Conservative Manifesto 2010 Protect the Environment Conserve And Enhance The Natural Environment

Conservative Manifesto 2010 Protect the Environment Conserve And Enhance The Natural Environment

We will protect and improve the Uk’s natural environment, and pioneer new schemes to improve conservation. We will push for reform of the Common Agricultural and Fisheries Policies to promote sustainable farming and fishing. We will promote high animal welfare standards and ensure that government procures locally-produced food wherever possible. We will work towards a zero-waste society.

Conservatives understand the inherent value of conserving things, and we know the importance of ensuring that we provide a good quality of life for future generations. our natural environment has been degraded and urgent action is needed to address the loss of vital ecosystems in the face of climate change and development. Labour have relied too much on regulation and top-down targets that have failed to halt biodiversity loss.

We need to act now to enhance biodiversity, protect our countryside and marine environment, and secure the vital eco-systems that sustain life on land, in our rivers and in our seas. a Conservative government will take a broad approach to improving the natural environment as a whole, so that we can ensure a secure future for the natural world where vital ecological assets are protected and resources are used more responsibly.

Conserve wildlife

Too many animals remain at risk of extinction, and climate change will put even more pressure

We will support the strongest protection for endangered species and work to protect vital habitats from destruction. We will tackle the smuggling and illegal trade in wildlife through our new border Police force.

We will fight for wholesale reform of the Common fisheries Policy to encourage sustainable practices, give communities a greater say over the future of their fishing industries, and bring an end to the scandal of fish discards. We will take forward the marine and Coastal access act and ensure that its conservation measures are implemented effectively, including the creation of marine Conservation Zones.

We will be equally vigilant in ensuring the welfare of animals. We will promote the highest standards of farm animal welfare. We will work to reduce the use of animals in scientific research. We will promote responsible pet ownership by introducing effective codes of practice under the animal Welfare act, and target irresponsible owners of dangerous dogs.

on endangered species and precious habitats.

to give wildlife greater protection, we will:

• firmly oppose any resumption of commercial whaling and do all we can to ensure that the international moratorium stays in place;

• press for a total ban on ivory sales and the destruction of existing stockpiles; and,

• promote new green spaces and wildlife corridors to help animals adapt and thrive in the face of climate change. Protect habitats

the natural world faces great pressure from development and climate change. We will produce a White Paper on protecting the natural environment, including a focus on restoring habitat. We will pioneer a new system of conservation credits to protect habitats.

We will maintain national green belt protection, areas of outstanding natural Beauty (AONBs), National Parks, Sites of Special Scientific Interest and other environmental designations which protect the character of our country’s landscape. in addition, we will:

• review the governance arrangements for national Parks and aonbs to ensure that they are more accountable to local communities; and,

• work to reduce litter, which spoils too much of our countryside and urban environment. Since 1997, the area of new woodland created in england each year has more than halved. in addition to ongoing woodland creation, we will launch a national tree planting campaign, planting up to one million new trees in the next Parliament. We will tackle illegal logging by:

• pressing for financial support from within a reformed eU budget to be given to developing countries to halt deforestation;

• pressing for only legally-harvested timber and timber products to be made available on the market; and, • introducing a new criminal offence under UK law for the import and possession of illegal timber.

Promote sustainable and productive farming practices our farmland is a national resource for future generations and the foundation of our food security. We will prevent development on the most fertile farmland, in all but exceptional circumstances. to promote sustainable farming practices further, we will:

• support the Campaign for the farmed environment and seek to create a more effective system of environmental stewardship;

• ensure that consumers have the right to choose non-gm foods through clear labelling;

• not permit any commercial planting of gm crops until and unless it has been assessed as safe for people and the environment; and,

• develop a legally-binding protocol covering the separation of gm and non-gm material, including clear industry liability. We will negotiate for further reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to deliver greater value for money while supporting the sustainability of british farming. the new CaP should reflect the importance we attach to the environment, to ensuring food security and to tackling global poverty. We advocate the dismantling of market-distorting subsidies at a pace that allows time for british farmers and producers in developing countries to adapt. We will minimise and reform on-farm inspections, and abolish the agricultural Wages board.

the most pressing animal health problem in the UK today is bovine tuberculosis (bTB), which has led to the slaughter of over 250,000 cattle since 1997. as part of a package of measures, we will introduce a carefully-managed and science-led policy of badger control in areas with high and persistent levels of btb.

government should take the lead by procuring more sustainably. We will ensure that food procured by government departments, and eventually the whole public sector, meets british standards of production, wherever this can be achieved without increasing overall costs.

We will introduce honesty in food labelling, if necessary through legislation, so consumers can be confident about where their food comes from. this will ensure that meat labelled as ‘british’ is born and bred in britain, and raised to our high welfare standards. and we will promote local food networks so that homes and businesses can obtain supplies of locallyproduced food.

We will ensure a fair market for food suppliers – especially farmers – by reducing the burden of regulation. to ensure the grocery supply code of practice is applied fairly, we will introduce an independent supermarket ombudsman. Use natural resources responsibly

We will introduce a responsibility Deal on waste – a voluntary arrangement among producers to cut back on the production of waste and improve its disposal – as we move towards our goal of a zero-waste society.

households need new incentives to go green, so we will reward people who do the right thing by encouraging councils to pay people to recycle, while scrapping Labour’s plans for new bin taxes on families. To help this happen, we will put a floor under the standard rate of landfill tax until 2020 to encourage alternative forms of waste disposal.

With a rising population and growing strains on our water supply, industry and customers alike need new incentives to conserve water. We will reform the water industry, and bring in new measures to encourage businesses and households to value this precious resource more highly, and protect poorer households from excessive rises in water bills.

To cope with the increased risk of flooding associated with climate change, we will take forward the findings of the Pitt Review to improve our flood defences, prevent unnecessary building in areas of high flood risk, and ensure the country is better equipped when flooding does take place.

Manchester
Manchester was the epicentre of the industrial revolution, and the first industrialised city in the world. today, the city is a national symbol of successful urban regeneration. over the past three decades, Manchester has undergone extensive urban renewal, transforming the city’s canals, mills and warehouses into vibrant new commercial, residential, and cultural spaces – including the creation of the imperial War Museum North (pictured). As a result of this regeneration, manchester is one of britain’s most dynamic cities, and has been voted amongst the best places in the country to locate a business.