August

The 2023 curlew breeding season has now drawn to a close, and after many years of low productivity in the New Forest, its adult population of curlews – which is likely ageing – has finally produced a reasonable number of fledglings.

Any policy maker with an eye to the past understands that the more gaps we have in our knowledge, the higher the risk is of unintended consequences if we rush to make policy decisions. That is why a number of our leading scientists with years of conducting key research into these ecosystems on our uplands are advising caution regarding the seemingly appealing solution of banning prescribed burning as a management tool for moorland owners. It might quite literally backfire!

At its heart, FRAMEwork is about sharing ideas, inspiring new approaches, and collaborating to make farmland biodiversity conservation possible on the ground. This occurred in March when the GWCT team hosted the projects’ annual meeting.

After a short hiatus due to covid, the Shooting Times’ Woodcock Club is back on 14 September. 

The West Tayside committee are once again holding their “Fairways & Flushes” competition at The Gleneagles Hotel, this year on Friday 6th October.
The day will consist of an 18-team competition, with teams of 4 people competing in a clay competition in the morning, lunch at Auchterarder 70 within the Dormy Clubhouse followed by a Texas Scramble golf competition in the afternoon.

The Scottish Government has announced that it intends to bring forward amendments to the Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill to ban the use of snares in Scotland.

Starting 18th September, farmers can enroll in the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), as per the recent announcement by Defra.

For too long, the big internet companies have left rural communities, businesses and families behind. Gigaloch is changing that, by connecting the hardest to reach places first to our gigabit-speed, full-fibre network – ensuring remote, rural areas get the broadband they deserve.

The IFM’s Sea Trout Symposium will be held in Cardiff on the 12^th and 13^th of September at the Angel Hotel.

In a world grappling with the urgent need to combat climate change, the agricultural sector is stepping up to the challenge with innovative ideas and collaborative efforts. One example of this is the Climate Neutral Farms project.