The Town and Country Planning Act 1990, includes rules of Permitted Development which allow farmer's to develop without having to first obtain planning permission if the development is for agricultural reasons. Farmer's in Herefordshire are exploiting these rules to erect hundreds of acres of polytunnels. The problem is that while polytunnels allow supermarkets to supply the well off with strawberries at Christmas, the cost to the environment, wildlife, tourism, and those who depend on tourism for a living is enormous. What many don't know is that in order to erect polytunnels farmer's routinely sterilise the soil with chemicals. This means all the insects, and earthworms who live below the tunnel are destroyed, and the local wildlife that depend on them are also harmed. These polytunnels also harm people and tourism. Destruction of the rural landscape has blighted peoples homes and undermined the tourism that many depend on. The Government refuse to tighten up the rules, because of the farming lobby (don't forget the NFU is still one of the few trade unions with a statutory right of consultation), and Herefordshire Council (which is unsuprisingly made up of farmer's), insist on interpreting the rules in favour of the farmer's.
Farming should be encouraged, but not at such a cost.