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Vicki Hird MSc FRES

@vickihird.bsky.social
2.7K followers 758 following 633 posts

Food, farming, environment policy, just transition, research, strategy, talks, writing, blogs, books. Passion for bugs Author - 'Rebugging the Planet' & 'Perfectly Safe to Eat?' Share≠agree linktr.ee/vickihird Works @WildlifeTrusts @britishwildlife

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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 7h
Take action now to demand that gov fix our #water system - we need far better policies.. @the-wildlifetrusts.bsky.social action.wildlifetrusts.org/page/200835/...
action.wildlifetrusts.org
Ask your MP to back water system reform
Our water system is a mess. And that's putting it mildly! Your MP can fix this: tell them you want new reforms, and why clean water is necessary to you and to nature.
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 8h
🤬🤬🤬🤬
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Dairy report in @thetimes.com on doing things differently showing the huge pollution costs of mega dairy driven by low prices etc but how we can do dairy far better.. Great case studies and analysis by @the-wildlifetrusts.bsky.social and @nethergillfarm.bsky.social www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
thetimes.com
Verifying Device
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
New @WildlifeTrusts report on doing dairy differently showing the huge pollution costs of mega dairy driven by low prices etc but how we can do dairy far better.. Great case studies and analysis by @Nethergill www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
thetimes.com
‘Mega-dairies’ blamed for pollution of Britain’s rivers
Campaigners warn that the expansion of large-scale dairy farms is creating a greater risk of slurry pollution
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Was on the @BBCFoodProg today talking food prices, food chains & nature with the fab @SheilaDillon @DanSaladinoUK & Simon Wright who is dev National Food Strategy for Wales 👌 Critical issues. Catch on @BBCSounds www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
bbc.co.uk
The Food Programme - The Cost of Food - BBC Sounds
Sheila Dillon hosts a panel discussion at Abergavenny Food Festival.
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Britain has seen an explosion of migrating insects – in some cases from as far as northern Africa www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
A bumper year for bugs: as the world warms up, insects are moving northwards
Britain has seen an explosion of migrating insects – in some cases from as far as northern Africa
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Damian Carrington @dpcarrington.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Huge #ElNiño projected to cause 450,000 heat deaths in next six months - New report predicts a heavy toll from Nigeria to the US – and comes on top of existing impacts of the #climatecrisis Story by me www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Huge El Niño projected to cause 450,000 deaths in next six months
New report predicts a heavy toll from Nigeria to the US – and comes on top of existing impacts of the climate crisis
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
BBC News - Farmers' fury at online scramble for £233m funding. With quote from me www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Farmers' race for £233m funding like 'scramble for Oasis tickets'
Farmers fear they may not be able to carry out environmental work because they lost out on funding.
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
SFI all gone in less than a day. Makes it more critical government find more money in the next budget, for the huge scale of need, for nature, all farmers, not canibalise other scheme budgets (CS, LR) and recognise how essential the transition is for national security www.fwi.co.uk/business/pay...
fwi.co.uk
£233m of SFI26 money all spent within matter of hours - Farmers Weekly
Fears that the funds available for Window 2 of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) would disappear quickly have come to fruition with all the money
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justtransitionw.bsky.social @justtransitionw.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/environment/... Sorry #DEFRA - this stinks. It suggests you had no plan. That you awarded grants on a 1st-come-1st-served basis, not on merit. It suggests that the biggest farmers with time to apply will have been awarded cash before working family farms even got online. Cont'd
theguardian.com
‘Worse than the scramble for Oasis tickets’: England’s sustainable farming funds run out in just six hours
Entire £233m budget for 2026 allocated in less than a day, leaving thousands of farmers disappointed
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
SFI26: Window 2 now open yey farm environment grants opens.. Good news for nature, farmers, society... bets on how quickly the pot runs dry? 🙄 defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/2026/09/22/s...
defrafarming.blog.gov.uk
SFI26: Window 2 now open
Today we are opening Window 2 of SFI26, giving all eligible farmers and land managers the opportunity to apply for funding that supports sustainable food production, environmental improvement and resi...
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Pioneering 12-year study by @suffolkwildlife.bsky.social at Broxted Estate & Solar Farm Suffolk shows renewable energy generation &biodiversity restoration can happen together via long-term management, monitoring,collaboration across wider landscape. www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org/news/new-rep...
suffolkwildlifetrust.org
New report of Suffolk solar farm showcases ecological best practice | Suffolk Wildlife Trust
Pioneering 12-year study carried out by Suffolk Wildlife Trust at Broxted Estate & Solar Farm Suffolk demonstrates how renewable energy generation and biodiversity restoration can be achieved together...
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Great review by @patrickbarkham.bsky.social of @derekvsderek film. this says much from derek the dairy farmer "We’re tied a bit by the price of milk, but we just keep going, we keep struggling on and we love what we do” Good for discussing future changes needed... www.theguardian.com/film/2026/se...
theguardian.com
‘The man’s a psychopath when it comes to hedgerows’: Derek vs Derek, the unexpectedly heartwarming doc about farmers at war
One Devon farmer, called Derek, is committed to rewilding his land. His neighbour, also a Derek, tends cattle and crops. What happened when a film-maker decided to follow the bickering pair?
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Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
UK Government climate change advisers say expanding Heathrow airport is incompatible with climate targets To make it so, the aviation industry should pay for carbon removals & sustainable aviation fuel Trouble is neither of those meaningfully exist www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Airlines should pay for CO2 removal if Heathrow expands, say climate advisers
Climate Change Committee says government cannot expand airport without requiring aviation industry to clean up its emissions
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paulusthewoodgnome @paulusthewoodgnome.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Also worth noting. '100% of the recycling and component retention took place within the UK, supporting domestic green jobs and at least 10 supply chain companies.' bsky.app/profile/mike...
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
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justtransitionw.bsky.social @justtransitionw.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/politics/202... You don't give £36million without something in return. Expect nothing but Trumpian sleaze, corruption and the destruction of democracy if the oligarch donors succeed in buying the election for Reform.
theguardian.com
Reform UK given record £36m donation by British crypto billionaire
Ben Delo was convicted in US for failing to implement adequate anti-money laundering controls but pardoned by Trump
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Went to the London premiere of @derekvsderekdoc - it was wonderful, funny, moving, and full of invertebrates.. And shows the cheap food dilemma at heart of food system.. Go see it when it comes to cinemas in Oct #imwithderek
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James Bullock @jmbecologist.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
“No arrests were made during the incident” Compare with the mass arrests during the Just Stop Oil road-blocking action earlier in the week Explanations, please… www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Black-clad protesters in balaclavas block road at port of Dover in Kent
Port authorities say access roads ‘free flowing’ again after large group forces road closures in both directions
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
At the first ever UK #Hedgefest! In Peckham. 🦔 🦔 🦔🦔🦔🦔 to celebrate the joy of hedgehogs and raise money for @hedgehogsociety.bsky.social with @hedgehoghugh.bsky.social brilliant as ever
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Where is the evidence?’ More than 20 leading organisations challenge Government plans for poultry expansion @RiverActionUK riveractionuk.com/news/where-i...
riveractionuk.com
‘Where is the evidence?’ More than 20 leading organisations challenge Government plans for poultry expansion - River Action UK
Coalition urges Environment Secretary Angela Eagle to reject further industrial poultry expansion and deliver a regenerative poultry strategy More than 20 leading environmental, animal welfare, food a...
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
UK prime minister Andy Burnham has confirmed he will attend #COP31, the climate conference in Nov. Interesting he chose to announce it early, to avoid any "will-he-won't-he" stories as has happened with previous PMs. Also deliberate bit of climate leadership as he could've just sent Miliband.
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Ivy bee - lots around now (probably.. Definitely Colletes sp. )
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#CarbonReckoning (Andrew Boswell) @drandrewboswell.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
🧵1/ Lobbyists for carbon capture and storage (CCS) are trying to give Andy #Burnham a deceptively neat-looking get-out-of-jail-free card to drill Rosebank and Jackdaw - read more here substack.com/@graceblakel... Or click into the post below for 🧵 that explains its flawed carbon accounting
substack.com
The CCS Escape Hatch for North Sea Drilling
Supporters of CCS technology say we can mitigate the climate impact of drilling in the North Sea. The science says otherwise.
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Mr and Mrs Trellis @thenorfolkcoast.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
An innovative scheme to rapidly rewet peat on upland moors is protecting landscapes and communities from extremes such as wildfire and flooding.. www.irishnews.com/news/uk/inno...
irishnews.com
Innovative scheme to rewet peat providing protection from fire and flooding
The National Trust’s restoration work on Holcombe Moor, north of Manchester, also stores carbon and boosts wildlife.
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
A photo of ivy glue and a Red Admiral Butterfly on a gravestone. my study on texture 😁 and white tipped antennae 😍
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Project Drawdown @projectdrawdown.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Globally, the three largest sectors with the largest emissions impact are electricity, industry, and food, agriculture, and land use. Get the latest climate data and insights from Jonathan Foley and James Gerber: drawdown.org/insights/the-four-most… #climatesolutions
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James Bullock @jmbecologist.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Rewilding causes wildfires? This is an irrelevant claim, promoted by the right wing to co-opt the debate And has led to the equally unfounded counter that rewilding stops wildfires We cannot link rewilding to fires There is one simple cause of increased wildfires - climate change-driven drought
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Fiona Harvey @fionaharvey.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Climate experts have been predicting disasters like Nepal for decades By@jonathan-watts.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...
theguardian.com
Climate crisis could be destabilising mountain areas like Nepal, experts warn
Unusual heat this year may have melted ice and thawed bonds that hold glaciers in place – leading to catastrophe
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
In case you wanted to see one close up... Finally had a Hummingbird Hawkmoth rest in my garden ..
Hummingbird hawkmoth resting on ivy leaves
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Some young Hairy Shieldbugs sheltering in a wild carrot seed head and a sleepy Carder Bee. Seen at Walthamstow Wetlands of @ldnwildlifetrust.bsky.social
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
HG Wells is alleged to have remarked "Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race”. You could see this shocking chart as an index of civilisation. A country which gets this issue so badly wrong is likely to fail in many other ways.
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nffn.bsky.social @nffn.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
In the final episode of our NI podcast we meet NFFN farmers Stephen & Hannah Alexander of Ballyboley Dexters. They discuss the benefits and challenges of cutting out the middle man and selling their beef directly. 🐂 Watch 👉 f.mtr.cool/hrazjnornv  Partnered with #DanskeBank
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 21/08/2026
Rewilded land remains green amid drought-stricken English countryside, images show
theguardian.com
Rewilded land remains green amid drought-stricken English countryside, images show
National Trust’s Holnicote estate says restored wetlands and rivers offer proof of resilience to drought, wildfires and flooding Aerial footage of an estate in Somerset has revealed the benefits of rewilding land in the face of extreme weather brought about by the climate crisis. The area of the National Trust’s Holnicote estate where rivers have been returned to their natural courses and wetlands have been restored have remained green and lush during the five heatwaves across the summer. In contrast, the surrounding countryside has become parched and brown. Continue reading...
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Ooo nudibranch is @theguardian.com #InvertebrateOfTheYear 🎉🎊 ! Love sea slugs! www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Humans have learned to fear ‘bugs’, but we shouldn’t – life as we know it hinges on invertebrates | Chris Packham
At this point of the crisis in our relations with the natural world, we’ve got to protect these creatures – and we are running out of time, says naturalist Chris Packham
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The Scottish Farmer @thescottishfarmer.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Farmers and crofters can apply for grants of up to £20,000 to improve soil management, livestock facilities and equipment.
thescottishfarmer.co.uk
MSP welcomes new funding for farmers and crofters
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Great piece by @flygirlnhm.bsky.social on the huge value and beauty of flies for #InvertebrateOfTheYear Last day to vote. ❎ www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘If only people knew’: the fascinating lives of flies
Most people associate the insects with filth, but they are vital to the food cycle and sometimes even pretty
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Dont forget to vote! #InvertebrateOfTheYear at @theguardian.com - vote here- it's as easy and quick as smelling a flower bug chat. www.theguardian.com/environment/...? Nice to see my piece on invertebrate comms actually in print!
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Got rather obsessed with these Rock Pool shrimps in Scotland. So stunning. And the anemones..
Rock pool Shrimp on sand with hydra
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
An article by me in @theguardian.com - a teaser on what my next book is about.. -all those bug chats going on around us.. Also to celebrate #InvertebrateOfTheYear Do vote! www.theguardian.com/environment/...?
theguardian.com
Bugging devices: the astounding ways insects are talking and listening all around us
From spiders tuning their silken listening tools, to the beetle’s heady perfume, hundreds of conversations are happening in languages we don’t understand
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Time to vote for your #InvertebrateOfTheYear! Read the ten amazing finalists and vote.. So hard to choose @theguardian.com 🐙🐚🪼🦀🦞🦐🦑🐌🦋🐛🐜🐝🪰🪲🐞🪳🪱🕸️🦟🦗 🪳 www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Invertebrate of the year 2026: vote for your favourite
We’ve gone in search of the invertebrate of the year. Now it’s your chance to choose
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Britain faces summers of extreme heat, drought and wildfires. The solution to help us adapt is more nature - not less. Blog by @craigbennett3.bsky.social @craigbennett3.bsky.social www.wildlifetrusts.org/blog/craig-b...
wildlifetrusts.org
We drained Britain dry. Now we are watching it burn | The Wildlife Trusts
Britain faces summers of extreme heat, drought and wildfires. The solution to help us adapt is more nature - not less.
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Love this story! Wasp are so important and this lady is superb www.theguardian.com/environment/...?
theguardian.com
‘I feel motherly towards them’: the nature reserve manager sharing her office with a wasp nest
Eilish Rothney’s first instinct was to get rid of the wasps entering her converted shipping container in Norfolk. Now she enjoys their constant hum
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Loving as ever the @theguardian.com #InvertebrateOfTheYear - bringing these spineless wonders forward for long needed awards. Downright astounding i think. Today its #cicadas - love crooners extraordinaire www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘Like a jet taking off’: the cicada that can top 120 decibels and nearly break the pain threshold
The palm-sized greengrocer comes in many colours and has long been a collectible item for Australian children
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Good to see these beauties getting attention www.itv.com/news/2026-08...
itv.com
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
New @Netlfix #BigChicken drops today. Industrial chicken supply & demand is so huge. Like a monster we've created but cant undo But we can and must -it uses so much land for feed, produces so much toxic waste, and is cruel & unhealthy - actions below www.theguardian.com/film/2026/au...
theguardian.com
Big Chicken: A Fast Food Conspiracy review – Mo Gilligan ruffles feathers in battle against ultra-processed foods
The ultra-likable comedian decides to go on a chicken shop diet for 28 days, but like a gen-Z Super Size Me uncovers some dark truths behind this billion-dollar industry
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
What a great, important piece. Greening (and rebugging) cities is a win Win Win Win And needs support www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
theguardian.com
‘If a space is cared for, everything improves’: Meet four gardeners transforming their urban communities
From improving biodiversity to managing antisocial behaviour, the benefits of greening towns and cities are massive. These names are leading the charge…
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Vicki Hird MSc FRES @vickihird.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Has nature helped your health and wellbeing. How does nature make your life better? Would you share? evidence shows it does. But your story matters. nearly 500 lovely examples already www.wildlifetrusts.org/get-involved...
wildlifetrusts.org
Fix nature. Fix health. | The Wildlife Trusts
Nature improves everyone's physical health and mental well-being. When we fix nature, we can fix health. How does nature help you? Share your story.
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Leo Hickman @leohickman.carbonbrief.org · 30/07/2026
++BREAKING++ The UK and Spanish governments have issued a joint statement overnight: "[We] agreed that this summer’s wildfires demonstrated that climate change was now a national security emergency facing Europe and threatening our way of life." www.gov.uk/government/n...
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