LEGAL JUSTICE NEWSLETTER. DOING A GREAT JOB

 

Good morning!  Hello! to all new subscribers to this newsletter.   News today of significant and welcome movement by Natural Resources Wales on general licences, of a new scientific paper which suggests that the Badger cull has been ineffective in reducing bovine tuberculosis in cattle and another petition for you to consider.   General Licences in Wales: if you have been aware of Wild Justice since our public launch three years ago, you will know that we kicked off with a successful legal challenge to the general licences in England - the licences which allow the general killing of some birds which are sometimes called pest species. We have made progress in reforming these licences across the four UK nations (see a blog from last year) and now we are pleased to report that Natural Resources Wales staff have recommended serious and important changes to Welsh general licences which will be considered by the NRW Board next week.  If approved, these changes will remove Magpie, Jackdaw and Jay from the list of species that can be killed for conservation purposes without a specific licence, will restrict killing of Carrion Crows for conservation purposes to a shorter period and make some other welcome changes. These changes, all of which Wild Justice has campaigned for and gone to court to promote, will, if agreed this week, make the Welsh licences the best on offer across the four UK nations. For more details - see our blog.   Talking of which, the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs may issue its consultation on general licences on Monday although they have missed two other deadlines already this year. We will scrutinise the proposals closely as they, too, have come about as a result of campaigning and legal action by Wild Justice (see here).    Badgers: our petition calling for an end to the free-shooting of Badgers in the DEFRA-sponsored, Natural England-licensed, English Badger cull will be debated in Westminster Hall on Monday at 430pm. Read our blog on the Wildlife and Countryside Link website - click here.   Yesterday a new analysis of the impacts of culling Badgers in England on the levels of bovine tuberculosis in cattle was published in the Veterinary Record. It suggests that the cull has had no discernible impact on bovine tuberculosis because the declines in levels of the disease have been similar in areas where Badgers were culled and where they weren't.    To be honest, the complexity of the scientific analysis is beyond our competence to judge, so we will take the results on trust given that they are published in a reputable journal. On the face of it, this analysis is a damning indictment of the Badger cull. We're sure that debate will be fierce on this subject. See our blog for more details of the paper - click here.   A petition: thank you for your support for the two petitions which we mentioned in our newsletter on Monday (Suspend trade agreement with Faroe Islands until all whale & dolphin hunts end and Make the use of free-running snares illegal for trapping wildlife).  Both received boosts the moment our newsletter hit your inboxes and the one relating to the Faroes has now passed the 100,000 signature hurdle. Here's another petition that you might want to sign; Demand wilder National Parks - click here.  This petition is set up by Rewilding Britain - we think they are a fine organisation. If anything, their ask for more rewilding in our National Parks is rather modest so we hope that you will consider supporting it.     Thank you!  That's it for our 101st newsletter. Please consider forwarding this newsletter to a few of your friends and they can subscribe, for free, by clicking here.    Wild Justice (Directors: Mark Avery, Chris Packham and Ruth Tingay).   PS We have had a bit of difficulty accessing our own website this morning - we think everything is back to normal but if any of the links in this newsletter don't work for you then please let us know - on admin@wildjustice.org.uk - that would be very helpful, thanks.   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).

 

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SAVING OUR WORLD FRO PLASTIC

 

Dear John Plastic is choking the natural world. Rivers are poisoned with sewage and the air we breathe is filthy. From hedgehogs to hedgerows, nature in the UK is suffering. But instead of protecting nature, today the UK government announced a dangerously weak set of environmental targets [1] that will allow the pollution to continue for decades to come. For the sake of nature and our own wellbeing, we need much more ambitious plans. We only have a 2-month window to speak up before the government locks in these weak targets. Will you spare a minute to sign our open letter calling on the government to free nature from pollution? I'LL SIGN THE LETTER Species can’t be restored if their homes are ravaged by plastic pollution. Rivers can’t stay clean while they’re choked by plastic.  So the lack of an overall target to reduce all types of plastic pollution is a particularly glaring omission from the government’s targets.  Just banning a few plastic items and telling people to recycle more simply isn’t enough. It’s low-hanging fruit. What about the hidden microplastics in our clothes, the plastic in car tyres and in the discarded fishing nets that crowd our oceans? The government needs to address these too.  For many years we’ve campaigned together to enshrine better protection for nature in law. And late last year the government at last announced its new Environment Act. Thanks to thousands of you, it’s a stronger law than the one the government originally proposed.  But as it stands, the environmental targets that will form the foundations of this law still fall short of actually fixing nature. And today’s announcement of incredibly weak targets is a massive missed opportunity.  In 15 years, we want to see our environment free from harmful plastics, with clean air, healthy rivers and nature thriving. So please, join us in calling on the government to deliver much stronger plans under the Environment Act – and save our natural world. I'LL SIGN THE LETTER I want to say thank you for taking the time to read this – and for taking action for our planet – while all our minds are on those affected by the horrifying impacts of the unjust war that’s being waged in Ukraine.  As part of Friends of the Earth International, we’re keeping in touch with friends and colleagues in Ukraine and Russia and joining their call for a peaceful and diplomatic long-term solution. All the best,  Kierra Box Campaigner NOTES: [1] Read about these plans in the government's Environment Targets Public Consultation. View this email in a browser This email was sent to spanishjohnedwards@gmail.com  Want to change how you receive these emails? Unsubscribe from this list We send communications to our supporters who have opted in to receive emails from us. Friends of the Earth Limited. Reg. No.1012357. Incorporated in England and Wales. Registered office: Friends of the Earth The Printworks 139 Clapham Road London, SW9 0HP United Kingdom Copyright © Friends of the Earth Limited Our supporter promise | Privacy Policy | Contact Us

38DEGREES. THIS ONE IS FOR BEES

 ​ ​

Dear John,  Our bees are under threat. Over the last few decades, we’ve lost 97% of our wildflower meadows. [1] Our bees’ food supply is starting to run out. And if they’ve got less food, there’ll be fewer bees to pollinate our crops - which means we’ll all have less food too. [2] To make matters worse, the government just authorised emergency use of bee-harming pesticides. [3]  But there’s something we can do today to help improve the situation - by giving our bees the food they need to thrive. If thousands of us plant bee-friendly flowers in our gardens, window boxes or private green spaces, we’ll be doing our bit to save our bees! [4]And we've got 60,000 packets to send out to people up and down the country so they can do just that! So John, can you sign up now to get your very own packet of seeds to plant this spring - and chip in for others to get a packet too, if you can? Seeds will be limited to one packet per person, to make sure that as many people as possible can take part!  SIGN UP FOR SEEDS Don’t want to plant seeds yourself? Why not chip in to pay for someone else's packet so we can send out even more seeds to help our bees?  CHIP IN There’s a lot going on in the world right now. It can leave us feeling powerless and worried for the future. But there are still small things we can do to make our corner of the planet a little better - including planting wildflowers to support our declining bee population.  It doesn’t matter whether you’ve got a large garden or a plant pot on a windowsill - anyone can plant some seeds to help our bees.  Last year an incredible 60,000 of us planted seeds to help protect our bees. So let’s do it again this year, and make sure that we fill our gardens, window boxes or private green spaces with flower food to help our buzzy friends.  So John, will you give our bees a helping hand - by signing up to get some wildflower seeds today - then chipping in to cover the cost of your packet, if you can? The seeds will need to be planted in the next few weeks, so the more of us who sign up now, the more flowers there’ll be for our bees!  SIGN UP FOR SEEDS Or if you can’t plant some seeds yourself, can you chip in so we can send some seeds to someone who can?  CHIP IN Thank you for everything you do,  Myles, Matt, Megan and the 38 Degrees team  P.S. Seeds will be posted at the end of March, and should be with you by April 15th - ready to be planted. If you have any more questions about this campaign or the seeds themselves, check out our FAQ page: https://38d.gs/SeedsFAQ  P.P.S If you haven't already seen how the 38 Degrees community is responding to the war in Ukraine, please see our blog post about it here.  We know there are lots of issues the 38 Degrees community cares about, so we're also continuing to run some of our long running campaigns - including this project to help our bees thrive.  NOTES:  [1] BBC: Wildflowers: important to pollinators, important to people  [2] National Geographic: Insects are vanishing at an alarming rate - but we can save them  The Express: Bees crisis: THIS is what the world loses if bumble bees die out The Guardian: World's food supply under 'severe threat' from loss of biodiversity  [3] CPM Magazine: Emergency authorisation granted for Cruiser SB  [4] The Conversation: Why urban gardens are crucial for conserving bees and butterflies – and how you can help them  National Geographic: Bumblebees are going extinct in a time of ‘climate chaos’

38 Degrees wouldn’t exist without you, John. 38 Degrees has no big donors - we’re funded by ordinary people who care, like you. Regular donations mean that we can plan future campaigns, pay our workers a decent wage, and keep fighting for what we all believe in.  If you don't already do so, will you consider setting up a regular donation of a fiver, tenner or whatever you can spare? Click here to donate securely:  CHIP IN WEEKLY Unsubscribe: If you no longer wish to be part of our movement and receive our emails you can unsubscribe here. This email was sent to spanishjohnedwards@gmail.com. 38 DEGREES Limited by guarantee Registered Company No. 6642193 in England and Wales Registered office: First Floor, 10 Queen Street Place, London, EC4R 1BE

 

AN UPDATE FROM WILD JUSTICE - CONGRATULATIONS ON THEIR 100TH POST

 

Good morning! Yes, this is our 100th newsletter since the very first in mid-February 2019. Back then, we weren't sure that we would be around this long. Here we have news on a successful pushback against DEFRA, a revised date for the Westminster Hall debate on badger shooting, more examples of what your MP has told you about their support for raptors, further news on DAERA in Northern Ireland and their plans for a Badger cull, further evidence that DAERA doesn't meet its promises and a couple of petitions that you might want to sign.   Schrodinger's Pheasant - DEFRA are pushed back by Wild Justice: DEFRA inserted a few words into their General Licence 42, which we believe were after pressure from the shooting industry, that extended the circumstances under which Pheasants and Red-legged Partridges which were reared in captivity and released to be shot at a few months later could be considered livestock. This attempted change would increase the period of time under which various other bird species could be killed under the terms of the General Licence, and we pointed out this was attempting to change the law by stealth. DEFRA backed down. It's as simple as that. It's not a massive win for wildlife but it will embarrass DEFRA, it might make them less keen to do what vested interests ask, and it will remind them that they are being watched.  More detail, including a link to the Guardian story on this, in our blog - click here.   Westminster Hall Badger debate moved one week: the debate on Badger shooting scheduled for today at 4:30pm has been moved back to next Monday at 4:30pm to make way for a debate on Ukrainian refugees. We have no issue with that. It does mean that you can still write to your MP and ask them to attend and speak up for Badgers - click here for advice on what you might say. Mark Avery met Nick Fletcher MP, a member of the Petitions Committee, last week to brief him on the issues (via the internet). Mr Fletcher will open the debate. Mark made the point that whether you are in favour of culling Badgers or against it (Wild Justice is against it) shooting of Badgers at night is an inhumane culling method and that no-one should support it.  We understand that important new analyses on the efficacy, or lack of efficacy,  of the Badger cull to control bovine tuberculosis in cattle will be published later this week.   MPs and birds of prey:  Chris Loder MP seems to be more or less on his own in speaking out unfavourably about birds of prey. Many Conservative MPs seem to be toeing the party line, a positive one, that reintroducing species is part of the conservation need, and that includes birds of prey where the right conditions are met. Many are using these words: 'The Government is committed to the recovery of species including wild birds. The Environment Act included a new legally binding target to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030. Ministers continue to provide opportunities for successful reintroductions such as white-tailed eagle to the Isle of Wight, pine marten in the Forest of Dean, and restoring populations of hen harrier and curlew.'. We're sceptical about the efficacy for reintroductions of Hen Harrier or Curlew but the general drift of the responses is positive.  Is Chris Loder your MP? We'd be interested to learn what he is saying to his constituents.  Has he retracted or has he dug himself a deeper hole?    DAERA and its plans for a Badger cull in Northern Ireland: DAERA, the Northern Ireland Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Department tells us that any legal challenge to their proposed Badger cull would be premature, and yet they appear, from what the farming press says, to be pushing ahead with their plans - click here. We believe there might be a statement on this matter to the Agriculture Committee on Wednesday this week. Wild Justice stands ready to take this matter to the courts and we can only do that because you have supported our crowdfunder which passed £25,000 at the weekend. Thank you!   DAERA delays promised General Licence consultation again:  Following our successful legal challenge to Northern Ireland’s general licences for the killing of wild birds back in December, DAERA conceded that their general licences were flawed and unlawful. At the time they said they’d replace them with interim licences, and assured us that a full public consultation would be launched in due course. Initially we were told the consultation would begin in early February. Early February came and went. Following some prodding, DAERA then promised the consultation would happen sometime between late February and early March – but definitely no later than March 7 2022. March 7 has now passed. Last week, we heard from DAERA that they’re aiming for the consultation to go public on 21 March 2022. You can see why we take anything that DAERA says with a big pinch of salt - click here.   Some petitions for your consideration: Wild Justice and its three co-founders, have some experience of launching and promoting petitions.We know they can be hard work; getting the wording right, promoting the petition widely and trying to get those last thousands of signatures that will mean that a petition is debated. Here are a couple of petitions for you to consider, please: Suspend trade agreement with Faroe Islands until all whale & dolphin hunts end, on 96,000 signatures and needs 100,000 by 21 March to be debated - click here Make the use of free-running snares illegal for trapping wildlife, on 78,500 signatures, closes 9 May - click here   Thank you!  That's it for our 100th newsletter. Please consider forwarding this newsletter to a few of your friends and they can subscribe, for free, by clicking here.   Wild Justice (Directors: Mark Avery, Chris Packham and Ruth Tingay).   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).

 

9 Lawson St
Raunds
Wellingborough Northants NN9 6NG
UNITED KINGDOM

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SCHRODINGER’S PHEASANTS AND A U-TURN BY DEFRA THANKS TO LEGAL JUSTICE

DEFRA forced into a U-turn regarding SCHRODINGER’S pheasant after a legal threat by WILD JUSTICE

Last month conservation campaign group Wild Justice started legal proceedings against DEFRA over changes that DEFRA had apparently slipped in to General Licence #42 in January, extending the definition of 'livestock' which meant permitting the killing of so-called 'pest' species to protect pheasants when they were classified as 'livestock' (see here and here). Wild Justice […]

You can read the rest of this post on their site Raptor Persecution UK

HUNTING WITH DOGS - (SCOTLAND) BILL FROM LEAGUE AGAINST CRUEL SPORTS

 

Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill Dear John, Don’t you just love it when a plan works? Seven years ago, the League in Scotland set itself the task of strengthening the loophole ridden fox hunting ban and “really banning fox hunting”. Firstly, we established that the current ban wasn’t working by employing our crack field workers to film what the ten mounted hunts were up to in the Scottish countryside. That led to the Government asking a senior Law Lord to undertake a review of the Scottish fox hunting ban. He concluded that “traditional fox hunting” was still going on. Next, the Government began the long consultation process about what changes should be made to the legislation. The need for change was starkly illustrated by a member of the Jed Forest hunt being found guilty of illegal hunting because of League footage showing what they were up to. We knew the public was behind us when almost a thousand people joined our “For the Foxes” march and rally outside Parliament. There was then a two year delay while COVID ravaged through Scotland and Parliament was busy dealing with it. But finally, on Friday 25 February, the day after the League handed the Environment Minister Màiri McAllan a petition signed by over 26,000 people the Government published a new Bill that we think will go a long way to “really banning hunting” in Scotland. As ever, there is a long way to go and the devil will be in the detail but we hope that with a fair wind behind it this Bill will finally bring an end to people encouraging packs of hounds to chase and kill foxes across the Scottish countryside. We couldn’t have achieved this without your support and I want to thank you for all your efforts and contributions that have got us this far. Thanks, Robbie Marsland Director of League Against Cruel Sports Scotland PS: Please support our work with a donation which will help us to change the hearts and minds of decision-makers with the power to strengthen and create laws to protect animals from cruel sports. League Against Cruel Sports, New Sparling House, Holloway Hill, Godalming, GU7 1QZ www.league.org.uk       Telephone: 01483 524 250 © 2022 League Against Cruel Sports Registered Charity in England & Wales (No.1095234) and Scotland (No.SC045533) You are receiving this email as you have registered your support to the League Against Cruel Sports. If you no longer wish to receive emails, you can unsubscribe here. View this email in your browser.

BIG FIELDS IN SPAIN AND BIG BIRDS

 Big plains, huge vistas and skies south of Albacete, Spain are one of the areas to go. It is always good to be out there; beautiful things to see and good people to be with. So refreshing for the head.  And then we made our minds up to go. We had to do it. After the storms of a few days ago and more rain that followed afterwards we needed to get out there. We watched the forecast, invited a friend along, and the other three wildlife combatants headed past Almansa and towards Albacete.

On Thursday 10th March we headed north from Alicante via A31 stoping at the turn off for Higueruela for coffee and postres. At 9am in a cool 4 degrees we cruised around the quiet byways spotting finches, linnets, spotless starlings with Corn Buntings -  Escribano Triguero showing well. However, our target was to see Little Bustards - Sisson Común and their bigger brethren, Great Bustards - Avetardo Común.  The smaller ones can be difficult and proved so today. We checked out the great expanses of fields and, drawn by a call, there was a male Great Bustard strutting and displaying. Seemingly talking to no one! We searched more but there was not another in sight. The one sighting was good, especially for our guest, because that was his first view of this species. That find proved to be invaluable as it was the only one we saw. We know where we can usually find them, but not today. So where the hell have they gone?

We had anticipated that many of the farm tracks were to be muddy, but no so. The causeway was almost passable but not quite with a road car. In the shallow lagoons were Lapwings - Avefria Europea always an iconic bird for me, three Wood Sandpipers - Andarrios Bastardo fed and one Water Pipit - Bisbita Alpino was very close by. We took the long way round seeing Common Kestrels - Cernicalo Vulgar often and Marsh Harriers - Aguilucho Luganero (15-20) where ever we went. We had great views of a circling male. Black headed Gulls - Gaviota Reidora were noisy and active.

We searched all these very large fields with no luck for the ‘big one’. We were in full sun all day with only a light breeze and although there were only a few wild flowers several species of butterfly were seen. These included Marble Whites, both large and small whites, and Clouded Yellows. 

Calandra Larks - Calandria were evident and on one occasion Sky Larks - Alondra Común  were seen and are still here. Crested Larks - Cogujada Común seem to be every where and although we tried hard we never located a Thekla’s. We investigated one field only to spook Black Bellied Sandgrouse - Ganga Ortega, six in number who quickly sped away. The same happened again when a small flock took off as we drove on past. Bryan spotted one lone Pintailed Sandgrouse - Ganga Ibérico and that was it. You have to be lucky with these birds!

You never know what can be around and on a distant water a group of something. Bryan shouldered the scope and walked off. His visit revealed 15 Ruff - Combatiente with six Reeves. Their plumage varied and some will be getting ready to breed. We presume far and away. That just goes to show you have to keep looking and checking. Good for him. 

 

Lagunas de Petrola was so disappointing. It was devoid of life. What the hell has gone on there!

We began our return by passing through Montelagre and Almansa. We knew of a stretch of water on way and this yielded White Headed Ducks - Malvasia Cabecinegra, both Little and Black Necked Grebes - Zampullin Común & Cuellinegro, Common Pochard - Porrón Europea.  I always expect a lot more from this location but it never gives anything exceptional. This time a rat was attracted to Bryan’s feet and was photographed. It showed no fear - if only it was a Water Vole!

Then we showed off with a ‘selfie’.

Winter was still here in this grain growing area and we were surprised not to see Hirundines passing through. It would appear to be a tad early even for other raptors. Looking forward to the summer months and it appears it may be devoid of water. That does not bode well for water loving birds. It will probably be September before we go there again and we will spend time watching our summer visitors close by. I have not recorded all of the species seen and some photos will appear later.

See also jejohnedwards@wordpress.com @ Bryan Thomas at birdingcostablanca.