Three wishes for food and farming

Royal hedge planting, the terrible toll on Ukrainian farming and a maiden speech

- Minette Batters

IAM rather presuming that everyone reading this will, at some stage, have given at least a cursory glance to a newly planted hedge. At this time of year, one tends only to notice the plastic guards and stakes that are protecting and propping up the little hedge plants. At home, we're busy planting nearly 2km (1.2 miles) of hedgerow and, from now on, I will not pass another newly planted hedge without paying homage to the many people who will have dug, planted, wrapped and staked it. This is repetitious and physically demanding work, using muscles that, certainly in my case, haven't been used for a while. Between the two of us, we are averaging 800 plants a day-which I'm told by my brother is 'about average'!

At the end of January, I was invited to a wonderful reception for newly elected MPs and recently ennobled peers hosted by The King and Queen at Buckingham Palace. On my recent visit to Windsor Great Park, it was clear to see that The King's phenomenal commitment to Nature, farming and landscapes never stops. There are trees appearing throughout the Windsor parkland and the emergence of a 'Windsor Hedge', defined by a line of trees in the middle and hedging on either side, fenced off to protect it.