The Farmers Mart Spring 2017 - Issue 50 | Page 12

The Grange © Natural England Oct. 2007 NO TO FRACKING Huw, father of a three-year- old daughter and partner to Ruth, a holistic therapist, is backing the anti-fracking campaign and has given talks against fracking using information supplied in part by Frack Free Ryedale. Several groups are fighting proposals for fracking in the area and believe it is bad news all round – for families, for the water supply, for animals, and for crops. Frack Free Ryedale says: “Your land is at risk of permanent damage from chemical and saline spills and if contamination occurs, will be worthless and so will the food that is produced. It will be hard to sell your produce because customers are reluctant to buy food if they know it comes from a fracking area. “Toxic substances released from fracking wells - many of them carcinogenic - can adversely affect the health of people as well as livestock. Fracking causes constant noise and light pollution and there is growing evidence of the links between fracking and animal diseases. “Each fracking well requires between two and five million gallons of locally sourced fresh water. Fracking wells produce millions of gallons of waste water which has to be disposed of. It is either taken off site to be treated, resulting in dozens of lorry movements every day, or is re-injected into the underlying rock. “A recent official USA report (July 2014) identified at least 59 chemicals in the waste water and the air which are dangerous to human health and the environment. including arsenic, benzene, lead and radioactive materials. They include known carcinogens which can also affect your livestock. “In this area we rely on the borehole at Plemstall for our clean drinking water. If any of this waste water gets into our aquifer, it will irreversibly contaminate our water supply.” Frack Free Ryedale has produced a leaflet against fracking. It quotes Professor Robert Oswald, an expert on molecular medicine at Cornell University. He is the co-author of the first peer-reviewed study into links between fracking and sickness in farm animals. He said that his findings of deaths and deformities in American livestock were so alarming that Britain should halt the growth of the practice whilst further research is conducted. He compiled a list of 24 incidents across six US states where livestock on farms adjacent to fracking sites died or suffered illnesses, including reproductive and neurological problems, after exposure to fracking chemicals. Frack Free Ryedale concluded: “If you allow fracking on your land, you and for family’s lives will be adversely affected for decades if you last that long. The experience of the majority of landowners across the world who have dealt with shale gas companies has been overwhelmingly negative, and massively outweighs any financial payments they might receive.” http://www.frackfreedee. co.uk/ is the link to the local frack free coalition. Red Poll Cattle Pleased to be associated with Huw Rowlands The perfect suckler cow Happy to be supporting the Rowlands Family and their Red Polls » Accounting & Bookkeeping » Business performance » Tax, Compliance & Payroll “add value to your business” T: 01978 263614 | E: [email protected] | johndavies.biz We are registered to carry on audit work in the UK by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and details about our audit registration can be viewed at www.auditregister.org.uk, under reference number C003824913 12 Spring 2017 www.farmers-mart.co.uk • Native Breed • Dual purpose • Naturally polled • Docile • Easy calving • Hardy • Long lived • Perfect house cow • Will cross suckle • High meat to bone ratio www.redpoll.org