Contractors return to Yew Tree Farm despite calls to halt damage

Contractors have returned to Bristol’s last working farm to continue clearing the field, despite furious reactions from a wildlife charity, local councillors and environmental activists.

Their arrival marks the second time in two weeks contractors have turned up to Yew Tree Farm less than 24 hours after Avon Wildlife Trust have made an intervention.

In a blog published on Thursday, the national charity reiterated its calls for any clearance work to be paused at the farm in Bedminster Down until further dormice surveys could be carried out.

“Piece by piece, (dormice) habitat is slowly removed, degraded, fragmented and removed,” George Cook of Avon Wildlife Trust wrote in a blog. “The species and habitats that we all love and try to protect are being destroyed in front of our eyes.”

The blog added: “Yew Tree Farm is a designated Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI). These sites should be among the places where wildlife is most protected.

“We urge the council to investigate this incident to ensure any further damage to SNCIs at the farm, or elsewhere, does not continue.”

But contractors came back to the farm again to cut back and remove sections of an ancient hedgerow, damaging species-rich grassland close to where the dormice had been recorded.

Heavy machinery and tractors could be seen on the field on Friday, with the ground near the gate churned up by machinery, leading to water logging under the hedge.

Some argue the cutting is a form of coppicing and perfectly acceptable to carry out, despite entire sections of the hedgerow being removed within a designated Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI).

Environmental campaigner Danica Priest first drew attention to the most recent activity at Yew Tree Farm on Friday morning, posting photos on X / Twitter of the contractors returning to the field.

Speaking to Bristol24/7 at the farm on Friday, she said: “Nothing has been said publicly by the council or any of the other political parties. Only the Green Party has said anything. We would love the other parties to say something.

“This should be a cross-party issue, not a political issue. It’s a nature issue. This affects all of Bristol, as if damage is done to this SNCI, other SNCIs will be damaged as well.”

Danica and Ellie, who are both running as Green Party candidates in the local elections in May, said the council needed to step in before it was too late

Priest – who is standing to be a Green Party councillor in Filwood in May’s local elections – said councillors needed to step in and stop the damage before it was too late.

“Councillors need to speak out and at the very least make a statement that they don’t agree with the damage being done… The cabinet members have not said anything. Their silence is enabling this.”

Ellie Freeman, who is running as a candidate for the Green Party in Bedminster Down, was also at the farm on Friday.

“Using heavy machinery to put in fence posts and putting it right against the damaged head means there is no chance of the hedge growing out again,” she said.

“You can see from the damage that they did two weeks ago, that the other side of the hedge is still really badly waterlogged and the water is sitting there continuing to disrupt that ecosystem. So even without them doing more work today, the damage is done.”

A petition has been launched calling to “stop the destruction” of Yew Tree Farm, which has now been signed by almost 4,000 people.

All photos: Mia Vines Booth

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