Agriculture Bill

Written evidence submitted by the British Horse Society (AB58)

The Public Bill Committee - Call for written evidence:
Agriculture Bill.

Summary:

The British Horse Society represents the interests of 110,000 equestrian members and the 3 million people in the UK who ride, or who drive horse-drawn vehicles.

The British Horse Society welcomes the inclusion of public access to the countryside as a form of ‘public good’ to which agri-funding can be directed. The Society believes that better public paths are the key to better public access.

The British Horse Society believes the Bill should create a duty rather than a power to fund improvements in access to (and understanding of) the countryside.

The British Horse Society believes that as well as supporting public access to and enjoyment of the countryside, funding should fund improvements to access.

The British Horse Society believes that public paths merit specific mention in the Bill, and recommends that this is achieved by the following addition to Section 1(5) of the Bill: ‘public access to the countryside’ includes the public rights of way network.

1. The Bill provides enabling powers for Ministers to develop new farm support approaches in England.

2. Section 1 of the Bill states ‘The Secretary of State may give financial assistance for or in connection with any one or more of the following purposes-………………..(b) supporting public access to and enjoyment of the countryside, farmland or woodland and better understanding of the environment;……….’

3. The Society welcomes the inclusion of public access to the countryside as a form of ‘public good’ to which agri-funding can be directed. The Society believes that better public paths are the key to better public access.  Such funding will be imperative to joining up an existing network that is fragmented and disjointed for equestrian users. Horse riders have access to only 22% of the public rights of way network, whilst carriage drivers have access to just 5%. Many rights of way are now disconnected from each other because the roads that should connect them are no longer safe for equestrians to use because of the speed and volume of motorised traffic on them. This leaves many equestrians without a safe local route to use.

4. Since 2010, the Society has had over 3,700 road incidents involving horses reported to it, 945 horses have been injured, 315 horses have died and 43 humans have lost their lives; providing rights of way that can be used safely will help to prevent these numbers from increasing in the future.

5. The economic value of the equestrian sector, excluding racing, stands at £4.7 billion of consumer spending. There are 1.8 million regular riders in the UK, and the number of people who have ridden at least once in the past 12 months, has risen to 3 million from 2.7 million in 2015. Safe off-road access for equestrians is essential to the growth of the industry.

6. The British Horse Society believes that responsible access to the countryside is inherently beneficial to society. The benefits of countryside access, not only to physical health but also to mental health and wellbeing are well proven. Increasing and enhancing access supports the Government’s aim in its 25 year Environment Plan to connect people with the environment to improve health and wellbeing.

7. The British Horse Society commissioned the University of Brighton and Plumpton College to research the health benefits of recreational horse riding. A key finding of this research was that horse riding and activities associated with horse riding, such as mucking out, expend sufficient energy to be classed as moderate intensity exercise.

8. Additionally, with an increasingly urban society, an improved and enhanced rights of way system that encourages activities such as horse riding, and carriage driving provides vitally important opportunities to better connect the equestrian public with the natural environment and understand the critical work undertaken by farmers.

9. We note that the Bill focusses on payments in order to "support" access. We suggest that the scope of the "support" remains somewhat unclear, without creating a clear aim of facilitating, delivering or improving opportunities for public access. It would appear somewhat inadequate if significant payments were made for simply maintaining the status-quo regards public access, most of which is already underwritten by legislation such as on public rights of way or access land. A clearer commitment to fund improvements in access to (and understanding of) the countryside would clearly be preferred. We believe the Bill should create a duty rather than a power to achieve these access aims.

 

10. It is important that as well as supporting access, funding should fund improvements to access.

 

11. We believe that such funding ought to:

· Offer farmers and landowners an annual payment to help better maintain existing rights of way and access across their land

· Financially incentivise farmers and landowners to increase public access, particularly through improvements in the rights of way network

· Reimburse farmers and landowners for capital works that are required to create new routes across their land

12. It is particularly important that funding is available:

· to fill in missing links in the existing rights of way network; such as where two sections of bridleway or byway were disconnected, or were connected only by a length of footpath, or where a bridge is missing. This would open up many more connected routes, enabling and encouraging people to explore more of the countryside than is currently possible.

· to allow users to avoid dangerous roads; for example where a footpath or bridleway meet a busy road, forcing users onto that road for a distance before connecting with a different right of way. Providing safe alternative routes would reduce road casualties and make horse-riding, cycling and walking more attractive to users.

13. Payments for enhancing existing access could include:

· improvement in path widths,

· leaving a bridleway/restricted byway across arable fields undisturbed and uncultivated, and regularly mowing and preventing encroachment by vegetation

· regularly mowing a headland bridleway/restricted byway and preventing encroachment by vegetation,

· mowing and marking a bridleway/restricted byway across grass leys, moorland

· mowing, regrading and rolling green lanes,

· improving the accessibility of gates and the replacement of stiles with gates, so that they comply with the Equality Act, and are easily accessible by equestrians and those with disabilities.

· additional or improved way marking and signposting,

· the provision of parking spaces for horse trailers so that riders who cannot access public rights of way from where they keep their horse can park and access the countryside easily.

· the provision of higher rights (the difference in subsidy between footpaths and bridleways or restricted byways should be substantial to encourage upgrades where it is appropriate for all users).

· Improvements in countryside access opportunities would be a huge benefit to countryside users, encouraging healthy outdoor recreation and greater engagement with nature while also strengthening rural tourism and diversification opportunities for rural businesses. Investment in delivering these public goods would therefore yield significant economic benefits for rural communities.

14. Permissive access under the old Countryside Stewardship schemes provided useful and much needed safe off-road access for horse riders. Unfortunately, in the majority of cases, when these routes came to the end of their 10 year period they were withdrawn as no further funding was available, resulting in horse riders and other users having to resort to the local road network. Some examples of this are set out below.

‘We often stay at Home Farm, Old Hunstanton, Norfolk. When we first went, quite a lot of years ago, there were lots of field edges we were allowed to use under the stewardship scheme. They made fabulous riding and were great at getting us off the roads. Sadly, these have all now been withdrawn and we can no longer use them. So, we have to use the roads instead, which of course is a great shame.’

‘We had access with 2 farmers here, and they linked them up so we could ride for 2 hrs off road. I think they just did it for the money and as soon as the schemes finished, they nearly all ploughed up. One of the stewardship route was on a farm track which is very wide and also a footpath, we pleaded with them for the local riders to keep using it as it would have involved no work at all for them, even offered money but they wouldn't have it. We do have some bridleways so we are better off than some people. I do know of one person who can’t ride out anymore as their horse isn't good in heavy traffic. ‘

‘In our local area we had farms who took part in a stewardship scheme. All of these schemes opened up new routes by linking bridleways without having to go on busy roads, and brought back bridleways in to use that previously only led to a busy road. They were heavily used by local riders. we are now limited in the routes we have available for us to safely ride.’

15. It is therefore important that if a lasting benefit is to be achieved funding should be used to fund the provision of permanent access.

16. The British Horse Society believes that public paths merit specific mention in the Bill, and recommends that this is achieved by the following addition to Section 1(5) of the Bill: ‘public access to the countryside’ includes the public rights of way network. 

February 2020