Debate: The Battle for the Countryside, with George Monbiot and Rory Stewart

Sep 16, 2023

Guest

Mark Cocker

Guest

George Monbiot, a Guardian columnist and environmental advocate, champions rewilding Britain's uplands, arguing it supports biodiversity and sustainable tourism. Opposing him is Rory Stewart, a former government minister, who emphasizes the cultural importance of traditional farming. Minette Batters, president of the National Farmers' Union, shares insights on the economic challenges faced by farmers, while naturalist Mark Cocker highlights the ecological benefits of rewilding. The debate passionately explores the balance between nature preservation and human livelihoods.

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INSIGHT

Upland Depletion

British uplands are unusually bare compared to the rest of Europe, due to sheep farming and subsidies.
This has led to ecological damage, depopulation, and economic hardship.

ANECDOTE

Sheep Devouring Men

Rory Stewart made a video about depopulation, but George Monbiot argues sheep farming caused it.
Monbiot cites Thomas More's Utopia, where sheep are described as devouring men, referencing enclosures.

ANECDOTE

Farmers' Expertise

Minette Batters, NFU President, shared her farming background and emphasized farmers' expertise.
She argued against rewilding, citing a failed project in the Netherlands and highlighting the economic and ecological benefits of current upland farming.

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We tend to think of these uplands as ‘wild’ and ‘natural’. But in fact, as the rewilders point out, they are entirely man-made, the result of clearances by man to make way for millions of sheep whose grazing over the last 200 years has rendered the land bare. Sheep farming, once a major source of Britain’s wealth, is now largely uneconomic and depends on billions of pounds of subsidies. But where rewilding is taking place, in Britain and in Europe, a boom in tourism is providing a more sustainable local economy. We must make space for wild nature in places where farming does not make sense. That’s romantic tosh, say the opponents of rewilding. People matter too, and the idea that we should do away with traditional ways of life for the sake of wild bilberries and wolves is getting things out of proportion. In 2018, Intelligence Squared brought together four speakers who care passionately about the countryside but disagree profoundly on how we should manage it. Speaking for the motion were Mark Cocker, author and naturalist and George Monbiot, Guardian columnist, environmental campaigner and author of Regenesis: Feeding the World without Devouring the Planet. Speaking against the motion were Minette Batters, President of the National Farmers' Union and Rory Stewart Former Conservative government minister, whose new book is Politics On the Edge. Our chair for the event was Jonathan Dimbleby, broadcaster, documentary maker and author.

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