Every now and again something appears in print that takes your breath away for the sheer amout of bullshit encountered therein.
Below we have a classic statement from Simon Evans Wuf's 'Director' appearing on an Internet Forum. which takes your breath away.  Not that we should be overly surprised as we have had this sort of thing for any years now and the previous Directors expertise has obviously rubbed off on Simon..

It basically says;
The EA in Herefordshire is good.
The Farming advisory works they have done has reduced  sediment levels which together with phosphate levels has dropped.  ( No algae bloom then)
Salmon are now spawning in the Lower Wye and Lugg. (They always have)
They have not done so for the past 20= years  (Really)
New binding rules for agriculture (They actually fenced a cow drink -hurrah)

Could we please see some evidence of any of this.  There is no possible way they could show no spawning has taken place in the lower Wye and Lugg over the past  20 years. No way of showing farming advice has reduced sediment levels when there are so many other causes and so on and so on.
Another classic - Look what we did, another success story.
Oh and by the way the main EA man they worked with all those years, and a couple of others, now works for NRW in Wales, probably now singing from a different song sheet.  He who pays the scientists  usually gets the answers he wants.  Salmon farming as a classic example.

However the last paragraph is very very true.  It's not the organisation that counts it's the staff that run it.  Time for a clear out WUF and EA/NRW



In Herefordshire the EA is good. Through partnership working they accepted that their role was regulation as they were the only people who could do it. They took it upon themsleves to assist and faciliatate improvement works (leaving it to others to deliver them) and regulate bad practice. They are at the national forefront of supporting partnership working. 

Under the Save our Soils campaign 63 farmers who had excessive amounts of soil were referred to the RPA in the winter of 16/17. When the RPA failed to act, they developoed a new methodology of using works orders and 17 threats were issued in 17/18. This pushed those farmers into taking on board advice from Wye & Usk foundation advisors on how to stop soil loss. In all cases the problem has been solved. In conjuction with the work of WUF advisors who are helping 100's of other farmers adopt better practices; fencing stock from watercourses, better grazing management, less ploughing, better field choice for high risk crops, use of cover crops, undersowing maize etc, and are now also supported be better targetting Mid-tier funds thanks to Natural England also embracing partnership working.

The result: sediment levels have dropped such that salmon are now spawning sucessfully in the lower Lugg and lower Wye for the first time for 20+ years, and phosphate levels are also dropping in England. EA have played a key role in making this happen. In Wales NRW are trying but are hamstrung by the Welsh Governments policies. 

Herefordshire EA have also adopted the new binding rules for agriculture and already enforced one case that saw this drinking place fenced and alternative water provided for stock.holme lacy DP.jpg

It is not the organistion but rather the staff within in and the partnerships they form with other organisations. Here we have been able to join together on a shared mission to clean up and improve the Wye.