee-loving collection, this soft toy at £18.00 will spread joy whilst supporting our charity's vital work to save the bumblebees! Suitable for children ages 3+. Shop Luco 🐝 Give the gift of blooms! Delight your loved ones with our bumblebee wildflower seed mix to make your outdoor space bee-friendly! Our wildflower packet includes Knapweed, Tufted Vetch, Cornflower, Field Poppy, and Wild Marjoram. The perfect stocking filler for nature lovers at just £3.00. Shop seed mix 🌱 Bee the Change: Donation in lieu of a Christmas present 💚 Four different donation amounts with bumblebees images and gold stars dotted throughout This Christmas, give a gift that truly makes a difference by supporting bumblebee conservation. Instead of a traditional purchase, why not donate to the Trust to help protect these vital pollinators. When you purchase this donation, you'll receive a thank you email containing a link to download a donation certificate. If your giving this donation as a gift, you can simply forward to the recipient or print the certificate at home 💚 Together, we can ensure our rarest bumblebees recover and our more common species thrive, so that no more bumblebees become endangered in our lifetime. Purchase a donation of choice today 💚 A very buzzy puzzle Completed puzzle with box on top and sparkle graphic Discover some of the UK's brilliant bee species with this 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle from Gibsons. This beautifully illustrated puzzle will help you learn more about the different species of bumblebees. It makes a great gift for any budding bumblebee-lover. Puzzle size: 27 x 19". Add to cart 🧩 Illustrated cards Both cards of bumblebee in black with dash of yellow tones on blue background Pack of 10, A6 illustrated cards with two different designs donated by artist, and the Trust's Conservation Projects Manager, Katy Malone. Each card is left blank inside, giving you the space to add your own personal Christmas message this season. Pack of 10 cards at £6.00. Order your cards 📮 Want to follow the Bumblebee Conservation Trust on social media? Click on the icons below to stay up-to-date. Did you know you can also follow the social media channels of our projects on X: @nikkigammans @BuzzingWales @BuzzingShrill @BuzzingScotland Bumblebee Conservation Trust. Registered Charity No: 1115634 / Scottish Charity No: SC042830. © 2025 Bumblebee Conservation Trust. All rights reserved. You are receiving this newsletter because you are already a member, subscribed via our website, an event or when becoming a volunteer. We hope you enjoy reading it! Registered address: International House, 109-111 Fulham Palace Road, London, W6 8JA; Correspondence address: Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Beta Centre, Stirling University Innovation Park, Stirling FK9 4NF Unsubscribe

PLANTLIFE ARE TALKING OF OUR INTEMPERATE RAINFORESTS THAT NEED OUR HELP

6 Ways We're Saving the Rainforest View this email in your browser Plantlife logo - The global voice for wild plants and fungi Hi John, From the tip of Scotland, to the south west coasts of Devon and Cornwall - we've got people on the ground working to protect temperate rainforests. Our work includes saving rare species like lichens and bryophytes, training people in rainforest management and reducing threats. Here are 6 ways that we've been working to save the temperate rainforest: HandshakeWe’re working together to protect our rainforests for the future House buildingWe’re boosting rainforest communities SeedlingWe’re finding species safe new homes No entryWe’re reducing threats to the rare temperate rainforest environment 50th TreeWe’re creating new rainforest habitat Cow faceWe re-introduced grazing to the forest How we're helping rainforests Did you know that less than 1% of the world's surface is covered by temperate rainforest? Temperate rainforests in the UK are of global importance, having the greatest concentration of oceanic lichens and mosses in Europe. But they are dangerously close to extinction - facing threats from invasive species, pollution and disease. Find out how we are protecting these incredible habitats, as well as the vast array of species that call them home. Find out more At Plantlife, we are leading the way in temperate rainforest research, restoration and celebration - and we don't plan on stopping any time soon. Charley Plantlife Nature Editor Follow Plantlife on: Instagram Instagram Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter YouTube YouTube LinkedIn LinkedIn Website Website Copyright © Plantlife All rights reserved. Plantlife International is a charitable company limited by guarantee. Registered Charity in England and Wales (1059559) & Scotland, (SC038951) Registered Company in England and Wales (3166339) Registered Office: Brewery House,36 Milford Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 2AP, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1722 342730 enquiries@plantlife.org.uk www.plantlife.org.uk Plantlife respects your privacy. You can read more about how and why we use your personal data at www.plantlife.org.uk/privacy-notice Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

THREE GOOD PIECES OF NEWS FROM PROTECT THE WILD. SOMEONW HS TO CARE IF BARCLAYS DON’T SEEM TO

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more GREAT news for animals!! Three really good things that have happened for animals in the last few days :) NOV 29 READ IN APP Hi everyone, Just a short and sweet email to share three really good things that have happened for animals in the last few days :) First up, we have just found out that Norwich City Council has refused Barclays’ application to install bird netting at their premises! The council said Barclays failed to show the netting wouldn’t harm wildlife or protected species, so the risk to birds was unacceptable. And on top of that, they ruled the netting would visually damage a locally important heritage building and the wider conservation area, with no public benefit strong enough to justify it. This came right after more than 6,500 of you signed our last-minute petition on Wednesday evening. It is real proof that when we act together, we can save animals’ lives. There is no doubt you have helped protect countless birds from suffering or being left to die. That is genuinely brilliant, thank you. We’re currently working on a big campaign to end bird netting across the country, stay tuned! Second, we recently donated £5,000, split between three wonderful organisations doing vital work. Noo Beginnings Animal Sanctuary, The Retreat Animal Rescue, and Humane Wildlife Solutions. Whenever we can, we will always support animal rescues and the brilliant people across the country who are doing incredible work for animals. And finally, on Thursday I spoke on ITV News about the urgent need to end the badger cull for good, following our Government petition which helped secure a milestone debate in Parliament. You can watch the clip below (turns out walking normally on camera is harder than it looks… 😅). With the final badger cull licence due to run in 2026, the pressure on the Government to end this cruelty is only growing. We will be ramping up our campaigning over the coming months to help make sure it stops once and for all. Support Protect the Wild with a small monthly donation We rely solely on the generosity of the public and don’t have any major funders behind the scenes. Despite being a relatively small group we are so proud of our output and it is thanks to every single person who chips in a few pounds a month that we can continue our vital work. We do everything we legally can to fight for British wildlife. From undercover investigations, animations, journalism, report writing, equipment and mental health support for activists, protests, pressure campaigning.. Our monthly goal is to find 100 new supporters who believe in our mission and can afford to give anything from £2/3 a month in the fight for British wildlife. We’re currently on 94! Help us reach our monthly target! :) Support Protect the Wild SHARE LIKE COMMENT RESTACK © 2025 Protect the Wild Protect the Wild, 71-75 Shelton Street Covent Garden, London, W2CH 9JQ Unsubscribe Start writing

FROM PROTECT THE WILD — SIX AIMS FOR 2026 LISTED — SO READ PST THE SALE OFFERS

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more HUGE FOX FRIDAY SALE! 25% OFF EVERYTHING across our shop this weekend! PROTECT THE WILD NOV 28 READ IN APP It’s Fox Friday! And to celebrate we are offering a huge 25% OFF EVERYTHING across our shop this weekend! So if you’re thinking about Xmas presents (we have an ideal gifts section) for friends and family and also want to support a great cause then look no further! There is so much to choose from! And every purchase helps us Protect the Wild! No code needed, just add what you want to your basket and the discount will be automatically applied :) We really do appreciate you choosing to shop with us over the festive period, these next few weeks are so crucial for raising much needed funds as we head into the new year. SHOP NOW What are some of our aims for 2026? End hunting with hounds for good: We have a once-in-a-generation chance to shut down trail hunting for good by flooding the Government’s public consultation with responses. We’ll be pushing harder than ever. Over 250,000 people have already signed our petition or written to their MP using our template, and we’ll be ramping up the campaign even further in the new year. Expose the bird shooting industry: We’ll be releasing the findings from the largest undercover investigation into the UK bird shooting industry ever carried out. Months of footage will reach millions of people and form the backbone of our campaign to End Bird Shooting. End the Guga Hunt: We’re backing Rachel Bigsby’s Scottish Government petition to end the Guga Hunt, while piling pressure on NatureScot to do the right thing and withdraw the licence. We also have several actions and events lined up that you can be part of. End bird netting: We’re building the UK’s first dedicated End Bird Netting website, including a live map showing where birds have been found trapped in netting. This is the start of a larger long-term campaign to pressure companies and secure legislative change in the years ahead. Completely end the badger cull: By 2026, just one badger cull licence is set to remain active. We will fight to make sure it is scrapped and never renewed, ending badger culling entirely. Our Government petition earlier this year was a landmark moment, with MPs across the political spectrum backing an immediate end. We’ll keep challenging the Government in every way possible to protect this iconic British species. Take on the pest control industry and prove humane alternatives work: We’re currently running the largest research project ever undertaken into how many animals are being killed by taxpayer-funded bodies. In 2026, we’ll launch a major campaign pushing publicly funded organisations to permanently switch to humane, non-lethal solutions. This sits alongside our ongoing work reaching more than 30 million people every month with bold, pro-wildlife messaging, while backing a wide range of causes and campaigns. We’ll be creating even more hard-hitting, viral animations, and we’ll continue supporting direct-action groups and animal rights activists through our mental health service, and by providing equipment and funding for grassroots action. SHARE LIKE COMMENT RESTACK © 2025 Protect the Wild Protect the Wild, 71-75 Shelton Street Covent Garden, London, W2CH 9JQ Unsubscribe Start writing

FROM MARINE CONSERVATION SOCIETY — THE ENORMOUS VALUE OYSTERS HAVE TO OUR WATERS

12 super purifiers for only £9.72 View in browser Hi John, The Purifier, aka the native oyster, has an incredible superpower. Every individual oyster can filter 200 litres of water per day, removing harmful pollutants and particles to improve the health of our ocean. In just four hours, a handful of oysters can filter dirty water until it's almost clear! However, The Purifier needs you. For just £9.72, we could grow a dozen baby oysters to put back into our waters. Can you be a super sidekick and help us? Donate £9.72 now GIF timelapse of two tubs of brown dirty water, the left tub has several grey coloured oysters, on a bench with the sea in the background. Over four hours the oyster tub filters the water till it is almost clear. Credit: Oyster Heaven Thank you for being the vital sidekick to our humble Unlikely Ocean Hero. Lewi Jinks Marketing Officer Marine Conservation Society Become a member Our shop Contact us Unsubscribe The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is the UK charity dedicated to protecting our seas, shores and wildlife. Marine Conservation Society | Company Limited by Guarantee (England and Wales) No. 2550966 Registered Charity No. England and Wales No. 1004005 | Scotland No. SC037480 VAT No. 321 4912 32 Registered Office: Overross House, Ross Park, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, HR9 7US. Scottish Office: CBC House, 24 Canning Street, Edinburgh, EH3 8EG.

OUR TEMPERATE RAIN FORESTS — IT’S LONG BUT IMPORTANT — ASK GUY SHRUBSOLE

Sent from my iPad Begin forwarded message: From: J Edwards Date: 30 November 2023 at 14:45:01 CET To: John Edwards Subject: Fwd: [New post] The Government’s temperate rainforest strategy for England – an analysis  Sent from my iPad Begin forwarded message: From: Lost Rainforests of Britain Date: 29 November 2023 at 19:47:39 CET To: spanishjohnedwards@gmail.com Subject: [New post] The Government’s temperate rainforest strategy for England – an analysis Reply-To: Lost Rainforests of Britain Site logo image Lost Rainforests of Britain The Government’s temperate rainforest strategy for England – an analysis Guy Nov 29 This blog post is by Guy Shrubsole. The UK Government has today published a temperate rainforests strategy for England, bringing much-needed attention, funding and support for this magical and biodiverse habitat. In this blog post, I’ll give my assessment of this development, welcoming what I think is good in it and setting out what still needs to be done. Putting temperate rainforests on the political agenda Firstly, it’s hugely welcome that the Government has published a temperate rainforests strategy at all – and a vindication of the power of campaigning. Reading a document that sings the praises of temperate rainforest – and has the words ‘HM Government’ at the top of the page – is very exciting and rather surreal. I’ve been calling for the Government to put in place a strategy for our rainforests for the past 3 years, both in my book, The Lost Rainforests of Britain, and through the campaign that I’ve worked on with a great team at Seahorse Environmental: a huge thankyou to Isabella Gornall, Alice Russell, Ellen Bassam and Costanza Poggi. Before we started campaigning, temperate rainforests hadn’t even been mentioned in Parliament by MPs. Now we have the Government publishing an entire strategy devoted to this special ecosystem. The fact that they have is testament to the tens of thousands of people who signed our parliamentary petition, contacted their MPs, read my book, tweeted, posted and cheered us on. It is a victory shared by organisations like the Wildlife Trusts, Woodland Trust, RSPB, National Trust, Plantlife, Eden Project, Lost Gardens of Heligan, Thousand Year Trust and many others who have been working to protect and restore temperate rainforests. It’s a win that’s indebted to the tireless work of many botanists, lichenologists and bryologists who have studied this extraordinary habitat for decades. And it is thanks to some very dedicated people within DEFRA, Number 10 and Natural England who have worked on this, in particular James Cullimore, Meg Trethewey and Tony Juniper – thankyou. So, on to the substance of the strategy! What’s good Having a Government-backed rainforests strategy for England will, in itself, raise the profile of this habitat and show farmers, landowners and the public that this is an important ecosystem in need of protection and restoration. £750k for research and development into temperate rainforests. The strategy announces that “through the Nature for Climate Fund we will invest up to £750,000 in research and development in improving the resilience, management, and protection of temperate rainforests.” Whilst the Nature for Climate Fund has existed for several years, this money is newly allocated for temperate rainforests, and for them solely. What research is funded will be determined by (I assume) Natural England and Forest Research, but I hope it will lead to useful new research into threats facing our rainforests like invasive species and climate impacts, and can inform ways to repair and restore them. Of course, there are plenty of things which we already know are bad, and where further research isn’t required to get cracking in fixing them! Work to target some of the key threats facing temperate rainforests, including deer and rhododendron. Deer pressure in many parts of England is unnaturally high (due to absence of natural predators and inadequate culling strategies), leading to overbrowsing of woods, so it’s good to hear the Government will soon be publishing its new deer strategy. Invasive Rhododendron ponticum is choking many of our rainforest sites by shading out all other trees and plants, so the recent increase in payment rates for rhododendron removal is welcome. We await to see if uptake of the grants increases, or whether further incentives or other regulatory policies are needed to eradicate rhododendron from England. 7 new Landscape Recovery (LSR) pilots involving temperate rainforest restoration. It’s very exciting to see that 7 of the 34 new LSR pilots will include some temperate rainforest restoration or creation. I understand that the ones that will are: the Walkham Valley Landscape Recovery Project (Dartmoor); Small is Beautiful – Landscape Recovery on the Isles of Scilly; Reviving Exmoor’s Heartland; Arlington Estate nature recovery and connection to Exmoor; Heart of the Dales; West Pennines More Nature Partnership; Brock and Calder Landscape Recovery Project. (I’m pretty sure the Central Dartmoor project also includes some rainforest restoration, seeing as it includes Wistman’s Wood, so maybe it’s 8!). We pushed for DEFRA to explicitly mention temperate rainforests in their criteria for the second round of LSR pilots, which they did. From the response, it’s clear that there is huge appetite amongst farmers, landowners and conservation NGOs to undertake ambitious restoration of temperate rainforests (and, of course, of many other equally vital habitats and species). There are now a wide range of other funding pots for temperate rainforests, which this strategy helpfully draws together: The Regional Woodland Restoration Innovation Fund – which in the South West and North West of England, invite applications for temperate rainforest restoration. The England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO), which alongside broader grants for woodland creation and tree planting, also provides funding for natural regeneration (although this is limited; see below). The Big Nature Impact Fund, which is investing £30m of public money to leverage more private money into nature restoration, including temperate rainforests. Countryside Stewardship (CS) – the strategy states that CS “will continue to support landowners to restore ancient woodlands which were converted to plantations” (known as PAWS), and also “support more farmers and land managers to manage their precious temperate rainforest habitat” (my emphasis). There are various capital grants available under CS for fencing (to help control grazing by livestock) and deer fencing. None of these funding pots explicitly mentioned temperate rainforests as being eligible prior to our campaigning, so it’s fantastic to see government took on board our suggestions. What’s missing The strategy lacks an overarching target or goal. The Lost Rainforests campaign has been calling for the Government to set a target of doubling the area of England’s rainforests by 2050. We think that’s readily achievable – and could be done simply by allowing our existing rainforest fragments to naturally regenerate and spread, at nature’s pace, by controlling overgrazing on their edges. The strategy does not commit to giving legal protections to more rainforest sites. From mapping we’ve done, we think that around three-quarters of England’s rainforest sites are not protected as SSSIs, and want the Government to correct this. Doing so will not only give important protection to these places, but help the Government meet its 30x30 goal. Simply expanding the number and area of National Nature Reserves does not carry the same legal protections as SSSIs. Whilst the strategy makes welcome reference to the potential for natural regeneration (allowing our rainforests to self-seed and spread, rather than just planting saplings), a flaw remains in the way the Government encourages landowners to allow for this. We continue to urge the Government to amend the ‘75 metre rule’ in the England Woodland Creation Offer, which limits funding for natural regeneration to within 75 metres of a seed source, and extend it to 150 metres – the distance we know from studies that a closed canopy of oak trees can regenerate within 20 years. What needs to happen next There’s more this Government can do to address the missing elements listed above. We will continue to engage with DEFRA, Natural England, Forestry England and Number 10 on these points. We look forward to seeing the progress of all the Landscape Recovery pilot projects that now involve temperate rainforest restoration (2 from the first round, 7-8 from this second round!). Given the clear appetite from farmers, landowners, NGOs and the public for Landscape Recovery – both rounds have been hugely oversubscribed – we fully expect the Government to put their full weight behind making Landscape Recovery a success. That means giving it at least a third of the ELMs budget, as originally promised, before doubts were cast on this under Liz Truss’ administration. You may have noticed that 2024 is an election year. We urge all parties to engage in a ‘race to the top’ on nature and climate policies – and would welcome fresh policy commitments on temperate rainforests from all parties in the run-up to the general election! Comment Like Tip icon image You can also reply to this email to leave a comment. Manage your email settings or unsubscribe. Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://lostrainforestsofbritain.org/2023/11/29/the-governments-temperate-rainforest-strategy-for-england-an-analysis/ WordPress.com and Jetpack Logos Get the Jetpack app to use Reader anywhere, anytime Follow your favorite sites, save posts to read later, and get real-time notifications for likes and comments. Download Jetpack on Google Play Download Jetpack from the App Store WordPress.com on Twitter WordPress.com on Facebook WordPress.com on Instagram WordPress.com on YouTube WordPress.com Logo and Wordmark title= Automattic, Inc. - 60 29th St. #343, San Francisco, CA 94110

RIGHT TO ROAM — THEY ARE OUR RIVERS — BUT TRADITION HAS DICTATED OTHERWISE — MASS TRESPASS

Can't see this message? View in browser   Ask your MP: Why can’t we access OUR river? Dear Roamers, All this month, our wonderful Right to Roam local groups are organising river trespasses across England - from the River Lark in Suffolk to the River Aire in West Yorkshire. You can find more details of their upcoming river trespasses below. But whether or not you can join one of these locally-organised trespasses, we need your help. We need you to ask your MP: why isn’t the Government giving the public access to OUR local river? Communities love their rivers, yet seldom have access to them. 96% of rivers in England & Wales don’t have a clear right of navigation for kayakers, and the right to swim in them is legally murky. Yet it’s local people - swimmers, kayakers, anglers - who care most for our rivers, and who’ve done the most to raise the alarm about our waterways being polluted with sewage, agricultural fertilisers and plastic. The UK Government has pledged to create 9 new river walks in England - but with around 1,500 rivers in the UK, it’s clear this would be just a drop in the ocean. Why should some people get greater access to their local river, and not others? As our local groups are asking: Why not our river? Ask your MP: why is the Government only promising 9 river walks - why not OUR river? To make it easy for you, we’ve drafted an email you can send your MP below. Simply copy and paste it into an email, and send it off to them - and of course, feel free to edit or add your own lines, such as about how much you love your local river. You can find your MP’s email address on the UK Parliament website here Dear ____ MP, I’m writing to you as your constituent, to urge you to call on the UK Government to make all rivers in England accessible to the public. The Government has pledged to create 9 new river walks in England - but with around 1,500 rivers in the UK, it’s clear this would be just a drop in the ocean. Why not our local river? Why not give people a right to responsibly access all rivers in England? Access to nature is so important for everyone’s physical and mental health, and being able to walk along river banks, and swim and kayak in rivers, should be everyone’s right. What’s more, it’s local people - swimmers, kayakers, anglers - who care most for our rivers, and who’ve done the most to raise the alarm about our waterways being polluted with sewage, agricultural fertilisers and plastic. But far too many of our rivers are inaccessible to their local communities: fenced off by landowners and hemmed in by archaic trespass laws, 96% of the rivers in England and Wales lack a clear right of navigation. Locking the public out of our rivers isn’t just bad for human health - it’s contributed to the poor ecological health of those rivers. It’s meant that local people can’t so easily see the pollution poured into them by water companies, can’t clear build-ups of plastic waste, and can’t help tackle outbreaks of invasive species like Himalayan Balsam. There’s a way to help fix this, which is for the Government to pass new laws giving the public a right of responsible access to all rivers in England, as well as the wider countryside. It works in Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and many other countries. We’ve had a partial right to roam in England for the past twenty years, but the law has never applied to rivers - why not? As your constituent, I ask you please to write to the Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds, urging her to legislate for a right of responsible access to England’s rivers and wider countryside. Please also raise this issue in Parliament via parliamentary questions and at upcoming debates. Thank you for your help, Yours sincerely, [INSERT YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS, SO YOUR MP KNOWS YOU ARE A CONSTITUENT] ===== UPCOMING RIVER TRESPASSES Sat 29th Nov - River Aire, West Yorkshire - West Yorkshire Right to Roam. 9.45am, Apperley Bridge train station. For more details, email: righttoroamwestyorkshire@gmail.com Sat 29th Nov - River Camel, Cornwall - Right to Roam Kernow. 11am, Scarlett’s Well Road, Bodmin. For more details, email: right2roam.kernow@gmail.com Sat 29th Nov - River Blythe, West Mids - Right to Roam West Midlands. 9.45am, Solihull train station. For more details, email: righttoroam.westmids@gmail.com Sun 30th Nov - Pigeonhouse Stream - Bristol Right to Roam. 11am, Bishport Avenue Lay-by Bus Stop, BS13 OBN, What3Words: dark.cubes.often. For more details, email: rtrbristol@gmail.com Sun 7th December - River Lathkill - Right to Roam Sheffield. 11am, Alport, near Bakewell. For more details, email: right2roamsheffield@gmail.com ====== AND… A RIGHT TO ROAM GIG IN NEWCASTLE A cosy, curated Autumn evening hunkering down in support and celebration of the Right to Roam with song, story, and words from Lucy & Hazel, Johnny Campbell, and Amy-Jane Beer! 12th December, Newcastle. Buy tickets here. Happy trespassing, happy emailing & happy singing! Best wishes, Guy and the Right to Roam team --- We’ve been campaigning for bold new access legislation for five years, and with the help of the generous support of a few hundred subscribers - each donating around £5-£10 a month - we’ve been mostly able to remain untethered to the demands of grant funding and fundraising. If you feel you could become one of our monthly supporters to keep us agile and focused, please head over to our website: www.righttoroam.org.uk/donate For the latest campaign updates, follow us on Instagram & Bluesky To get involved with campaign action, check out our website here. Want to become a Right to Roam supporter? Head here. Take Action Visit our social accounts Check out our site   This email was sent from this site. If you no longer wish to receive this email, change your email preferences here.

FROM PROTECT THE WILD — SIGN TO SAFE GANNET CHICKS ON NESS

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more We can save generations of animals in 15 seconds Please take action and spare a tiny fraction of your day ROB POWNALL NOV 25 READ IN APP Hi everyone, I need you to take 15 seconds to do something that really matters and will save generations of animals from immense suffering. A bunch of men who call themselves the “Men of Ness” have, for hundreds of years, travelled to a remote Scottish island and carried out one of the most sickening acts of cruelty still allowed in the UK. They “hunt” guga, gannet chicks who cannot even fly. The chicks are dragged away with a rod while their parents scream and circle overhead, helpless, watching the only chick they will raise that year being taken. Then the men cave in their heads and bludgeon them to death right there. It is brutal, deliberate, and completely indefensible. End the slaughter in 15 seconds And it is still legal. Not because it is right, not because it is necessary, but because Section 16 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 permits it. We are backing wildlife photographer Rachel Bigsby’s Scottish Government petition to amend Section 16 and end this hunt for good. This is the moment to stop pretending this is some harmless “tradition.” It is a sanctioned massacre of baby birds, and it has no place in modern Scotland or anywhere else in the UK. The petition is currently at 10,632 signatures. Our target is 33,000, which would make it the most signed petition in the history of the Scottish Government site. We can get there in a matter of hours if every person reading this signs right now. You can sign as a citizen of any UK nation. 167,920 people have been sent this email. The entire Protect the Wild community. If even a fraction of us act today, we end this. Not next year. Not after another season of slaughter. Now. Please be one of the brilliant people to sign the petition. Thank you, Rob End the slaughter in 15 seconds SHARE LIKE COMMENT RESTACK © 2025 Protect the Wild Protect the Wild, 71-75 Shelton Street Covent Garden, London, W2CH 9JQ Unsubscribe Start writing

FROM GREENPEACE — SPANISH FACTORY FARMING AND AVIAN FLU — UNSUSTAINABLE PRACTICES

Greenpeace_Logo_Green_PNG macrogranja-aves Hola, John: En solo tres meses, España ha registrado 14 brotes de gripe aviar en explotaciones de aves. El resultado: casi 2,7 millones de animales sacrificados. Un “avicidio” que refleja el sufrimiento generado por un modelo de ganadería industrial completamente descontrolado. La crisis tampoco afecta solo a las granjas: se han identificado casi 90 focos en aves silvestres, poniendo aún más en riesgo una biodiversidad ya frágil. Grullas, cigüeñas, garzas, patos, gansos, águilas, gaviotas… incluso un pavo real en Madrid han sucumbido a este virus implacable. Y hay algo aún más preocupante: el virus puede saltar a mamíferos, incluidos seres humanos. Desde que se diagnosticó la primera vez en humanos en los años 90, ya se han detectado cientos de infecciones humanas en varios países y en España esta temporada se ha confirmado el primer mamífero muerto por gripe aviar: un zorro en Zaragoza. Aunque este problema no ocurre solo en nuestro país, España es uno de los lugares donde más animales se han sacrificado. ¿Será porque aquí el modelo de ganadería industrial ha crecido de forma totalmente desmesurada y descontrolada? Las macrogranjas son el escenario perfecto para que un virus tan agresivo se propague: Hacinamiento extremo, estrés y animales vulnerables. Transmisión rapidísima en cuanto el virus entra en la explotación. Cantidad ingente y constante de animales hospedadores, lo que ofrece al virus más oportunidades para replicarse y mutar y que desarrolle variantes más patógenas o, peor aún, que puedan infectar a humanos con mayor facilidad. Además, cada vez que se ordenan sacrificios masivos las indemnizaciones se pagan con dinero público. Un modelo que no elegimos, pero que seguimos financiando entre toda la población. La ganadería industrial es una auténtica bomba de relojería y está cada vez más cerca de reventarnos en las manos. ¿Qué pide Greenpeace? Poner fin a la ganadería industrial y a las macrogranjas. Mientras avanzamos hacia ese objetivo, exigimos algo urgente y básico: No autorizar nuevas macrogranjas ni ampliaciones, y fijar límites máximos de animales por explotación. Ahora mismo está sobre la mesa un proyecto especialmente alarmante: una súper-macrogranja de más de un millón de gallinas ponedoras en San Clemente (Cuenca), promovida por Grupo Avícola Rujamar S.L., ¡una auténtica barbaridad! Desde Greenpeace ya hemos presentado alegaciones para frenar este proyecto. Pero necesitamos tu apoyo para amplificar la presión social. John: tu firma puede marcar la diferencia. 👉 Firma aquí para exigir el fin de las macrogranjas y proteger la biodiversidad, la salud pública y el bienestar animal >> FIRMA LA PETICIÓN Muchas gracias por sumar tu voz. Luis Ferreirim Luís Ferreirim Responsable de la campaña de ganadería en Greenpeace España Greenpeace es una organización independiente que no acepta dinero de gobiernos ni empresas para poder denunciar a todas aquellas personas o instituciones que amenazan el planeta. Solo personas comprometidas como tú hacen posible nuestro trabajo. Solo usaremos tus datos para informarte de las últimas novedades del medio ambiente y de Greenpeace en envíos como este. Si prefieres no recibirlos, puedes darte de baja - ¡aunque te echaremos de menos! :'( Greenpeace, Calle Valores 1, Madrid, España 28007 Darme de baja

FROM PROTECT THE WILD — TRADITION SUPPORTS THE KILLING OF YOUNG GANNETS — GUGA IS MURDER

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more A Protected Colony in Decline: Why the Guga Hunt Can No Longer Be Defended CHARLOTTE SMITH NOV 24 READ IN APP For decades, the killing of gannet chicks, the “Guga hunt”, on Sula Sgeir has been defended as sustainable, harmless, and woven into cultural heritage. But the science emerging today tells a very different story. The idea that this colony is “stable” is no longer credible. Sula Sgeir’s gannet population is not stable, not growing, and not able to withstand even a reduced annual harvest. It is, in fact, the only gannet colony in Scotland to have fallen below the population level it is legally supposed to be protected at. And yet the hunt is still being licensed. Below is what the evidence now shows, why continuing the Guga hunt is indefensible, and why the law that enables this needs to change. Sign petition to End the Guga hunt A population that has now fallen below its protected level When Sula Sgeir was designated a Special Protection Area (SPA) in 2001, it held 10,400 Apparently Occupied Sites (AOS), essentially breeding pairs. That number became the official “citation level”: the population the site is legally meant to maintain or improve. The most recent count (2024) records just 10,200 AOS. For the first time, the colony has fallen below its protected baseline. Let’s be clear about what this means: a colony that dips beneath its citation level is not stable. A stable population holds its line or increases under protection. This one is decreasing. That is exactly the opposite of what protection is supposed to deliver. It is now the only gannet colony in Scotland to have dropped beneath its citation population. All other SPA colonies have grown since citation. This suggests that Sula Sgeir’s population growth has been suppressed, even before the avian flu outbreak, and now faces further pressure post-HPAI. This decline is not a blip, and not solely the result of avian flu. Sign petition to End the Guga hunt Footage of Gannet chicks (guga’s) being cruelly snatched from their nests to be killed. NatureScot’s own figures show the colony has not recovered, so the 2025 licence should have failed Test 3 NatureScot’s own numbers make the situation even starker. Their figures show that the Sula Sgeir colony has not rebounded from a steep recent crash, dropping from more than 12,000 birds in 2017 to 9,495 in 2023. Even in 2024, the colony remained below its 2001 citation level. This matters because the hunt has effectively been paused for years. NatureScot suspended the harvest in 2020 due to COVID-19, and it did not take place in 2022, 2023 or 2024 due to avian flu. Despite that breathing space, the colony still has not recovered. A population that can’t rebound even when killing stops is not one that can safely tolerate killing restarting. Yet in 2025 NatureScot issued a licence allowing the killing of 500 chicks. That decision should have triggered the strictest legal test NatureScot must apply before licensing any activity that would otherwise be illegal: Test 3. Licensing test 3 is the requirement that the licensed activity must not be detrimental to the maintenance of the species at favourable conservation status. In plain terms, the population must be stable, healthy, and capable of sustaining itself long-term. To meet Test 3, NatureScot must be confident that the licensed action will not push the species into decline, worsen an existing decline, or undermine the ecological integrity of a protected site like an SPA. Crucially, Test 3 isn’t just about culling chicks for human consumption. It must account for all the pressures acting on the species, disease, environmental change, food availability, and cumulative threats. If there are data gaps, or uncertainty about resilience, the precautionary principle is supposed to apply and the licence should be refused. NatureScot’s own population modelling does not account for wider pressures such as repeated avian flu outbreaks, food shortages, or extreme offshore wind events, all known to increase gannet mortality. Their own scientific papers acknowledge these gaps, meaning the true vulnerability of the colony is still uncertain. Under these conditions, we believe Test 3 should have failed. The population is already down. Major risks are unaccounted for. The evidence base is incomplete. A precautionary regulator would have halted the 2025 hunt until robust ecological data proved recovery and resilience. By licensing anyway, NatureScot acted as if stability had been demonstrated, when their own figures show the opposite. This is not a minor procedural slip. It is a legal and ecological failure, and it exposes how hollow “protected status” becomes when the licensing tests are treated as box-ticking exercises, proving the law must be changed to better protect species. Sign petition to End the Guga hunt Footage of Gannet chicks (guga’s) being plucked and burnt. Growth was already suppressed before avian flu, and the hunt is the glaring difference Long before HPAI ripped through Scotland’s seabirds, Sula Sgeir was underperforming. Other gannet colonies grew by 44% to over 300% since their citation years. Sula Sgeir grew by just 18%, and now has collapsed back below its baseline. This isn’t random variation. The slow growth and eventual decline align with the one thing that makes Sula Sgeir different from every other Scottish gannet colony: It is the only one where thousands of chicks have been legally removed for human consumption. For years, the annual take of 2,000 chicks was defended as sustainable. In reality, the colony was already showing signs of strain. The 2016 Trinder model, carried out when the population was healthier, warned that even the 2,000-chick quota could suppress the population. Now, after years of stunted growth and the shock of HPAI, the colony has far less resilience left. HPAI delivered a brutal blow: mass mortality, weakened survivors, and a population pushed into sharper decline. Yet even as the colony struggles to recover, the harvest continues, as if the colony were stable, when the evidence screams that it is not. Sign petition to End the Guga hunt NatureScot openly admits: this is not conservation One of the most astonishing aspects of the Guga hunt is NatureScot’s own justification for it. NatureScot has explicitly stated that the Guga licence is not about wildlife management or sustainable harvesting. It exists solely to maintain a cultural tradition. In other words, this is not a conservation decision, it is a cultural exemption from conservation law. Protected birds are being killed not for ecological reasons, but because a human tradition has historically demanded it. This should alarm anyone who takes protected-area law seriously. When an agency admits the killing is not conservation-driven, it is acknowledging that the colony’s welfare is secondary. That is how you get a protected population slipping below its protected levels. A law that allows culture to override conservation outcomes is a law that has failed wildlife, and that is why it needs to be changed. Sign petition to End the Guga hunt Even the “reduced” quota stops the colony recovering NatureScot’s new Population Viability Analysis (PVA), published in 2025, should have been a wake-up call. The modelling shows: Even taking 500 chicks a year, one quarter of the historic quota, prevents long-term population recovery. The colony will not return to its 2013 size within the next 25 years at that level. And these results are optimistic, because the modelling could not account for real-world threats like future avian flu outbreaks, food shortages, climate pressures, or offshore wind impacts. In other words: The species cannot fully recover while killing continues. Yet NatureScot licensed the Guga hunt anyway, even though the science is incomplete, the risks are unquantified, and the case for continuing the hunt is perilously thin. Sign petition to End the Guga hunt Footage of Gannet chicks (guga’s) turned in to nothing more than slabs of meat. A contradiction at the heart of NatureScot’s role Here is the contradiction that can no longer be ignored: NatureScot’s own science shows the colony is not stable. NatureScot’s own modelling shows even the smallest proposed quota suppresses recovery, without the added pressures of avian flu or off shore winds. NatureScot’s own statements admit the licence is not about conservation but upholding a law that needs changing.s NatureScot still licenses the killing of a protected species that has fallen below its citation quota. This is not conservation management. It is sanctioned exploitation of a species already in trouble. Sign petition to End the Guga hunt Where does this leave us? Sula Sgeir’s gannets are at a crossroads. Every scientific indicator now points in one direction: the Guga Hunt is harming the colony’s ability to recover. The population is more vulnerable than ever, and yet the licence continues. A protected species cannot recover while it is still being slaughtered. It is time for NatureScot to decide whether it exists to protect wildlife or to defend cultural exemptions that place species at risk. It is time for a law change that puts conservation over culture because the science is clear, the warnings are clear and the population numbers could not be clearer. Sula Sgeir’s gannets need protection, not a licence to be killed. SHARE LIKE COMMENT RESTACK © 2025 Protect the Wild Protect the Wild, 71-75 Shelton Street Covent Garden, London, W2CH 9JQ Unsubscribe Start writing

LAKE DISTRICT HUNT SABS EXPOSE ‘THE PSYCHOTIC & SICK’ ON CONISTON KILL

View this email in your browser Hi, Supporter “The Horn Blew And The Crowd Erupted Into Whoops And Cheers” Lake District Hunt Sabs Give A First-hand Account Of The Coniston Kill Hundreds of thousands of people have now seen Lake District Hunt Sabs’ drone footage of the Coniston Foxhounds ripping a fox – who sabs have named Ember - to pieces. The footage has been devastating for hunting, proving once again that trail hunting is a cynical lie. But what about the brave souls who put themselves in harm’s way to expose the vile Coniston Hunt? Read on, as two intrepid members of Lake District Hunt Sabs recall a day they will never forget. Sabs take on the fell hunters on a previous occasion. ‘Owl’ begins… “Tensions were higher than usual that day. This hunt is known to be a bit livelier than the usual crowd who attend the fell hunts. They’re also well known for ‘digging-out’. The same old hunt antics soon began - their supporters tailing us as we dropped teams off, vehicles blocking roads - but this isn’t our first rodeo. We managed to get where we needed to be quickly. We kept eyes on huntsman Mike Burton and the hounds - despite the thick fog that covered the valley - as he swept through the valley with the hounds. At one point, when the police arrived, the hunt spent a long time hiding in bushes. Just as we were switching drones, the hounds went into cry. Everyone’s heart drops to their arse at that sound.” Cumbria sabs drone in action. “When the drone was back in the air, we saw the hunt gathered in an open area with shovels and terriers. In utter disbelief, we watched as they began to dig - fully aware that the drone was above them. The huntsman, Mike, took the hounds away from the area and hid in the bushes again. Our drone operator narrated what he was seeing while I tried to alert the other teams. We were numb with horror. Step by step, the dig-out continued - as it does every week - but usually we can either stop it, or it’s done out of sight.” Man (top left) carries the fox to her cruel death. “Everything slowed. Then came the frenzy: the fox was pulled from the hole, a terrier still latched onto it. A young lad grabbed the fox, fumbling, and then did a strange sideways walk as if trying to hide what he was doing - but failing miserably. We knew where he was going and what was about to happen, but there was absolutely nothing we could do to stop it. We prayed for a miracle, that somehow the fox would escape his hands. But no. He used the live fox like a toy in a sick tug-of-war with the hounds. I’ve never seen anything so psychotic. It’s the kind of cruelty you read about in the early stories of serial killers before they move on to humans. Moments later, the horn blew, and the crowd erupted into whoops and cheers - a pack of drooling scum celebrating the kill. It was like something from The Hunger Games.” Coniston Foxhounds rip into the fox as sick followers look on. “By then I was shaking and sobbing uncontrollably, while our incredible drone pilot somehow kept a steady hand to capture the footage. Then came the grim task of getting it to safety. We knew they’d be waiting on the roads to try to attack us or grab the drone. We spent a long time making sure both we and the footage were safe before heading back to the road. The police had to escort us to collect the other teams and leave the area. The hunt’s supporters were rabid by this point - blocking roads, shouting abuse, still cheering and swearing, their excitement at the kill disgusting to witness. We know this footage matters. But the feeling of failure will always haunt me. Every life lost to their sick game will never be forgotten. Their cruelty is their legacy - and that legacy is what drives us to keep fighting. Rest in eternal peace, Ember.” Fox hunted by Coniston neighbours, the Melbreak Foxhounds, November 2022. ‘Enraged Country Girl’ adds: “We set off very early to seek out the Coniston Foxhounds from information given. It was a hard eight or so miles trek and climb in the fog, wind, mist and rain. Just as we were gaining on the "spotters" who were looking down from Wansfell towards Stock Ghyll, where the drone was flying, a text came from the drone flyer’s buddy that the bastards were digging, then another message to say he's got the fox under his jumper, then the final one to say the hounds had killed it. I was absolutely sickened to the teeth reading these messages out loud to the other sabs walking with me. They were extremely quiet as they digested it. I've done sabbing for seven years now and although I know this goes on up and down the country, I was shocked and disgusted that my poor peers witnessed this first hand. We felt helpless, how did they feel and the poor fox before its horrific death? This has not put me off, it has infuriated me so much that I want to spend every minute I can spoiling their ‘country ways of life’.” Lake District Hunt Sabs are in action every week, taking on the Coniston Foxhounds and other fell packs, whatever the weather. You can support them here: Follow | Donate Join the Hunt Saboteurs Association! Support our vital work by becoming a member. Join The HSA Spread the word! Please share our news Share via email Facebook icon Instagram icon Twitter icon Logo Copyright (C) 2025 Hunt Saboteurs Association. All rights reserved. You were subscribed to the newsletter from Hunt Saboteurs Association. Our mailing address is: BM HSA, London, WC1N 3XX, U.K. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe

THE LATEST FROM CORNWALL WILDLIFE TRUST — AND THEE IS MORE BEAVER INTRODUCTION

View this email in your browser WILD BEAVER APPEAL Hello there, Imagine a Cornwall where wild beavers are a common feature of our landscape. Imagine walking alongside wetland ecosystems teeming with life, where nature has been allowed to thrive thanks to their ability to reshape rivers, slow the flow of water, and create rich, diverse habitats. Sadly, wild beavers went extinct in the UK hundreds of years ago - and although they have made a partial return in some areas, their return in Cornwall is far from secure. The good news is that we’re working hard to change that. As you may have seen when I wrote to you in your latest Wild Cornwall magazine, we’re eagerly awaiting approval for our licence to release multiple pairs of wild beavers in the Par and Fowey catchments. It’s a story 400 years in the making, and we’re truly excited about the next chapter. Your membership already makes a huge difference to Cornwall’s wildlife - but if you’re able to support our Christmas Appeal, your donation will help push us closer to giving wild beavers the future they deserve in Cornwall. Any gift - no matter the amount - will help make sure we’re ready to go the moment the licence is approved. With heartfelt appreciation this festive season, Lauren Jasper Beaver Officer, Cornwall Wildlife Trust Donate today Read the story so far OTHER WAYS TO GET INVOLVED There are lots of ways you can support the Wild Beaver Appeal aside from directly donating again. Whether it’s a small gesture or a bigger challenge, every single effort counts - and helps bring us closer to reaching our target. Check out our ‘Get involved’ section on the appeal page to find our more and download your fundraising pack: Get involved HELP SPREAD THE WORD You can still help us reach our target by spreading the word far and wide. The more people join the wild beaver movement in Cornwall, the more likely we are to securing a sustainable future for these incredible ecosystem engineers by Christmas. Use the buttons below to share to your favourite social media feed: Facebook icon Share LinkedIn icon Share Email icon Share Facebook icon Instagram icon LinkedIn icon YouTube icon © 2025 Cornwall Wildlife Trust. All rights reserved. Registered charity number 214929. Privacy Policy and T&Cs Our mailing address is: Cornwall Wildlife Trust Five Acres, Allet, Truro, Cornwall, TR4 9DJ Want to change how you receive these emails? You can unsubscribe from this list.

FROM AVAAZ — STINGLESS BEES IN PERU — THE WONDERFUL ESSENTIAL POLLINATORS

Dear friends, Over 300,000 people are already calling on Peru to write history for nature by granting its ancient, stingless bees, rights to exist and thrive. It would protect these remarkable pollinators of the Amazon, as well as their habitats! Peru could soon decide – and our voices can help swing the balance! Will you join the call? SIGN THE PETITION Here's the email we sent earlier with some more information: Stingless bees SIGN NOW! A quiet revolution is stirring in the Amazon. Peru could grant its native bees, and nature itself, legal rights to exist and flourish — recognising that all life is deeply connected. Indigenous communities are leading the charge. So let’s rise with them! Add your name and they’ll deliver our voices to Peru’s Congress: SIGN NOW! Dear friends, For millennia, Amazonian stingless bees have buzzed through the trees, pollinating 80% of the rainforest. They make the miracle of the Amazon possible, but their hum is falling silent, their habitats lost and poisoned by pesticides. Now Peru could make history by granting these amazing bees — and nature itself — fundamental legal rights to exist and flourish. It would protect both the bees and their habitats! The revolution has already begun. One province has just passed this groundbreaking law, more could follow, and now, from deep in the forest, Indigenous leaders are rising to take it to Peru’s Congress. Let’s rise with them! When enough of us sign, Indigenous allies will deliver our voices direct to Peru’s lawmakers — add your name to demand rights for the Amazon’s bees! Add your name for stingless bees All over the world, a legal revolution is taking place. Ecuador enshrined rights for nature in its Constitution. New Zealand granted legal personhood to the Whanganui River. And Peru has already recognised the rights of Lake Titicaca and the Marañón River. Now these astonishing Amazonian bees, ancient allies in the great dance of life, could be the first insect to be granted fundamental rights. This is about much more than bees. It’s about forests, climate, food, and the sacred interconnection of all life. Add your voice to demand rights for the bees, and let’s build a deafening global chorus to say clearly: nature is alive, and has the right to flourish! Add your name for stingless bees The Avaaz community has helped transform laws before — 5 million of us helped win the EU ban on bee-killing pesticides. We’ve marched, petitioned, funded science, and stood with beekeepers and defenders of life. And now we can be part of a revolution: Nature has rights, and recognising them could change everything. With hope and fierce determination, Alice, Bert, Nate, Pascal, Joana, Eza, and the whole Avaaz-team More information: Rights for Stingless Bees (Bee:wild) Stingless bees’ lead conservation efforts in the Amazon rainforest (CBS News, video) These stingless bees make medicinal honey. Some call it a ‘miracle liquid ’ (National Geographic) Safeguarding Amazonian Stingless Bees, Guardians of Biodiversity (Earth Law Center) Avaaz is a 70-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making. ("Avaaz" means "voice" or "song" in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 22 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz's biggest campaigns here, or follow us on Facebook, X, or Instagram. You became a member of the Avaaz movement and started receiving these emails when you signed "EU: Ban Bee Poison" on 2013-03-05 using the email address spanishjohnedwards@gmail.com. To ensure that Avaaz messages reach your inbox, please add avaaz@avaaz.org to your address book. To change your email address, language settings, or other personal information, contact us, or simply go here to unsubscribe. To contact Avaaz, please do not reply to this email. Instead, write to us at www.avaaz.org/en/contact . Avaaz.org facebook x instagram TikTok Bluesky

BADGER BUSINESS — FROM PROTECT THE WILD

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more Badger business: Protect the Wild's first round-up of badger-related news A periodic digest from Protect the Wild on the badger cull and other news related to this treasured yet persecuted species PROTECT THE WILD NOV 19 READ IN APP Protect the Wild began writing regular round-ups showcasing the latest news in the struggle against fox hunting earlier this year. Moving forward, we will be producing similar periodic digests on the badger cull and other news related to this treasured yet persecuted species. Here is the Autumn round-up for all you badger lovers! In this overview, we cover news about a welcome success in a legal challenge against culling; an early-day motion on badger protection; the Lords’ efforts to safeguard badgers and other protected species from a dangerous bill; and the controversial eviction of badgers to build the Lower Thames crossing. black and white animal on green grass during daytime Photo by Vincent van Zalinge on Unsplash High Court rejects bid to hike legal costs of cull campaigners The High Court rejected Natural England’s bid to hike the legal costs for campaigners challenging the badger cull. This is a significant victory for badgers and for ensuring that wildlife campaigners retain the ability to hold the government to account. In May, Wild Justice and the Badger Trust secured permission for a legal challenge against Natural England to proceed. The case concerns the body’s decision to approve supplementary badger cull licenses in 2024 against the advice of its own Director of Science, Dr Peter Brotherton, a scandalous move that Natural England repeated again in 2025. Under the Aarhus Convention, environmental challenges have special protections that include capping the legal costsfor NGOs that bring them at £10,000. The point of this costs cap is to ensure that environmental challenges are not prohibitively expensive. Natural England had applied to increase the cap in this case, aiming to double the cost for Wild Justice and triple it for the Badger Trust. If successful, this would have risked both groups having to withdraw from the case. Thankfully, however, the High Court dismissed Natural England’s application – a judgment it had “no hesitation” in reaching. In other words, Natural England’s attempt to price the groups out from proceeding with the legal challenge failed. As a result, it will go ahead, with a substantive hearing happening on 16 and 17 December. Stay tuned. Green Party tables motion to protect badgers The Green Party’s Adrian Ramsay has tabled an Early Day Motion (EDM) on the subject of badger protection. These motions essentially serve as a way for MPs to put their views on particular matters on the record. This EDM raises the alarm about the government’s bovine tuberculosis (bTB) strategy allowing for “the continued killing of badgers, a protected species, until the end of this Parliament,” despite culling being “unscientific, ineffective and unnecessary.” It calls on the government to “immediately end its policy of badger culling” and prioritise other measures, such as cow vaccination, improved testing, and better biosecurity on farms. Like some MPs in a recent parliamentary debate on the cull, which was secured by a Protect the Wild petition on the issue, the EDM also promotes badger vaccination. Protect the Wild considers MPs’ promotion of badger vaccination to be seriously problematic as it perpetuates badger blame and distracts from the real cause of the disease: how bTB is managed in the cattle sector. The motion raises issues outside of the cull too, particularly proposals in the government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill to “undermine” the Badger Protection Act 1992. As Protect the Wild reported in October, this bill includes plans to amend the badger act to allow for the ‘killing or taking’ of badgers in England for the purpose of development. Currently, licences can only be granted for developers to “interfere with a badger sett.” The EDM urges the government to “withdraw plans to weaken the legal protection currently given to badgers.” a small animal on a log Photo by Vincent van Zalinge on Unsplash Lords step up to protect badgers, government blocks them At the end of October, the House of Lords voted for an amendment to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill that would help to safeguard badgers and other wild species from being sacrificed in the name of development. The bill proposes that in areas where Natural England has drawn up Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs), developers could pay a levy to free them from certain existing environmental obligations. According to the government, these as yet ill-defined EDPs will supposedly deliver “a package of conservation measures” at scale that will strategically compensate for any harm caused to wildlife from permitted developments and secure an overall “environmental uplift.” Wildlife and Countryside Link (WCL) explains it like this: “The reforms aim to streamline development and deliver environmental gains by replacing site-level safeguards with landscape-scale conservation measures.” As WCL warned, there is little evidence to suggest that this approach will help to conserve protected species – not to mention the severe welfare harms it will undoubtedly cause to countless wild animals located in development sites. Accordingly, the Lords-backed amendment proposed to exclude protected wildlife and habitats from the scope of EDPs, meaning developers would have to follow the existing procedures for projects that affect them. The amendment called for EDPs to focus solely on “tackling diffuse and cumulative environmental challenges,” such as nutrient neutrality, water management, and air quality, the New Civil Engineer explained. The amendment says this limits EDPs to issues “where approaches at a strategic landscape scale will be effective.” Considering that delivering conservation measures at scale is precisely what the government claims to be aiming for with EDPs, you might have expected this amendment to be welcomed. But no, housing secretary Steve Reed told Labour MPs to reject it when it was voted on in the Commons on 13 November, the Guardian reported. Yes, that Steve Reed, the politician who continued the badger cull as environment secretary, despite his party promising to end it while vying for people’s votes in the 2024 election. 240 Labour MPs dutifully complied and voted yes to rejecting the amendment, alongside 3 independent MPs. 130 MPs voted against rejecting the amendment – no Labour MPs were among them. Labour MPs also voted against a further Lords amendment that would have protected rare chalk streams. These are “one of the rarest freshwater habitats on Earth, and England is home to approximately 85% of them,” according to the Environment Agency. Labour’s rejection of amendments means the bill now returns to the Lords for further consideration, which is scheduled for 24 November. ‘Environmental vandalism’ and the Lower Thames Crossing A timely controversy has hit the local news in Thurrock. Independent councillor Gary Byrne has accused National Highways of “environmental vandalism” in its preliminary works on the Lower Thames Crossing, Thurrock’s Nub News has reported. Byrne says badgers are being pushed out of their habitat to make way for the crossing, which aims to link Essex and Kent through a tunnel under the Thames. Byrne said: “Badger setts are being sandbagged and sealed, with the approval of Natural England, who have issued licences allowing what they describe as ‘ecological mitigation works’. That phrase sounds harmless but in reality, it means forcing badgers and other wildlife from their homes so that construction crews can move in and tarmac over their habitats. This is not mitigation. This is environmental vandalism carried out under licence by the very agencies meant to protect nature.” National Highways confirmed that badgers are being uprooted in the works but said it is working with ecologists “to ensure badgers are not harmed and have time and space to move to safe locations away from where the new road will be built.” This controversy shows that the government’s case for the Planning and Infrastructure Bill is baseless. Protected species are not blocking development – the crossing is going ahead regardless of the presence of badgers. Under current rules, developers – National Highways, in this instance – can clearly still obtain licences for projects, they simply have to identify whether protected species like badgers are there and abide by certain rules when uprooting them for the permitted development. If the bill moves forward as it stands, the law would permit developers to kill or capture badgers, not just evict them. That’s if their presence is even known, which is not guaranteed. Under the proposed reforms, developers that pay the levy would not have to do wildlife surveys of their site ahead of works. Instead, the absurb plan appears to be that Natural England will do surveys up to 10 years in advance – meaning outdated data will likely inform what happens on the ground. This controversy over the Lower Thames Crossing’s impact on badgers reveals that, if anything, protections should be strengthened to safeguard wildlife and their habitats from developments. Instead, the government plans to do the exact opposite. grey lemur Photo by Hans Veth on Unsplash Any other badger business? A parliamentary debate on the cull took place in mid-October, during which the policy was “dismantled from all sides,” Protect the Wild founder Rob Pownall explained. To avoid repetition, we won’t cover the debate here, but please do read Rob’s focused post on the subject. Additionally, the Badger Crowd’s Tom Langton wrote about why Low-Risk Area (LRA) culling must be scrapped in October, which you can read on our Substack. LRA culling is effectively the final frontier of the cull policy – with a large LRA cull in Cumbria, which the Labour government initiated in 2024, being the only remaining cull that may take place next year, according to farming minister Angela Eagle. Tom says that LRA culling has proved to be a failure: “Approaching 2,000 badgers have now been slaughtered in the Low Risk Area since 2018, due to reckless movement of high-disease risk stock, inadequate testing and negligent control rules.” Help power the fight for British wildlife We’re funded entirely by kind people like yourself. We don’t have major donors or govt backing and so that’s why over the coming weeks you’ll see us doing all that we can to push our 2026 Wildlife Calendar. It’s just such a great way for us to raise funds and you get an awesome calendar in return! :) Packed with beautiful wildlife photos taken by our incredible supporters, like this one by Graham Brace for the month of September! Protect the Wild 2026 Calendar SHARE LIKE COMMENT RESTACK © 2025 Protect the Wild Protect the Wild, 71-75 Shelton Street Covent Garden, London, W2CH 9JQ Unsubscribe Start writing

WILD JUSTICE — THE COURTS, THE LAWYERS, PARLIAMENT, PLANNING, BADGERS AND MORE

Good morning, In today’s newsletter we bring you an update on our work with the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, as well some analysis of our recent success in our Badger-related costs case. Planning and Infrastructure Bill – no green light for us. We’ve recently been back to the High Court in London, this time for a hearing to seek permission for judicial review relating to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill (PIB). Along with many other conservation organisations and legal experts, we believed this Bill poses a very serious threat to environmental protections in the UK. We still believe this. In April 2025, Angela Rayner MP (at the time the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, as well as Deputy Prime Minister) stated to Parliament that the PIB would not reduce environmental protections in law. We disagreed, and so commissioned expert barristers to review the Bill - click here to read about it. Their legal opinion was that the Bill would significantly weaken existing environmental safeguards, particularly for protected nature sites. After the government ignored our calls to correct the Minister’s statement – which we believed to be false - we lodged an application for judicial review of the Minister’s statement at the High Court. We're disappointed to have to tell you that following a hearing on 6 November 2025, we weren’t given permission for judicial review – there’s no green light for us. Following the hearing, in which the government was represented by its leading government barrister, the court has ruled that it cannot question the Minister’s statement, as it is part of a parliamentary process. It is a matter solely for members of Parliament to scrutinise the government’s advice. Our case shows that Parliament cannot assume the legal accuracy of a statement made to Parliament by a Minister, even where it concerns matters of law, and even where the statement is made pursuant to a statutory duty. Indeed, counsel for the Secretary of State went as far in the hearing to submit that even if such a statement was made in bad faith, i.e. in the knowledge that it was inaccurate, and even if this could be proven, the courts would still be unable to consider a challenge against such a statement due to the wide scope of parliamentary privilege. According to the High Court, only Parliament can scrutinise whether this and any other Bill will amount to environmental regression in law. It is therefore vitally important that lawmakers do not take what is said by the government about the Bill at face value, as there is no way to test the accuracy of their claims in court. The Bill and the claims about its legal effect should therefore be closely examined by parliamentarians. So it is now over to Parliament. If Parliament cares about the UK departing from minimum standards for protection of the environment, keeping pace with the EU, and meeting our Treaty commitments not to reduce environmental protections, it has one last chance to say so in the final stretch of this Bill. As always, we want to give a heartfelt thank you to our brilliant legal time for fighting this for us: Carol Day and Ricardo Gama (Leigh Day) and Alex Goodman KC and Alex Shattock (Landmark Chambers). You can read a press release about the outcome of our legal challenge on our blog – click here. Aarhus Alive! Discussion on our recent Badger-related costs win: We recently celebrated a significant win after the courts blocked an attempt by Natural England to hike our legal costs for our upcoming case on Badger cull licences – click here to catch up. Since then, there’s been some interesting discussion in the legal world around the repercussions of this positive result. First, one of our brilliant lawyers, Carol Day, featured on the Law Pod podcast, joining a panel to discuss the importance of being able to take environmental claims in the courts without suffering punitive cost consequences. Click here to listen. Secondly, we hope you’ll enjoy this humorous summary of our case, along with its implications for the Aarhus convention and environmental organisations being able to afford legal proceedings. The blog is written by Alex Shattock, a barrister practising in public, planning and environmental law – click here to read it. The substantial hearing for our legal challenge against the Badger cull licences is set to be heard over two days at the High Court in December. And finally... please note: We're in the midst of updating the way we handle donations from you (our wonderful supporters). We can't accept PayPal donations for a short period, whilst we update our system, so please only use bank transfers or cheques for any donations in the next week or so, thank you! That’s all for now, but we’ll be back very soon with news about the illegal release of gamebirds next to a Special Protection Area (SPA) deep in the English countryside and how the enforcement authorities responded when we drew it to their attention. Thank you, Wild Justice (CEO: Bob Elliot. Directors: Chris Packham and Ruth Tingay). This is the 256th Wild Justice newsletter. This email was sent to you because you subscribed to it through the Wild Justice website or through an e-action or a petition where you ticked a box. Thank you. We will only use your personal details to send you the Wild Justice newsletter. We will not give or sell your details to anyone else. You can unsubscribe at any time: there is an unsubscribe button at the foot of this email or you can reply to this email and ask us to remove you from the list (the former will happen immediately, the latter might take a few days). 124, City Road London Greater London EC1V 2NX UNITED KINGDOM Unsubscribe | Change Subscriber Options

FROM PROTECT THE WILD — DEFRA & DEATH BY A THOUSAND FAILURES

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more Death by a thousand failures – What DEFRA's governance means for wildlife A new Protect the Wild report explores why wildlife keeps losing out as DEFRA balances nature against farming PROTECT THE WILD NOV 17 READ IN APP Protect the Wild has released a new report about the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (DEFRA) governance of the farming sector and how it is failing to protect wildlife. Here’s why we wrote it. For years now, Protect the Wild has vigorously campaigned against the badger cull. It’s clear to us that killing badgers to tackle bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in cows is not supported by robust science. On the contrary, evidence has mounted in recent years that the badger cull is an exercise in futility – serving mainly as a distraction from what is really needed to address bTB: on-farm, cow-focused measures, such as better enforcement of biosecurity standards and a more rigorous bTB testing regime. Yet, few politicians have been willing to follow the evolving science and categorically end the cull. Rather, they have clung to the policy, often while waving around research that shows drops in bTB rates in cows since culling began. What they generally fail to mention is that this research seldom grapples with what role badgers actually play in bTB transmission because it doesn’t probe the cause of those declines – whether they stem from improved cattle measures or from killing badgers. A 2022 peer-reviewed study did this and found that cow-focused interventions, not culling, are the likely drivers of any reductions in bTB. To better understand this stubborn refusal to change course, Protect the Wild set out to examine how DEFRA governs the farming sector in England – and why wildlife too often pays the price as the department juggles its environmental responsibilities with its commitments to agriculture. Badgers may be the most visible casualties of this failure, but they are far from alone. Many other wild species lose out under the current system. Our new report, Death by a Thousand Failures: A critique of DEFRA’s governance and its devastating toll on nature, is the result of this examination. Read the report Governance fails to adequately safeguard wildlife against harm The report identifies several factors that we believe contribute to poor outcomes for wildlife, including DEFRA’s proximity to industry actors, such as the NFU, and an imbalance in ministerial experience. It also finds that DEFRA operates a ‘carrots-and-sticks’ governance model in which the sticks are wielded like carrots, meaning that it leans heavily toward incentivising and partnering with the agricultural sector to achieve environmental benefits, rather than deterrents. This approach, which extends even to aspects of regulatory enforcement, is failing to adequately address the farming sector’s impact on wildlife and the environment. The scale of non-compliance reveals the depth of the problem. In 2024/25, the Environment Agency (EA) recorded at least one breach in around half of all farm inspections aimed at assessing compliance with environmental regulations such as the Farming Rules for Water – a rate that the agency considers typical. The dairy sector stands out as a hotspot: Freedom of Information data shows that between 2022 and 2025, the EA found at least one non-compliance in around 70% of English dairy farm inspections annually, echoing 2020-21 figures previously reported by the Guardian. Meanwhile, nearly 7,000 breaches were identified on intensive animal farms subject to Environmental Permitting Regulations between 2015 and 2025 – representing 75% of inspections – as uncovered by MP Terry Jermy. Some positive changes are occurring, such as an increase in inspection rates and improved compliance in some areas. But the government faces growing pressure to broaden and strengthen the regulatory regime to address its significant weaknesses. Wildlife monitoring is insufficient and therefore fails to capture the full impact of agriculture on wildlife, as the report highlights. But the available evidence paints a troubling picture: declining wildlife populations, nutrient-polluted woodlands, degraded river systems, and climate impacts. Of course, agriculture is not the only driver of environmental harm – water companies, developers, and other industries also share blame. But farming exerts a broad and sustained pressure on the natural world. With farmland covering 70% of the UK, the way the sector is governed will be pivotal to nature’s recovery, and to the future of England’s wildlife. Read the report Badger cull is most visible symptom of a deeper problem In producing this report, Protect the Wild hopes to shine a light on some of the institutional failures that we believe are letting down wildlife when it comes to farming governance – and to express our support for reforms that offer more robust safeguards. What this report reveals is that the badger cull is only the most visible symptom of a deeper problem: a system that, at best, pursues an impossible balance, attempting to satisfy the demands of industrial farming while meeting the needs of wildlife and the environment. In practice, this approach has become a death by a thousand failures for wildlife – doing little to slow the UK’s nature crisis. If DEFRA is serious about halting biodiversity loss and restoring nature, it must do better. The health of the nation’s wildlife – and the integrity of its environmental governance – depend on it. Help power the fight for British wildlife We’re funded entirely by kind people like yourself. We don’t have major donors or govt backing and so that’s why over the coming weeks you’ll see us doing all that we can to push our 2026 Wildlife Calendar. It’s just such a great way for us to raise funds and you get an awesome calendar in return! :) Packed with beautiful wildlife photos taken by our incredible supporters, like this one by Graham Brace for the month of September! Protect the Wild 2026 Calendar SHARE LIKE COMMENT RESTACK © 2025 Protect the Wild Protect the Wild, 71-75 Shelton Street Covent Garden, London, W2CH 9JQ Unsubscribe Start writing

FROM PROTECT THE WILD — ARRESTS — ARRESTS — AND MORE ARRESTS

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more November: Dig-Out Horror, Racist Abuse, Lawbreaking Hound Packs PROTECT THE WILD NOV 18 READ IN APP In this mid November hunting update we report the arrest of seven people in Ambleside, Cumbria, for illegal fox hunting after Lake District Hunt Saboteurs and the Hunt Saboteurs Association released shocking footage of the Coniston Foxhounds digging out a terrified fox and throwing her to the hounds to be ripped apart. In other news: The government’s long awaited consultation on banning trail hunting has finally been set for early 2026. The huntsman of the Holderness Hunt was caught on camera using a racist slur against a member of Hull Wildlife Protectors. The Quantock Staghounds have been caught hunting with SIX dogs, when legislation only allows a maximum of two. Northants Hunt Saboteurs have scuppered the Cottesmore Hunt’s attempts to kill three foxes at their November meets. Arrests made over shocking Coniston Foxhounds footage On Saturday 8 November the Lake District’s Coniston Foxhounds were caught on camera digging a terrified fox out of her hiding place and cruelly throwing her to be torn apart by a waiting pack of hounds. Lake District Hunt Saboteurs (LDHS) and the Hunt Saboteurs Association (HSA) released this shocking footage of the killing, triggering public outrage. Now Cumbria Constabulary has made a total of seven arrests over this blatant breach of the Hunting Act. Cumbria Constabulary, who were working with the National wildlife Crime Unit, wrote: “We are aware of a video which has circulated online and understand the strength of feeling this has caused within some of our communities. Those in police custody have been arrested on suspicion of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal, with one of the individuals also arrested on suspicion of a firearms offence. Further arrests are also planned.” All of the seven people arrested have since been released on bail. Despite the arrests and the wealth of video evidence, we at Protect the Wild won’t be holding our breaths for any sort of justice from the court system. Past experience has shown that even the most blatant breaches of the current legislation often fail to produce a successful prosecution. To give just one example, In mid-October Grafton huntmaster Roger James Brown was found not guilty of Hunting Act breaches, despite eyewitness testimony of the Grafton Hunt flagrantly hunting in front of pupils and teachers at Stowe School. We need a proper ban on so-called ‘trail hunting’ that can stop this killing once and for all. Response from pro-hunting organisations Besides the arrests, the viral video has resulted in the suspension of the Coniston Foxhounds from the British Hound Sports Association and the referral of the Hunt to the Association’s regulatory body, the Hound Sports Regulation Authority (HSRA). However we’ve seen this all before too. Hunts can’t be trusted to regulate themselves. To give just one example, in 2023 the notorious Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt was suspended and referred to the HSRA when a video of the cruel killing of a fox, which the hunt had cornered while trespassing in a residential garden at Pelsham Farm, was screened on national television. The suspension only lasted for the remainder of that hunting ‘season’ and the HSRA’s purely symbolic ruling fell short of permanently suspending the BSV. The shocking footage of the cruel killing by the Coniston Foxhounds comes at a pivotal moment, as the UK government has finally set a date for its consultation on banning trail hunting (see below). Just in case the public needed any illustration of how embarrassed the hunting community is about the release of the damning Lake District footage at this crucial juncture, on the day that the footage of the fox being thrown to the hounds was released, the HSA revealed that the pro-hunt Countryside Alliance advocacy group dropped the Coniston Foxhounds from a list of hunts eligible for its support. Pattern of cruelty Protect the Wild’s Charlotte Smith wrote last week about the recent killing of the fox by Coniston Foxhounds: “This isn’t a one-off. It’s part of a pattern of cruelty that has become all too familiar. In 2023, footage from the disgraced Avon Vale Hunt showed almost identical scenes, a fox dug out, thrown to hounds, another fleeing in terror. How many times must we see the same horror before something changes? How can the public trust hunts that are caught red-handed time and again, yet still insist they’re following a “trail”? They can’t, and this footage proves it once more. Because the moment hunts believe no one is watching, the smokescreen fades, the masks fall, and the ugly reality of bloodsport returns.” The damning footage of the fox being thrown to dogs by Coniston Foxhounds is a sickening reminder of how little regard hunters pay to the Hunting Act, more than two decades after it became law. Please support the Lake District Hunt Saboteurs and share their footage. Labour finally sets a timetable for its public consultation on banning trail hunting The government has finally given a rough date for its long-promised public consultation on strengthening the ban on ‘trail hunting’. Labour pledged in its 2024 election manifesto to enact a new ban. However, the party has been dragging its feet since promising a consultation earlier this year. Now Dame Angela Eagle, the new Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, has confirmed that the consultation is planned for “early next year”. Eagle’s statement was in answer to a parliamentary question raised by Liverpool Labour MP Ian Byrne. she responded: “This Government is committed to enacting a ban on trail hunting in line with our manifesto commitment. Work to determine the best approach for doing so is ongoing and a consultation seeking views on how to deliver a full ban will be held early next year.” Eagle went further, criticising the chaos caused in rural communities by out of control hounds and highlighting the fact that hunts often use the fig-leaf of ‘accidental’ chasing of animals to mask breaches of the 2004 Hunting Act. She said: “The nature of trail hunting makes it very difficult to do safely. The use of large packs of hounds reduces the control huntsmen have, putting wild mammals, household pets and even members of the public at risk. Trail hunting also provides a convenient cover for those seeking to participate in illegal hunting activities by obscuring their intention and enabling the inevitable chasing of animals to be labelled as ‘accidental’. This is why we want an effective, enforceable ban that truly protects our wildlife, countryside, and rural communities.” Promise to involve ‘stakeholders’ On 13 November, Eagle reiterated the government’s intention for the consultation to take place in early 2026 and claimed that: “Stakeholder engagement will form an important element of the consultation process, and we will ensure everyone has the opportunity to give their views and present their evidence.” As people who want to see a proper ban on trail hunting coming out of the upcoming consultation, Protect the Wild hopes that the government will spend as much time listening to animal rights campaigners as they do pandering to fox hunting’s deeply privileged advocates. We’ve already been waiting over a year since Labour pledged to strengthen the ban on trail hunting. Let’s hope that there are no more delays to the consultation. When it finally happens, we need wildlife defenders to raise their voices just as loud as the likes of the pro-hunting Countryside Alliance. Use Protect the Wild’s automated tool to email your MP and demand a proper ban on hunting. Read ‘20 Years On: The true face of hunting with hounds in 2025’. Holderness huntsman directs racial slur against wildlife defender At the Holderness Hunt’s opening meet Hull Wildlife Protectors (HWP) videoed Holderness huntsman William Bethell racially abusing a wildlife defender. In the above video. Bethell addresses a HWP volunteer as “Mr Golliwog”. ‘Golliwog’ refers to the anti-Black stereotyped characters in Twentieth Century children’s fiction, popularised by the famous English author Enid Blyton, who has been widely criticised for racism, xenophobia and sexism. Its not clear why Bethell levelled this slur against the monitor as the person concerned isn’t Black. HWP members surmise that it may have been a reference to the person’s haircut. Whatever Bethell’s intentions were, the language is clearly unnaceptable. HWP wrote on their Facebook page: “At the Holderness Hunt’s opening meet earlier this month (which children were present at), hunt master Bethell shocked one of our volunteers with a racist slur, an appalling incident that feels more at home in another era. The comment was offensive and completely unacceptable. Bethell’s racial insults belong where fox hunting does, firmly in the past.” ‘A toxic culture that sits at the heart of hunting’ Protect the Wild’s Rob Pownall commented: “The language used against a Hull Wildlife Monitors member by the Holderness Hunt’s huntsman is disgusting and completely indefensible. It exposes, yet again, the toxic culture that sits at the heart of hunting. This behaviour must be called out and challenged every single time.” Holderness Hunt supporter and Danny lamb was reportedly present at the meet too. Lamb was sentenced to two years and four months in prison after he plead guilty to a charge of violent disorder during Hull’s August 2024 racist riots. Amongst other things, Lamb admitted throwing a smoke bomb towards a hotel where asylum seekers were living. No surprise To be honest its no surprise that Bethell would use racist language against hunt monitors. Racist abuse is, sadly, par for the course at hunt meets. For example: In August 2024 Ex-South Dorset huntsman Josh Tierney was found guilty after racially harassing a hunt saboteur from Weymouth Animal Rights. Also in August 2024, a Wynnstay Hunt security man was convicted of racial abuse. Anthony Williams was one of the Wynnstay’s hired thugs on 6 January 2024. Cheshire Hunt Saboteurs reported that Williams jumped out of his car, shouting “f*ck off” repeatedly at sabs. He then said to one sab, “you do not belong in this country.” In February 2023, another man – also associated with the Wynnstay Hunt – found himself in court. Ian Jones harassed Cheshire Borderland Monitors member, performing the Nazi salute repeatedly. On 17 December 2022, North London Hunt Sabs filmed members of two hunts – the Puckeridge Hunt and the Essex with Farmers and Union Hunt (which have since merged to become one hunt). Footage showed hunt staff racially abusing a saboteur of colour. One man attempted to impersonate an accent, shouting “roll another spliff”, while the Puckeridge hunt master asked the sab if “there is a zoo around here”. Its clear that the racialised language used by Bethell is by no means an isolated incident. Pro-hunt advocates talk about hunting as a ‘proud countryside tradition’, but racism - together with speciesism and violence - are deep in the heart of this barbaric practice. If you’ve been affected by abuse from the hunt when out sabbing or when taking action to protect animals it can be useful to get mental health support. We’ve teamed up with Dr Ishani Rao to fund support sessions. Click here to find out more. Quantock Staghounds filmed hunting with SIX hounds Wildlife monitors from Holford Against Hunting caught the Quantock Staghounds on camera hunting with a total of six dogs, when the law allows a maximum of two. Deer are fully protected by the Hunting Act 2004, but stag hunts use the ‘Observation and Research’ exemption which allows hunting with two dogs. The above video clearly shows six dogs out hunting with the Quantock Staghounds. On top of that, even if the Quantock Staghounds weren’t over the legal limit of dogs allowed, the ‘Observation and Research’ exemption only applies in the case of genuine research “for the purpose of or in connection with the observation or study of the wild mammal.” As Protect the Wild has pointed out time and time again, no peer-reviewed ‘research’ has EVER been published by any hunt. Supposed observation and research is just another way for hunts to get around the Act and carry on hunting just as they always have done, despite over two decades since the ban. The above video is another clear example that stag hunts don’t have any intention of complying with wildlife protection legislation. We need a workable ban, without loopholes and get-out clauses. Sign our petition calling for a proper ban on hunting, and check out our proposal for a workable ban on the hunting of mammals with hounds. Make a donation to North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs and help them to protect stags and hinds from the likes of Quantock Staghounds. Check out Protect the Wild’s explainer article on ‘The Brutal Reality of Stag Hunting’. Read Protect the Wild’s pages on ‘Deer Hunting‘ and ‘Deer and the Law’. Three foxes saved by Northants sabs! Finally, to end with some good news, sabs from Northants Hunt Saboteurs have managed to stop the Cottesmore Hunt from killing at least three foxes so far in November. Closing the gate on the Cottesmore - Courtesy of Northants Hunt Saboteurs Northants Hunt Saboteurs (NHS) have been out sabbing at all of the Cottesmore Hunt’s meets in November, along with their brand new drone. On 1 November the group narrowly averted a fox being caught by the Cottesmore after sabs closed the gate in the path of the hunt. Angry at being prevented from making a kill, Max Logan (who was recently up in court for allegedly blocking a badger sett) rode his horse at a nearby sab. Thankfully no one was injured. The Cottesmore clearly didn’t ‘give a damn’ about their hounds A few days later, another incident proved once and again how little respect hunts show to their dogs. On 4 November the Cottesmore were out again with their hounds dangerously out of control. So much so that NHS commented that it was only luck that prevented any of the dogs from being killed on the road. One hound became trapped in wire fencing and became very distressed. NHS wrote on their Facebook page: “It is not clear how long this dog had been lay on their back and in agony for before sabs were alerted to the howling and barking from this injured animal. It took two sabs to prize open the wire fence and free the dog, such was the grip it had on this poor dogs foot. Not one member of the hunt was around to give a damn!” Not one member of the hunt was around to give a damn about this dog - Via Northants Hunt Sabs This disdain for their hounds was underlined again on 13 November, when Max Logan was seen hitting a dog with his whip. Two more foxes saved On 11 November, at a meet at Braunston-in-Rutland, NHS were able to dull the scent of two foxes who were being pursued by the Cottesmore’s Hounds. The ploy successfully threw the hounds off the trail. The Hunt again responded with violence, with one female sab having a gate slammed into her by the Cottesmore’s joint master Rory Bevin. The fact that Northants Hunt Saboteurs have been able to save three foxes so far in November shows yet again that direct action is the frontline defence for wildlife against the violence and cruelty of hunts. Sabs and monitors put themselves in considerable danger in order to save foxes and other animals from being ripped apart by the hunt. They deserve our support. Find out about joining your local group of hunt saboteurs. Donate toward Northants Hunt Sabs’ fuel costs. Northants Hunt Sabs dedicated their 5 November action against the Cottesmore to Barry Horne, an ex-Northants hunt saboteur and imprisoned animal rights defender who died on hunger strike on 5 November 2001 while demanding a public enquiry into the use of animals in research. Read more about Barry here. Houses of Parliament picture by Adrian Pingstone / Wikimedia, Holderness Hunt video by Hull Wildlife Protectors, video of Coniston Fox Hounds dig-out via Hunt Saboteur’s Association/Lake District Hunt Saboteurs. Footage of Quantock Staghounds courtesy of North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs/Holford Against Hunting. Image of the Cottesmore Hunt via Northants Hunt Sabs. SHARE LIKE COMMENT RESTACK © 2025 Protect the Wild Protect the Wild, 71-75 Shelton Street Covent Garden, London, W2CH 9JQ Unsubscribe Start writing