Lord Montagu speaks out on climate change at Beaulieu Estate dinner
LORD MONTAGU has spoken of his ambition to place Beaulieu at the forefront of efforts to reduce carbon emissions and support the advancement of electric cars and other transport modes of the future.
Speaking at the annual Beaulieu Estate dinner, he recalled how a mini-hurricane tore through the woods of Beaulieu Estate in December 2017 damaging many oaks and other native broadleaves and devastating a softwood plantation where trees fell over like “packs of cards”.
He told guests: “Whether the cause of minor storms like this can be attributed to climate change is difficult to say, but even if only half the warnings issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are correct, we must prepare for significant changes.
“The IPCC predicts that the planet will be 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels by as early as 2030 which is only 12 years away, and this in turn could trigger droughts, wildfires, floods and food shortages in many parts of the world.”
He said the IPCC had issued a “dire warning” that these changes could only be curtailed by dramatically reducing carbon emissions, which will require unprecedented international support for whatever measures are considered necessary.
He continued: “That in turn will require serious commitment from each country’s government, and significant changes for every one of us. In its recent report, the IPCC stated that ‘historians will look back at their findings as one of the defining moments in the course of human affairs’".
The annual dinner was held in Beaulieu’s ancient Domus, one of the few buildings of the Cistercian abbey to have survived destruction by Henry VIII.
This traditional end-of-year event has its origins in the audit dinners of the 18th century which were held after the harvest when tenants paid their rent and received a meal in return.
Today guests are entertained in style with a three-course dinner and the evening is attended by many of the estate’s tenants as well as local dignitaries. This year much of the food on the menu was sourced from the New Forest, with the vegetables and fruit grown in the estate’s own gardens.
Lord Montagu continued: “I think we all understand the principle of thinking globally and acting locally, but without an agreed set of objectives, I have to admit to being uncertain as to where we should start and what, for example, country estates should do to make the biggest difference.
“I think we all need to start looking at how our lives and businesses will need to change if we are going to help reduce CO2 emissions and mitigate the effects of rising temperatures and sea levels.”
Whilst the national park authority was developing policies to help change behaviour by encouraging organisations and individuals to operate in a more sustainable way, he acknowledged the organisation had very limited power over issues like highway usage and therefore it was unreasonable to expect too much from any local authority without a strategic national plan.
“Maintaining an environment which puts oxygen back into the atmosphere is, of course, one thing we can go on doing but, in the New Forest, many will be asking how the tourism industry’s needs can be reconciled with the desire to reduce emissions from car journeys which bring visitors to us and are a part of all our lives.
I know that a good deal of thinking has been devoted to this issue locally, but again, without a national plan, local initiatives will only have a limited effect.
“So far as the National Motor Museum is concerned, our role in telling the story of the motor car will not end with the demise of the internal combustion engine. It is merely the end of a long chapter, and we look forward to showcasing electric cars and other forms of personal mobility as they are now called in the years ahead.”
Looking back over the year, he recalled after the early snow, late cold snap and wet spring, local farmers then had to contend with a hot, dry summer.
He said: “The Mediterranean weather resulted in much reduced grass growth and by midsummer many livestock farmers had to break into their winter feed stocks.
“However, the conditions were right for good haymaking and the lower yields were compensated for by higher-than-expected prices, due to the good quality. “
Turning to the consequences of Brexit for farmers Lord Montagu said: “The national picture on farming is one of waiting for government policy to be confirmed as the Agriculture Bill takes shape.
“The bill provides for a new environmental land management system which will replace the current Direct Payments system. The government’s declared aim is to reward farmers and land managers who provide the greatest environmental benefits such as clean air and water quality, soil health, animal welfare standards, and water management.
“This all sounds good, but they concede it will take some 10 years for the transition to be made. And in that 10 years, we can be fairly sure that the value of payments to farmers will very probably reduce in line with all government spending.”
He said that at Leygreen Farm, a rainwater harvesting system funded by Living Waters scheme was given the ultimate accolade when the cattle expressed a clear preference for drinking the rainwater over the mains supply.
In May, the estate submitted a formal response to Natural England’s proposals to route a coastal path along woodland to the east of the Beaulieu River which was not previously open to the public.
Lord Montagu said: “The main issue for us, and many others, are the consequences of the spreading room between the path and the water’s edge. This is particularly the case where the areas concerned are SSSIs, the condition of which landowners are responsible for, but which would be in serious danger of deterioration should there be increased public access. “
Earlier this year Lord Montagu said he had taken a decision to close in-hand shoots and let the estate’s shooting rights out to various syndicates.
He said: “The economics of running shoots have become increasingly less attractive in recent years, but there was no escaping the fact that this marked the end of an era, as driven game shoots have been taking place on the estate for well over 100 years.
“On the face of it, shoots are run primarily for the sport of the guns, but they actually involve many other people: beaters, loaders, pickers-up, game dealers, feed merchants and of course the keepers.”
Highlights of 2018 had included the popular international Autojumble clocking up its 50th year in September, as well as winning the Best Event category in the UK Heritage Awards and a Gold Accolade from Tourism South East.
Within the motor museum a new permanent display entitled The Luxury of Motoring opened with a collection of 28 Lalique glass mascots as its centrepiece. This was followed by a summer exhibition, The Art of Custom, which featured the incredible creations of car customiser Andy Saunders.
But Lord Montagu said his greatest excitement of the year came in October with the launch of a new Chitty Chitty Bang Bang exhibition created to mark the 50th anniversary of the film which immortalised Ian Fleming’s book.
He said: “The exhibits include one of the Chitty’s specially built for the film, the 8hp Humber driven by Truly Scrumptious, the original Child Catcher carriage, a full-size replica of Grandpa Potts’ hut and the wonderful machines of Roland Emett, which still work!”
He was joined at the opening of the exhibition by Adrian Hall who played Jeremy, the son of Caractacus Potts, played by Dick van Dyke.
“As someone who was just the right age to enjoy the film when it first came out in 1968, it was quite a nostalgia trip for me, and will remain so as the exhibit runs for a full year until November 2019.”
Lord Montagu revealed that in spring he would be opening a new exhibition at Palace House dedicated to the needlework and drawing of his mother, and in July he is set to don a bowler hat to take on the role of president of the New Forest and Hampshire County Show.
Recalling those who had been lost during the year he paid tribute to his cousin Charles Burnett III who was tragically killed in a helicopter crash in New Mexico in January. He said whilst Charles’ death had come as a “terrible shock” he will be remembered by his record-breaking stream car which is on display at the motor museum.
“I was also very sad to lose my wonderful mother-in-law, Chu Hsian Camm, who in recent years had been living in Pennington.”
Lord Montagu also remembered former Beaulieu agent Jeremy Stanley Smith, tenant farmer Maria Rolf and garage owner Ken Marvin.
