A Darent Valley farmer's World Environment Day experience in Brussels
John Dinnis of Filston Farm (part of the Darent Valley Farmer Cluster) wrote this blog about his experience at World Environment Day in Brussels with Defra and UN delegates. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) wanted a farmer to attend - a farmer who works directly on the land and who could give their perspective on the challenges and advantages of being involved with a water quality or river restoration focused project. By the sounds of it, he had a great (if unexpected!) day - read on for his experience.
When the UN team in Brussels decided to mark World Environment Day with a film showing and conference, they thought it would be useful to have input from the UK.
When DEFRA were contacted, they suggested a farmer at the sharp end of one of the pilot Landscape Recovery schemes. With ours in the Darent catchment being well advanced, a request came our way.
With other members of the steering committee unavailable I found myself at St. Pancras well in advance of the Eurostar advised check in time. It seemed sensible to be there to avoid potentially missing the connection. I was joined by Sam Burford, head of Landscape recovery in DEFRA. He arrived with 10 minutes to spare and was whisked through security.
I had been expecting to be a delegate at the conference but was informed that actually I would be on the panel with an audience of 1,000. Further to this Sam informed me that due to the election purdah he would be unable to contribute and was simply there as an observer.
Fast forward to the conference and I was whisked into the speakers’ reception leaving Sam in the lobby. Following initial remarks, the film Blue World was shown. Then the panel of the film maker, senior EU figures and myself took questions from the chair and the audience. Fellow panel members were very supportive and I hope that I managed a useful contribution. All seemed happy at the reception after the event.
The following morning, I was invited to the British Embassy to meet with EU leaders on environmental issues and agricultural attaches from around the world. Following some introductory comments, I answered for nearly two hours on how the new system of payments was perceived in the UK and how I was reacting on my farm. There was genuine interest with the upcoming EU elections and how to react to European farmer protests. It was an absorbing and fascinating session.
After the meeting, Sam and I had a chance to explore Brussels. Obviously the Manneken Pis and the Brussels beer museum. A pleasant lunch with much farming chat led us back to the Eurostar and then back the relative seclusion of the Darent Valley.