Land Use

[2stroke4stroke]

BBC news this  morning - farmers and landowners will have to earn their subsidies after Brexit by way of looking after the environment.  The last time (about ten years ago if I remember) that legislation was introduced along those lines venues were lost with no apparent involvement from "our" side.  Let's hope that this time round the ACU engages with the Authorities at an early stage to prevent a calamatous effect on the sport.

[nitsua]

Don't hold your breath.

[greychapel]

there has always been an environmental aspect to subsidies, so not sure what Gove is on about! perhaps MP's  salaries should be dependent on them "protecting the environment and enhancing rural life"

 

[trialsrfun]

Of course there will be NO damage to the ecology or environment by building HS2.

[jon v8]

ANY farms already in "Stewardship" at any of the current levels cannot host any kind of motorsport.The farm along the valley from me which used to have trials and scrambles was even told it would have to repay its stewardship payments if the farmers grandsons didn't stop using the land for practice. The farm next to it would love to host a trial,but the only way they can make it pay is to keep it in higher level stewardship - no trial.

I've been banging on about this for years,the AMCA and ACU appear to say very little about it. Defra rules could easily put an end to our sport,then we would end up like Germany - am I right in thinking there are only about 6 venues there,all owned by clubs ?

[dadof2]

The environmental strewardship schemes which MAY prevent motorsport are mainly the result of Natural England (A government quango) and very little to do with Europe.

Natural england is staffed by people with very little time for or acceptance of others views that contradict they own agenda. If a farmer knows what he is doing when signing up for a stewardship scheme they can exempt certain parts of their land. Defra has in the past deliberately misinterpreted EU regulations in order to try to prevent off road motorsport.

I am in favour of brexit and there is one useful thing about it as regards the above - your MP will no longer be able to pass the buck and blame Europe as they do all too frequently.

The stewardship schemes are quite liked by farmers as they give guaranteed income for quite a number of years. If motor clubs want to use the land they are going to have to make it economically attractive to the farmer.

At least stewardship schemes are time limited (often 15 to 25 years) whereas SSSI are indefinite with very little chance of being overturned. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-40673559

Edited July 21, 2017 by dadof2
link to news article added

[dadof2]

The bulk of the funding farmers receive from the EU are production subsidies with very little linkage to environmental stewardship. These will cease when we leave the EU. The schemes that affect motorised off road use (and many non motorised pastimes) are run by Defra and Natural England.

Many farmers want to see subsidies maintained after UK leaves the EU. What the Uk government is saying is that rather than subsidies primarily being linked to production / land area owned they will once we depart the EU be primarily paid for the degree to which farms participate in environmental schemes. As these are likely to be administered by Natural England and the "greener" factions of Defra this change does represent a challenge for off road motorsport.

Hope the above clarifies why this is not really anything to do with the EU.

The EU does have rules that can be applied by Derfra or the Environment agency but rarely are. For example these rules can be used to stop motorcycles riding in rivers where the silt stirred up or the disturbance of gravel can harm the breeding areas of migratory fish.

[rabie]

this is a huge and complex subject that is evolving as we all grapple with what brexit will / might mean

 

if we suppose that most trials depends upon hiring farm land that is in receipt of farm subsidy. this subsidy can be supplemented by environmental stewardship subsides. as above the farm can chose not to claim for all their land and thus hire this out to activities excluded by the conditions of environmental stewardship.

in this case then we (the sport) could hire the land at such a price that farmers would be prepared to take land out of stewardship for the rental income we give them. but this is a radical change for many who are paying nothing/very little for land.

we could of course go elsewhere (to other land owners) and this might entail higher fees - down here many have used the MOD but a change in their practices has made trials land very expensive (or are we just not used to paying market prices?). others have gone elsewhere (forestry commission, private land eg quarries, etc) and some have brought land.

this might however imply a concentration of our sport into a handful of venues that would get used more frequently (which i think is happening already) as opposed to some places that are only used once a year (which i infer would be impractical to "hire" out of subsidy)

 

now is the logical conclusion of this to ask to what extent we as a sport - MCIA, federations (ACU, AMCA, etc), LARA, clubs, individuals, are going to lobby government to shape current policy and then future policy (ie brexit) into a more trials friendly shape - now that requires some leadership and funding and guarantees no outcome (eg countryside alliance, hunting, etc).

 

Edited August 2, 2017 by rabie
rabie still can't spell