The owner of a Yorkshire Dales grouse moor has been appointed to a ‘key role’ at DEFRA by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Therese Coffey.
Heather Hancock, who according to her Wikipedia entry owns Threshfield Moor with her husband Mark Hancock, has been given the role of Lead Non-Executive Board Member, ‘appointed to provide challenge to Government departments’, according to this DEFRA press release (here).
Mark Avery has blogged about this appointment this morning (here) and he points out that Hancock’s co-ownership of a grouse moor has been conveniently excluded from the DEFRA press release.
It’s an interesting omission, as this particular grouse moor has been at the centre of two separate police investigations into suspected wildlife crime in recent years.
In October 2017, a young satellite-tagged hen harrier named ‘John’ ‘disappeared’ on Threshfield Moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park and North Yorkshire Police issued an appeal for information (here).
Like so many other hen harriers that vanish in this hell-hole of a National Park, he’s never been seen again and of course, nobody was ever prosecuted.
In January 2020 Threshfield Moor was once again under investigation after two witnesses reported seeing the shooting of a hen harrier (here). That investigation did lead to an arrest of a gamekeeper but, as ever, there was insufficient evidence to bring charges against him and the investigation was dropped.
Threshfield Moor featured on this blog again just last month after a reader sent in photographs of two gas guns (bird scaring devices) that had been positioned on the grouse moor (see here) during the height of the breeding season.
I can’t imagine that Heather Hancock is going to ‘challenge’ the Government about anything in which she has a vested interest, can you?
Raptor Persecution UK 
How’s that possible?
She lives in and understands the countryside and farming. That’s why. Interesting balancing of comments below. You all seem to want only urbanfolk to run the countryside?
Total bullocks!!
“She lives in and understands the countryside…”
Surely a typo there? “She owns the countryside…” is what you meant to write.
I always laugh at all the garbage you talk what is your obsession with slating people no matter what role or what job they do did you know that in its self is a criminal offence??
Also make me laugh you say birds of prey are suffering persecution funny that you can never say one just died ?? Of natural causes there always shot or posioned when you fabricate Storys to suit your again and publish false information your really are laughable
And you smiffy are a complete waste of time and a xxxxx
In English, please.
NO someone who is not biased to protecting their own interests is surely better?
What you mean is someone who has the same views as you not someone who lives in the countryside and understands what conservation means,
None of the comments to date make any reference to “urbanfolk”. So why do you feel the need to indulge in such fabrication?
Also: Can you define “the countryside”, where it begins and ends, and the residential criteria on which you base your claim.
āInteresting balancing of comments below. You all seem to want only urbanfolk to run the countryside?ā Nicholas, will you please point me where in the āInteresting ā¦ā¦ commentsā there is one mention of āurbanfolkā
What do you mean by urban folk?? What it needs someone who hasnāt got a vested interest in grouse shooting, and wants to protect all wildlife
No we don’t because most country folk including me don’t shoot or own land upon which protected wildlife disappears in suspicious circumstances or on which a Hen Harrier is seen to be shot. I understand the countryside very well yet so called countryside organisations do not represent me, so time to drop the urban vs countryside tripe.
You’re right, I don’t understand. What exactly is the ‘countryside’ ?
Which ‘urban folk’ do you mean? That comment is such a shooter/hunter cliche I am truly amazed you would not be embarrassed to use it, or believe it. So, everyone that does not hunt/shoot for fun, or at least disagrees with it, must not live in the country with you country folk.
Come on, Nicholas. You lot bang on about (hide behind) “the countryside” at every opportunity. You should at least be able to tell us what (or what you claim) it is!
Don’t be shy, the floor’s all yours.
Especially as the vast majority of the 12.5 million people who live and work in the countryside, however you define it, but as the government defines it, do not belong to either the Field Sports Society / Countryside Alliance with its pathetically low membership of <100k or the BASC (<150k members) and probably, apart from the odd few, could not afford the price of going grouse or pheasant shooting, leaving the majority of those who do indulge actually being city dwellers (you know, bankers, brokers, company owners, other rich people).
The fact that in every opinion poll ever taken, "countryfolk" are more opposed to hunting and shooting than "urban folk" also gives the lie to his, Bonner's et al contentions that this is an attack on the countryside.
Therese Coffey, say no more.
Can the decision to appoint her be JR’d?
No way!!!!!!! What can we do.This is obscene.DEFRA isn’t fit for purpose……..too many hats in the ring.Wildliife needs its own big toothed departement.DEFRA is like an institution working only on behalf of landowners and farmers…..now we know why.
Disgusted.
Totally agree. Get this Government out or else our countryside and wildlife will perish.
So when labour lets you rewind everything which is just another word for do nothing and claim money as a charity to do nothing. Then when all the hill set on fire and thereās no wild life left what will you say.
Entirely predictable from the crime syndicate which masquerades as a government.
Great comment ,you nailed it!
“I canāt imagine that Heather Hancock is going to āchallengeā the Government about anything in which she has a vested interest, can you?”
Unless of course it is to challenge anything that might help to prevent the illegal killing of birds of prey on shooting estates.
Another step on the ladder for the Hancocks……..money, power & influence. Locally nobody dare gainsay them……allegedly. I speak from personal experience.
Typical demonstration of contempt by the tory government.
Quite right, Frances. Pack these outfits with your supporters.
Wow! Potential conflicts of interest, coupled with opportunities for corrupting influences in decision making! Who would have expected that from a government that has shown so much probity, honesty and decency?
All of course enabled by a useless opposition who quite obviously couldn’t care less. Grrr
I think that this is corruption in government and needs to be challenged in court.
What can be done about this travesty???š
The DEFRA official announcement of Hancock’s appointment allows comments to be submitted, so I have used that facility to complain about her suitability for commenting on wildlife laws (and mentioned that they hid her ownership of a ‘notorious’ grouse moor).
She appears to be a very well-connected Tory. I suspect such appointments normally go through without adverse comment… so how about making this one a bit different?
Do you have the link to allow us to comment as well?
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/heather-hancock-appointed-lead-of-defra-non-executive-board
“Is this page useful? Report a problem with this page” Report your problem:-)
Let’s hope it’s only Hancock’s half hour…
Business as usual then. If democracy was anything other than a mechanism to keep the British Public within social limits while maintaining the privileges of the Elite it would be outlawed. They are so secure in their power that they simply flaunt their excesses in our face.
Official channels of protest do not work, and it is extremely doubtful whether they have ever worked, due to the strictly controlled structure used when appointing individuals to sensitive key positions. They tend to use them to simply rid themselves of problematic individuals.
“Official channels of protest do not work…”
That sounds like an excuse for doing nothing. If the channel is there, use it. It costs nothing more than writing here.
I completely agree. What a vile obscene use of power.
Coffey to a T. She is the worst thing that happened in terms of UK wildlife protection in my opinion. The sooner we get the Tories out the better.
Every day, I am in contact with international organisations involved in conservation and animal welfare causes, and reading material from groups in the front line of saving plant, insect and animal species, along with the threatened marine world from pollution and over-fishing. This flow of disturbing information has made me feel that it is time those who are deeply concerned about the Earth, donned the Phrygian cap, the bonnet rouge, of the revolutionary. This would be a bloodless action to remove those politicians throughout the world, who have been strategically placed to ensure that powerful vested interests can do as please, and in so doing, negligently affect biodiversity, climate and the welfare of vulnerable human communities, would be removed forever. What further appals me is the DEFRA appointment under discussion, who has obvious bias and therefore would ensure further poor attention to matters of illegal killing of wildlife. We have had similar appointments before to DEFRA and other Government Ministries, who have become an embarrassment, in being unable to face the world climate and biodiversity crises, but able to act in favour of “friends”, industries or whatever saps the nation’s wealth and redistributes it to the already rich, as we saw with Covid. What is under review, is just another example of the those who have held back the proper management of our landscapes, and the encouragement of those who wish to diversify their investment portfolios and egregious lifestyles. Such people remind me of the creatures called succubi and incubi. This class of people have acted in a paternalistic manner, and their ways of acting held back progress in installing more humane ways of treating other forms of life. Along with this “type”, we elements in the Police and other legal services whose behaviour has caused much public concern. Areas of scientific interest have not been given enough attention, a recent report has shown, and that trail has lead back to DEFRA. In Scotland, we have our own specimens of obstruction in making progress in sorting out the shooting estates, fish farms, animal welfare, badly sited golf and housing developments, along with lack of necessary attention to the marine environment and trawling.
Indeed, the Guillotine of a Revolution has been long overdue, with the wrong people being evicted, and no longer appointees who are duds and self-enrichers. This appointment is a gross slap in the face of the world emergency all humanity and all of Life, is now facing.
Eloquently put and precise,you nailed it with this scathing comment.
I agree with these sentiments and am still in possession of my original copy of Guerilla War by Che Guevara. Food for thought.
Scotland takes a much tougher line. We even protect our hares.
“Scotland takes a much tougher line”
On some things, but Scotland hasn’t always (I think). The Scottish Green Party influence has made/is making the recent difference. Welsh Labour is showing signs of waking up.
For my troubles, I watched part of the recent Westminster Science and Technology Committee inquiry into Insect Decline…. (July 12th morning – where Chris Packham spoke – available on the iPlayer). It was dominated by Tories, of course, but they were not at all bad. The concern and understanding was there, in some abundance…
The problem is always getting a Government (or a Department and its Civil Servants) to first listen, and then act (when a thousand other issues are pressing)
The Committee Chair came up with two key recommendations: ban non-professional use of insecticides and, surprise, surprise, plant vegetative (tree) buffers along all our rivers.
Absolute disgrace! Goes to show how xxxxx DEFRA and the conservative party are! Vote labour and save our birds of prey.
[Ed: comment deleted as libellous]
Any journalists want the truth about game hunting in this country give me a shout, it’s about time we stopped the wilful murder of wildlife just to hunt game. I promise you the truth is vile and wealthy land owners get others
to do their dirty work so they keep their hands clean
As aforementioned, the representative should indeed be someone who has insight into the workings of the countryside and itās fauna/ flora, balanced with inhabitants. There are many who would fulfil that criteria with a knowledge of sustainability and biodiversity as farmers and land owners are compelled to rethink obsolete methods, sadly, with [Ed: rest of comment deleted as libellous]
There’s plenty to dig into in this link – not least her involvement with the Food Standards Agency. She’s certainly been a very busy lady.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heather_Hancock#Early_life_and_education
Good Lord Ruth I know I have hit the nail on the head when you strike out the whole comment.Good Luck. Alan
So when did defra change it role from its original purpose to DEATH, EXTINCTION, FOR RARE AVIAN.
I am not surprised by what coffe has done, there is a common link to all her job roles, one has to think perhaps the appointment was made xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx or perhaps she also has links to shooting industry, we will never know the truth.
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx.
Obviously the wrong choice of mp if she can not even get the basic fundamental things right.
The defra panel should consist of people who know and understand the environment, its inhabitants, and what we can do to improve things, not xxxxx xxxxx
For an agency to be functional, and have any purpose for existing, it needs to have a clear and precise goal, like the protection of the environment, the protection of wildlife, and the development of understanding of what is happening to the countryside.
To appoint someone from the game industry is bonkers, xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx.
[Ed: rest of comment deleted as off topic and libellous]
I have just heard that she is employing someone from the sewage industry to look after the waterways, and the slaughter house industry to look after wildlife, and someone from the fishing industry to cover the sea fishing.
I also believe she will be appointing waste management to look after agricultural affairs, all sorted, so with birds animals, fish, and land all buggered up, what will we need Death, Extinction, for Rare AVIAN for?
I hope I got the abbreviation correct, I believe that is what she stands for, or at least that will be the overall result of this appointment, xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Don’t let her loose on anything to do with deep-sea mining.
It would be a good idea to send Coffey on a fact finding visit to Rhodes before the fires are extinguished.
This appointment is not surprising. It is just an example of how a ruling elite goes about its business of ensuring its vested interests are looked after.
The Conservative Party are the traditionally the party which look after the interests of the landowning classes. As such the Conservative government will appoint their cronies into positions which directly influence decisions in how public life is managed.
The other political parties will do the same when they are in office.
In my mind the whole situation stinks of nepotism. Politicians have been doing this since the beginning of time. It is nothing new.
I would describe it as a corruption of the democratic process, but I am not sure what alternatives there could be?
Could parliament as a whole vote on the appointment of these non executive board members to government departments, so that key figures were scrutinised prior to appointment to ensure their appointment was based on merit and qualification rather than political allegiance ?
One could argue that the entire population are shareholders in government, and therefore should have a right to decide and vote on non executive board members to government departments to ensure the information these executives provide isnāt stacked in the governments favour. The best mechanism to achieve this could be for all MPs to be given the vote on such matters?
However, I think with this appointment there will be little chance of DEFRA or NE being challenged on how it tackles wildlife and raptor persecution?