Recently Nick Herbert, Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced the launch of Future Countryside (www.futurecountryside.com) a website that will provide a forum to explore issues in four areas: Food and Farming, Biodiversity and Conservation, A Changing Environment and Resources and Regulation. By opening up the debate in these areas to those directly affected the Conservatives hope to gain a better view of environmental and agricultural policy, which will help them if they are successful at the next General Election.
Commenting on Future Countryside, Harriett Baldwin, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for West Worcestershire, said:
"I would encourage local farmers, wildlife groups and local residents who feel strongly about agricultural and environmental issues to log onto Future Countryside and have their say. In West Worcestershire we are lucky to live in one of the most beautiful parts of Britain and the Future Countryside website will give people here a chance to have an input into Conservative thinking that affects areas like ours. If we win the next General Election we want to be a government that listens and by getting onto Future Countryside and telling us what matters to them on rural issues local residents can help us do that."