Read on Twitter
It feels impossible to understand the mindset that does river management by bulldozer. https://twitter.com/timthefruit/status/1334485680379015174
This heartbreaking act won't just damage a priceless ecosystem, healthy enough to support otters and kingfishers. The soil washed downstream will kill many miles of river floor and thus the rest of the food chain, turning the river into a sterile drain. https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/news/horror-destruction-nationally-important-uk-river
No value is attributed to the amenity of this priceless ecological habitat. What would the sentence be for destroying a Turner or Constable?
Our rivers are already struggling with algal bloom as a result of phosphate levels leaching into rivers. Much of the damage is from runoff from the huge numbers of industrial poultry units producing cheap meat. https://www.monbiot.com/2020/08/14/watery-grave/
Incredibly, the local MP is arguing that allowing higher phosphate levels in our rivers is the answer. https://twitter.com/EllieChowns/status/1334817788712644608
The stupid thing is that this is actually destroying this county's strengths. (I initially misspelled that as detorying, which may actually be the better answer here).
Herefordshire is beautiful at every turn, with so many opportunities for sustainable tourism. The Wye is a magnet for visitors, and the old rail lines will make perfect cycle routes. The working orchards on the cider trail lead the way with camping and glamping on family farms.
All of this brings money directly into the local economy, but not if our landscape becomes an industrial hinterland of polytunnels and chicken sheds.
The chain of poor practice ultimately goes back to the behaviour of the buyers. Supermarkets cut margins, forcing a search for ever greater yields, leading to food being produced in extractive ways.
The best way to support good practice is to buy local and seasonal food, keeping the link with local producers, and cutting out the middleman to keep food miles low & prices fair. https://www.lowimpact.org/lowimpact-topic/community-supported-agriculture/
