Lets All Stand Together
Guest blog below :
You should all be aware by now of the case Chris Packham is bringing against three men for defamation. They are known as The Packham 3. ‘The Packham 3’ Defamation Defence Against Chris Packham (crowdjustice.com)
Be under no illusion, Mr Packham is against everything we all stand for. It is all out warfare and we are under attack from every side constantly. Look what has just happened in Scotland in the last few weeks. Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill – Bills (proposed laws) – Scottish Parliament | Scottish Parliament Website. It is a constant chipping away at our liberties and livelihoods.
Why is defeating Mr Packham so important you may ask? Well, in my opinion, for a start, he is an egotistical charlatan who I feel compulsively lies and misleads. He exaggerates or shares articles/reports he must surely know are totally untrue.
Here are just a few of many more examples I have documented over the last few years.
Glyphosate Tweets
NFU calls for BBC probe into Packham’s glyphosate tweets – Farmers Weekly (fwi.co.uk)
- ‘The NFU said the report was “riddled with inaccuracies and out of date information”’.
- ‘Commenting on Mr Packham’s glyphosate tweet, the NFU said regulatory bodies around the world had concluded it poses “little or no risk to people in their everyday lives when used correctly”.
- The NFU spokesman added: “Debates about the future of products like glyphosate need to be based on science and evidence, not on the opinions of people who dismiss information that doesn’t support their position as ‘industry propaganda’.
- ‘No association between glyphosate and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma’: Independent scientific panel review challenges activist cancer claims – Genetic Literacy Project
Decline in Hedgehog Numbers
- “The hedgerows in which they live are being removed to make way for more farmland,” said Chris. ‘
- Response to his statement https://twitter.com/harrym_vids/status/1268627654514741250?s=20&t=wy6KIZxrQ2SUyOZ0vyN90g
- ‘Chris, who is vice president of the RSPCA, has previously criticised the badger cull in 2020, calling it “cruel and ineffective’
Cruel?
- Summary of 2021 badger control operations – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- ‘Natural England Chief Scientist alongside the Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO), I have continued to provide oversight and advice on the effectiveness, safety and humaneness of the operations for existing intensive cull areas’
Ineffective?
- OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE-Downs2019_SciRep_111019_topublish.pdf (tbknowledgeexchange.co.uk)
- (Studies referenced )
- Downs et al. (2019) Assessing effects from the first four years of industry-led badger culling in England on the incidence of bovine tuberculosis in cattle, 2013 – 2017 Scientific Reports 2019 (www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-49957-6 ).
- APHA 2019. Bovine TB in cattle: Annual monitoring report. For the period 2013-2018.
- Brunton et al. (2017) Assessing the effects of the first 2 years of industry‐led badger culling in England on the incidence of bovine tuberculosis in cattle in 2013–2015. Ecology and Evolution.
- Donnelly et al. (2007) Impacts of widespread badger culling on cattle tuberculosis: concluding analyses from a large-scale field trial. Int. Journal of infectious diseases.
- Jenkins et al. (2010). The duration of the effects of repeated widespread badger culling on cattle tuberculosis following the cessation of culling. PLoS One.
A DEFRA Response
- https://deframedia.blog.gov.uk/2022/03/18/rebuttal-of-claims-on-tb-cull-effectiveness/
- ‘The articles cite a report in the Veterinary Record, written by anti-cull activists, claiming that licensed culls have “been ineffective in reducing bTB in cattle herds”. Experienced scientists from the Government’s Animal and Plant Health Agency have reviewed the report and found its analysis is scientifically flawed. It has manipulated the data in a way that makes it hard to understand the actual effects of badger culling and therefore its conclusions are wrong.’
Farmers Shooting Lapwings
This Tweet remains on his timeline.
https://twitter.com/ChrisGPackham/status/818166384823779328?s=20&t=kliYD8AQHtQIGuarnMsnqw
- Countryside workers in protest against Chris Packham – Farmers Weekly (fwi.co.uk) During a march in London, he labelled the shooting community “psychopaths” and was forced to apologise to farmers after falsely stating on social media that they shot endangered lapwings.
New Forest Grazing Will Leave National Park ‘Bereft’ of Life
Chris Packham says overgrazing is killing the New Forest – BBC News
TV presenter and naturalist Chris Packham has called for fewer animals to be allowed to roam the New Forest. He claims if nothing is done the national park will be left “bereft of life” due to overgrazing
Shouldn’t the New Forest be rewilded?
See this document for details.
‘The landscape of the New Forest is one of the few places where traditional, pastoral land management has survived. Because of this it still supports numerous rare species that were once common across the UK. The environmental success of the area is achieved by striking a careful balance between maintaining its wild character and sensitive land management, including rotational cutting and burning and, of course, constant grazing by herbivores. Places that are reported to have been ‘rewilded’ have, in fact, adopted systems of grazing and land management similar to those long practiced in the New Forest.’
Is the New Forest overgrazed?
See this document for details.
‘As commoners we must judge grazing levels by the condition of our livestock, sustained by what the New Forest provides, and the condition of the habitats supported by grazing. Twice a year the Verderers run a welfare tour, taking national and local organisations with an interest in welfare to random sites to inspect the livestock. Commoners have an individual responsibility for the condition of their animals and will take them home should they lose condition with no early prospect of improvement. Natural England have responsibility for the condition of the habitats, which are broken down into individual SSSI units. Natural England assesses that of the 29,000 hectares in the New Forest SSSI just 1.14% are unfavourable and declining.
The majority of the 582 SSSI units are in favourable condition some 97% either favourable or unfavourable and recovering. Anyone who takes a moment to study the Natural England assessments will soon discover common reasons amongst those few SSSI units in declining condition. Particularly under grazing, human interference with watercourses, campsite and other human pressures. The most recent assessments also show the benefits of some of the work that has been done under our current Agri-environment scheme (known as Pillar II of the Common’
Ruthless Culls on Grouse Moors
Let us present the facts
- ‘Hundreds of thousands of animals including foxes, weasels and stoats are being legally killed in the UK to protect grouse moors, naturalist and TV presenter Chris Packham has claimed.’
- ‘Packham’s estimates were backed up by experts including Robbie Marsland, the director of the League Against Cruel Sports, and Bob Elliot, director of One Kind – a Scottish animal rights organisation.’
- The facts are.
- TV naturalist forgets the facts in scathing attack of grouse moors: Our letter to the Independent – Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (gwct.org.uk)
- ‘Chris Packham appears to have forgotten facts that even the government recognises. Our heather moorlands, the sort best maintained and protected by grouse shooting, were recognised as globally important by the Rio Convention nearly 30 years ago. This is no surprise because they support 13 plant communities listed in the Habitats Directive and 18 bird species of international importance. Those seeking to criticise grouse moor management should remember that, where it has ceased, we have lost over 40 percent of this precious heather cover. Worse, in North Wales, many species including curlew, lapwing and golden plover declined to the point where they are extinct in some areas. Of greatest concern is that our recent scientific studies have revealed that simply reinstating grouse moor management after such dramatic losses will not necessarily reverse them. In light of these findings, it would appear utterly reckless to suggest there is a fundamental problem with the way gamekeepers manage and protect one of our most cherished landscapes – heather moorland.’
- TV naturalist forgets the facts in scathing attack of grouse moors: Our letter to the Independent – Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (gwct.org.uk)
Working with Major Players in the Shooting Industry
Chris Packham: on Asperger’s, Belfast Lough and the wildlife criminals – Black Bee Communications
- ‘In recent months he has been meeting with major players within the shooting industry and is working towards putting together a new Code of Practice for shooting.’
- This is a quote back from BASC Home – The British Association for Shooting and Conservation (basc.org.uk) when they were approached about his statement. (Bear in mind they are the biggest Shooting Industry Organisation)
- BASC has had no interaction with Chris Packham like he describes. The article is two years old, too, and his position on shooting of any kind has become quite a lot clearer since, which makes such a collaboration even less likely ‘
- This is a quote back from BASC Home – The British Association for Shooting and Conservation (basc.org.uk) when they were approached about his statement. (Bear in mind they are the biggest Shooting Industry Organisation)
Claiming Proceeds from Christmas Card Sales to go to Charity
The charity in question being, of course, Wild Justice.
Mr Packham is employed by the BBC as a freelancer on various series and one-off Programmes, one of which has recently been cancelled and another reduced in duration. Autumnwatch cancelled after 17 years as BBC axes popular wildlife show | Metro News . He is the Vice President of both the RSPB and the RSPCA. And don’t forget one of the three people who run Wild Justice. That is the organisation who instigated the general licence debacle https://www.fieldsportschannel.tv/generallicences/amp/ , and I could go on and on ……
If Mr Packham Loses
The point is, if Mr Packham is discredited through the courts all of the organisations he is associated with will surely have to have a rethink. Think about how they act and how important truth and facts are. Especially when attacking the countryside and all the people who live and work there.
The question we should all be asking has Mr Packham truly miscalculated? Is his attempt to silence three people due to his arrogance? Is he simply using Lawfare to shut them up? Does he think his celebrity status will see him through?
The only major hurdle the defendants face is enough money to fight the case, but it really shouldn’t be. I know times are tough, believe me, if I wasn’t a country lad I’d struggle a bit more. But I can always put food on the table and I know most of us are in similar circumstances.
But why are so few here supporting this case ?
Nobody is asking much, if you can’t afford anything that’s fine, I’m sure you’ll support us morally. All I am asking is for people to donate a small amount. Less than the price of a box of cartridges, a couple of beers or a bottle of wine.
I’m of the opinion of others, if we don’t win this, it’ll only be money defeats us. Thereafter, we’ll lose ground big time, and I may well not bother anymore.
It’s our countryside, it’s our sport, let’s not be apathetic. We all need to stand together as a Field Sports community and defend our way of life.
Please, if you can, click here https://ko-fi.com/packham3 and donate a fiver or whatever you can.
Thank you for reading this friends and fellow Countrymen and Countrywomen.
LET’S ALL STAND TOGETHER.
He needs to go . No longer wanted .