Originally from: Farmtalking
                        
Hi Hilary!

DEFRA has issued loads of Consultation Docs over the past months. All accessible from the DEFRA website and when I or Mona have the time, we try to draw attention to them here too. Some are also available on the Farmtalking web sites as .pdf Downloads, including this one. See – http://www.farmtalking.com/download_general.htm

The whole point of a 'Consultation Doc' is to give people a chance to be consulted and have their say and that includes you!

Paul mentioned that as this particular Document is 150 pages long, he for one, was unwilling to trawl through it and comment, as at his age he had better things to do!

I sympathise with him! Having read it through myself and invited others to send me their comments for incluson in my response if they wish, I've had no takers so far and time is running out as the responses have to be submitted by 20th February!

I too have other things to do that I would much prefer! However, I do feel that it's absolutely no good at all if all we can do is moan and criticise the Govt/DEFRA without making an effort to get our opinions and ideas across to them, especially when invited to do so.

The Govt held their enquiries and reccommendations were made; some are included in this and other consultation docs. but in my opinion further suggestions are needed and the policy still seems to be confusing and needs considerable clarification in some respects.

By all means make your comments. At least in the end if you don't like what is decided you will have tried to make things better for everyone and who knows maybe you will have succeeded!

Best wishes – Jane