What on Earth are we leaving our grandchildren?

It's the EU that wants to stop Syngenta and Monsanto from using their drugs in agriculture.

Think we need to say this a bit louder, dj

And sorry to all you EU haters but the EU is trying to protect the environment

ec.europa.eu/environment/soil/index_en.htm

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/soil/index_en.htmThe continued unsustainable use of soils is compromising the Union's domestic and international biodiversity and climate change objectives. For all these reasons, the Commission adopted a Soil Thematic Strategy (COM(2006) 231) on 22 September 2006 with the objective to protect soils across the EU. While the Commission in May 2014 decided to withdraw the proposal for a Soil Framework Directive, the Seventh Environment Action Programme, which entered into force on 17 January 2014, recognises that soil degradation is a serious challenge. It provides that by 2020 land is managed sustainably in the Union, soil is adequately protected and the remediation of contaminated sites is well underway and commits the EU and its Member States to increasing efforts to reduce soil erosion and increase soil organic matter and to remediate contaminated sites.

Excellent book called The Running Hare gives an alarmingly good picture of what has happened to degrade our countryside. Agri-business.

Well done for all the composting quizqueen and I think
( in the case of my own council) that a lot of household waste is used for compost.

It's the EU that wants to stop Syngenta and Monsanto from using their drugs in agriculture.

Michael Gove is a good man, a great Brexiteer and a forward thinker. Now it seems he notices thinks that other politicians of all parties don't notice or have, at least, neglected to think about.

I home compost all left over peelings, some paper shreds, general left overs, leaves etc. and take larger branches down to my local dump where they are composted by the council. Each year I dig my home made compost into my garden and now my former clay based soil can sustain plants well. Why isn't all household waste such as this collected by each council and taken straight to the farms?

I suppose there'll be an EU directive against this as they will want to support the big drug companies but we won't have to worry about their decisions for much longer -another bonus. We also need to work towards sustaining and controlling population growth instead of rewarding people for having children and encouraging mums to go back out into the workforce asap. ... this is coming from someone who works in education and childcare! More people equals more houses and roads, less space for growing food, more dependency on imports, so less food for those countries too.

We used to live in the SW sarahellenwhiteney and I just wonder whether there are any jobs for the people who will live in all the new houses. Is the new town near Plymouth still going ahead? I think it was called Shefford.

We have a pile of well-rotted horse manure merlotgran (well, it looks like soil now) that will be spread on the veg garden over the winter. Plus compost.

Surely it isn't what we do as individuals that matters. What matters is persuading farmers to take care of their soil.

I mentioned on one of the gardening threads that I was only going to follow the No Dig policy this year seeing as we have an abundance of chicken manure and compost and my back isn't getting any younger. The rotovator was therefore shoved to the back of the shed - much to DH's disgust.

There was a lot of hand weeding to do in the early stages but as DH was convalescing from two spells in hospital I got up at 6am most mornings before it was too hot to work outside.

Result? The best veg ever!!

I've been a Charles Dowding fan for years and his books are now really popular.

Jalimall08. I live in the south west and now observe what was agricultural land, NO not always brownfield as the powers that be would like us to believe, being taken over to build the thousands of new homes for what is becoming a vastly over populated UK.

I'm not holding out any great hopes for the environment once we leave. Considering how happy the government seem to be about importing chlorine washed chicken I don't think how stuff is farmed is mmm p even on the radar for most of them.

We grow all our own veg for most of the year, and have done so for years,. It is hard work, but it is so much nicer particularly sweetcorn, and well worth the effort. Meat always comes from our local butcher so that we know exactly where the animal comes from, quality of life, method of slaughter etc. Milk is organic as are other dairy products, eggs free range from a local source, ( we know the hens!) Made marmalade, (early on) and strawberry/raspberry jam in the summer. Mind you, we do have the time now and for the minute, still the strength!

We started growing our own veg for this very reason because the nutrients are missing from shop bought veg but it probably ends up costing far more than the stuff in the supermarket. I'd prefer to spend a little more on better veg from the supermarkets than have sub-standard stuff.

Wormeries are a great Christmas idea. My daughter will insist I keep it here for my grand daughter but that's fine. Sustainable is key to their future...
I occasionally work at the great arts centre in Leicester called the Attenborough. There are some amazing opportunities to consider sustainability and responsibility for the environment through artwork, on display there. Check it out?

Oh our butterflies don't go without, dj. Still plenty to go round

Nettles grow where the soil is full of nitrogen, which is why they are. Calcium and magnesium, too. Good for aphids and ladybirds, too, as well as various butterflies, like the red admiral, painted lady and peacock. So if you want lots of those in your garden, particularly the peacock, leave the nettles.

It may not help but after watching the film FOOD INC I joined the soil association in the hope my small contribution would help.

Yes. Nettles are a sign of fertile soil - we are still yanking them out year after year after year but they will also grow strongly when other plants struggle because the nutrients in the soil have been depleted.

Pots of my nettles have been used in a show garden at Chelsea!!

I understood nettles to be a sign of fertile soil and planted things where nettles flourished, please don't tell my lovely garden that I was wrong.

Please note that I never said a word about farmers being greedy, only that they will have to maximise production.
It wasn't you who used that term MaizieD

DEFRA already has a farm waste management plan which are guidelines but I am not sure if it is compulsory.

I mentioned as much in my post of 10:06, MaizieD

I was replying to Day6 about the greedy farmers comment.

There are changes being made to intensive farming practices now such as minimal ploughing and use of cover crops etc.

When mixed farming became uneconomic we lost the opportunity to enrich the soil with manure.

Please note that I never said a word about farmers being greedy, only that they will have to maximise production.

Tell me if I'm wrong, Merlotgran but I don't think that huge cereal farms or vegetable farms have much in the way of organic matter to put back into their soil. It's not as if they are running herds of cattle so that they can return their muck to the fields. I also understood that the EU are rather keen on promoting soil health and environmentally friendly farming practices.

www.politico.eu/article/glyphosate-europe-high-stakes-weedkiller-decision-goes-to-the-wire/

I try to buy as much as I can from organic farmers. Thus hopefully caring for the land and by-passing the overpowerful supermarkets.

The EU has continued its ban on neonics. The UK wants to allow farmers to continue using them.

actions.sumofus.org/a/european-neonics-ban-call?source=campaigns

Supermarkets didn't do this.

www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/oct/21/insects-giant-ecosystem-collapsing-human-activity-catastrophe