News
Fly-tipping: Farmers bear brunt of epidemic
• Rubbish dumped in fi eld entrances • Almost half of farmers aff ected • Criminal gangs are among culprits
F
armers are the group most af- fected by the illegal dumping of large amounts of rubbish, ac-
cording to new fi gures from the En- vironment Agency. The fi nding has prompted the NFU to renew its call for urgent action to tackle the problem Fly-tipping re- mains a priority issue for rural com- munities, said NFU deputy president and Stuart Roberts.
The rising number of incidents is
having a devastating impact on farm businesses across the country, said Mr Roberts. More must be done to prevent fl y-tipping from taking place, remind- ing the public of their responsibilities and punishing offenders.
“This survey has again thrown into sharp focus the extensive prob- lems fl y-tipping is causing. I hear every day about industrial-scale amounts of rubbish such as builder’s rubble, old furniture, kitchen appliances and used
tyres being dumped in fi elds.” Earlier this year, the NFU’s own ru- ral crime survey revealed that fl y-tip- ping was the most prolifi c crime expe- rienced by NFU members, with nearly half (48%) of those surveyed saying they had been affected by fl y-tipping in the past year.
Organised crime
“These crimes must be taken serious- ly,” said Mr Roberts. “We need to under- stand the links to organised crime and commit to levelling up policing for both urban and rural areas to create a saf- er, cleaner and greener rural Britain. “It’s clear the public agree. Recent- ly more than 50,000 people signed an open letter to the newly elected Police and Crime Commissioners calling for better collaboration to tackle preven- tion, clean-up and prosecution. Mr Roberts added: “Everyone hugely values
More must be done to combat offenders who dump rubbish, says the NFU
Below: Bigger fi nes and stiffer sentences are needed, says Stuart Roberts.
the benefi ts the countryside brings, and none of us want it blighted by huge amounts of rubbish being strewn across fi elds and on the sides of ru- ral roads.”
The NFU wants the Environment Agency to work together with police, local authorities, and farmers to tackle the problem. In some areas these rela- tionships work well but the NFU says a more consistent approach is needed across the country.
It says householders should be bet- ter informed about their legal obliga- tions to ensure their rubbish is prop- erly handled. Many people may not realise they are criminally liable for their rubbish being illegally dumped, even if someone else is responsible. “Offenders caught dumping waste illegally must also see the fi nes as a proper punishment and these must act as a deter- rent,” said Mr Roberts.
Farming needs image revamp to attract workers A
griculture needs to improve its image to attract more workers and prevent disastrous labour shortages from con-
tiuing, say experts. Potential employees are being put off by the belief that farming is a sector with low pay, long hours, poor work-life balance, bad conditions, lack of progression, heavy phys- ical labour and unskilled work. Commissioned by the Worshipful Compa-
ny of Farmers and the John Oldacre Foun- dation, researchers from Exeter University examined the perception of agriculture and employee labour issues for both seasonal jobs
4 ANGLIA FARMER • JULY 2021
and more permanent roles. “Farming is an ‘invisible career’ to any-
body who isn’t from a farming background, and this needs to change,” said report co-au- thor Caroline Nye. “Potential career opportunities in agricul- ture go far beyond simply picking fruit, and often involve working with complex technol- ogy and machinery, with some farm manag- ers earning over £90,000 a year.” Farms must become more competitive,
fl exible and attractive places to work in or- der to drive recruitment, says the study. The report suggests potential new en-
trants for permanent jobs in the industry might include people from a greater range of backgrounds. This includes people leaving the armed services, ex-offenders and people from disadvantaged backgrounds. It says the Ministry of Defence should do
more to spread awareness of agricultural opportunities – introducing more training schemes aimed at veterans from non-farm- ing backgrounds. Brexit, the coronavirus pandemic, curren-
cy fl uctuations and new immigration laws are likely to exacerbate labour shortfalls in the coming years, the report warns.
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