U.K. farmers are being KICKED OUT of their land amid drive for more solar power

By zoeysky // 2024-06-19

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Minette Batters, the former president of the National Farmers' Union of England and Wales, has warned that farmers are being driven out of their land because of large-scale solar farms. Batters mentioned some "horrific examples" of tenant farmers being forced out of land for solar schemes so the landowner can earn more. According to Batters, these changes in land use will continue while investors, along with overseas financiers and private equity firms, take advantage of the unfair situation by buying up large tracts of the rural landscape. (Related: Relying solely on wind and solar power requires the TAKEOVER of so much land compared to fossil fuels.) With the country "up for sale," Batters demanded that the next government prioritize a new land strategy to protect traditional farming and properly acknowledge its economic value. During a debate at the 2024 Hay Literary Festival, Batters responded to a question from an audience member who was "horrified about the proliferation of giant solar farms covering several square miles of land." Batters said that while she understands the opposition to solar farms, she also sympathized with farmers who are investing in similar projects because they are a source of "a guaranteed, index-linked income for decades." She added that for the rest of the country, there is a lot to object to when it comes to solar farms, especially since there is only "one beneficiary." In other cases, the farmers themselves were forced to leave their farms to make way for solar farms, especially if the farmers were tenants of larger landowners. Batters criticized how land ownership by wealthy investors and private equity firms is being allowed to continue. She also brought up the debt-ridden private equity takeover of supermarket chain Morrisons, warning that they might not "have a British-owned supermarket in 10 years." With the country "up for sale," Batters cautioned that the United Kingdom is slowly "selling off land to people who don't pay their taxes here," a practice that must change to help farmers gain an edge in a battle that they are often losing.

Governments should promote solar power on rooftops instead of land

According to Batters, the situation will continue until the nation develops a "meaningful land use strategy" that gives value to land used for traditional farming, along with new developments such as solar and housing. She also encouraged governments to help promote solar on rooftops instead of land and allow wind turbines. Batters noted that even British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said it is time "to stop putting solar on land and put it on rooftops." While large-scale onshore wind farms were subject to a de facto ban until 2023, wind turbines are allowed on a small scale. As of writing, there are at least 500 solar farms throughout the U.K. The current largest, which is in Shotwick Park in Flintshire, North Wales, covers 250 acres. However, the Shotwick Park solar farm would be dwarfed by the Botley West solar farm, which is planned for three sites totaling 2,471 acres on land owned by Blenheim Palace. Another 2,500-acre solar farm is being proposed on the Cambridgeshire-Suffolk border. Visit GreenTyranny.news for more stories about the negative side effects of the forced transition to green energy. Watch the video below as Bill Gates urges governments to replace farmers with AI "smart farming" robots. This video is from The Prisoner channel on Brighteon.com.

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Governments should promote solar power on rooftops instead of land

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