Publicly Funded 'Barb'arity

In an addendum to the recent post Thinking and Risk about barbed wire and the barbarous** mentality of those who sanction its installation on a site ostensibly set aside for wildlife, I mention why I'm against vigilante wire cutting, however well-intentioned.

The possibility of loose strands of the nasty stuff being left trailing on the ground could almost be worse than the coldly efficient strained wires already there. But for those who think that this story can't get worse I have more news. It can: SWT and their contractors have so little care for wildlife  (or their own imported farm livestock) that they themselves are responsible for barbed wire being left trailing on the ground and in similar hazardous situations.

Not far away in the sheep grazed enclosure I've posted about here, barbed wire has been left, carelessly discarded on the ground ,where it can easily harm badgers, foxes, sheep, hares and humans. Nearby another hazard is the coiled up remains of the previous fence. Another similar coil is not far off alongside loose trails of wire and posts to which old barbed wire remains affixed. A ewe is using it to shelter from the west wind! Did we need proof they are stupid animals? Or that SWT are unfit to be responsible for landscape management at any level? You keep on having to remind yourself that this is a 'Nature Reserve'. That is what Sheffield Wildlife Trust call it! 'Wildlife'! does irony get any sharper than the barbs on these fences?

Another projection of loose barbed wire can be found near the main gate. This has been there for several weeks now, at least since I last saw it on 20th November, thinking then that it was about to be tidied up. How foolish to assume anyone in this outfit would do a proper job of anything.

This job was done with public money provided by the Dark Peak Nature Improvement Area and responsibility for the barbarity is shared by Sheffield Wildlife Trust, Sheffield City Council, Sheffield Moors Partnership and Natural England, none of whom have any local credibility. These people spend public money and there is no scrutiny or independent evaluation of the work they do. The failure to make sure a job is done well and left safe is not a one-off. It's been observed time and again and it is indeed built institutionally into the whole approach and work ethic of the local conservation management industry. It's expected. Many are no longer surprised.

It won't do to blame this on contractors. SWT have been told so many times that it's their job to make sure contractors do what they tell them. And they've had plenty of time to check the work's been done to standard that justifies the spending of public funds. But of course they have form on this.

So who will SWT blame for this? Not themselves that's certain. Most likely the contractor. Presumably the failure to get anything done about it for several weeks will be down to their key partner, the farmer who according to EMP (and probably SMP) is

"responsible for delivering a range of public goods and multi-benefit land management through appropriate grazing regimes" and  shares  "agri-environment income ....... in recognition of (his) role as land manager"

**'Barb'arity in this context is the practice of using barbed wire on a nature reserve.