Archived press release

Local people and mps question quango's 'shameful proposal'

1 October 1997

The Government's official nature conservation body, English Nature is proposing to remove legal protection from parts of two internationally important wildlife sites, Thorne and Hatfield Moors, near Doncaster. [1] Both sites are designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) yet English Nature, the Government's official wildlife agency is proposing to denotify hundreds of hectares of these rare peatbogs claiming they no longer hold wildlife value. Ironically it is precisely because English Nature has supported continuing mineral extraction for peat on both sites that their wildlife value has been damaged. [2]

Local people have organised a public meeting to which English Nature's Chief Executive,Dr Derek Langslow has been invited to justify the proposal. The meeting is at Thorne Grammar School, Thorne, nr Doncaster at 7.30 pm on Friday, October 3rd.

Robin Maynard, Local Campaigns Director, Friends of the Earth said:

“English Nature are the architects of the destruction of the wildlife they are supposed to protect. The shameful proposal to strip SSSI status off the bogs is a direct consequence of the gutless, compromising deal the quango struck with the peat extractors back in 1992.The then Secretary of State for the Environment, Michael Heseltine, stated that English Nature would not remove SSSI status from these sites, English Nature have made him into a liar.” [3]

Caroline Flint MP, who will be speaking at the meeting, said:

“After examining the issue, visiting the sites affected and speaking to English Nature, both myself and Kevin Hughes have yet to find one good reason for removing the SSSI status from these valuable peatbogs.” [4]

Every well-known conservation group from Friends of the Earth, RSPB and the Wildlife Trusts to World Wide Fund for Nature opposes English Nature's proposal. The alliance of these groups, The Peatlands Campaign Consortium, has commissioned independent scientific research that demolishes English Nature's alleged rationale. [5]

NOTES TO EDITORS:

[1] English Nature announced their proposal to denotify 6%(100 hectares) of Thorne Moors and over 30% (over 400 hectares) of Hatfield Moors SSSIs on 9 June 1997. The final decision by the unelected English Nature Council was due to be made on October 8th.

[2] In 1992 at the height of a national campaign by the Peatlands Campaign Consortium to end commercial peat extraction on SSSIs and promote alternatives to peat for gardeners and horticulturists, English Nature astonishingly brokered a 'secret' deal with the then owners of Thorne and Hatfield Moors, Fisons. Subsequently, Fisons abandoned the peat business which was taken over by a management buy-out now trading as Levingtons Horticulture. English Nature's secret deal was fiercely criticised by the PCC as a 'sell-out'at a critical point in the campaign. Many major retailers, such as B&Q, had responsibly refused to stock any peat coming from SSSIs. The deal effectively made English Nature landlord to continued peatcutting and undermined the SSSI-peat consumer boycott.

[3] On 27/2/92 Labour Environment shadow spokesman, Bryan Gould asked the then Secretary of State for the Environment, Michael Heseltine a series of parliamentary questions on the peat issue and the English Nature/Fisons deal in particular,

'Mr Gould: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if English Nature intends to remove Site of Special Scientific Interest status from any area of peat bog from which peat is commercially extracted.

Mr Heseltine: No.'

Hansard 27/2/1992 p561 Thorne and Hatfield Moors, Peat.

[4] Labour Party Policy on peat in the past has been robust and unequivocal,
'We serve notice on the peat extraction industry that unless there is voluntary agreement to reduce peat extraction substantialy and promote alternatives , we shall introduce a strict fiscal and regulatory regime.'
'An Earthly Chance', Labour Party Shadow White Paper on the Environment, 1990.

[5] The Peatlands Campaign Consortium - 14 national environmental; geological and archaeological groups - and the local conservation groups have commissioned independent scientific research challenging English Nature's alleged scientific rationale for denotification.Results of this will be publicised at the meeting.

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust