Human intervention must 'protect countryside' says minister

Human intervention is the 'only way we are going to protect the countryside' said Natural Environment and Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon.

Speaking at an Annual Lecture at the University of Reading, Benyon said: "The countryside didn’t just happen – it was created by humans."

He said there were limitations to what government could do in the future and called for a joint stewardship of the countryside through broad partnership of interested parties, including wildlife trusts, conservation groups, research organisations and charitable donors.

"Any Government is not going to be able to spend any more than it is today on support for farmers. We therefore have to look firstly to farmers and landowners themselves, building on their enthusiasm, their know-how, their knowledge", the minister said.

Sir David Bell, Vice-Chancellor, University of Reading said: "Our research at the University in the areas of food security, climate change, planning, sustainability and agriculture, will contribute to our understanding of a sustainable future for the countryside."

Benyon said: "Making the decision to control an abundant species because of the damage it is doing to the population of another species is never easy. But if we want a countryside that is rich in wildlife, for our children and our grandchildren to enjoy, we need to start looking seriously at these options now."

"How can you make farmers grow more food without causing greater damage to the environment?"

"Of course, it can be achieved, and work done by farmers... show that production can increase alongside an enhanced or protected environment.”