Dont sacrifice our wildlife
The Chancellor has said the bulk of the savings he wants to make will come from spending cuts. In making those cuts, we urge him not to reduce the funding that underpins conservation in our countryside.
We understand Defra has been asked to contribute to the reduction in the deficit with cuts of at least 25 per cent to its budget over the next four years, but cutting conservation spend would be a false economy.
Agri-environment funding helps farmers protect water supplies, carbon stores, wildlife and habitats while bringing European money into the British economy. The Higher Level Scheme in particular underpins efforts to halt the steep declines in our farmland birds and to improve some of our most important wildlife sites.
All these things pay us back much more than we put in and their loss would be felt long, long after the budget deficit is an unpleasant memory.
Once wildlife is lost, it is lost forever. It should not be sacrificed in the hunt for quick savings.