Sarah Houlston has written to me asking if I would publicise a Government Consultation which ends

on Friday. I need to warn you that this week’s column is not easy reading – the subject matter breaks new ground for most of us, and the two sides of the debate have pretty irreconcilable views; but if the worst predictions turn out to be true then most people in Ryedale stand to be affected.

• Existing Gas Extraction – there has for many years been a gas/oil extraction industry flourishing in the Vale of Pickering with its associated wells and pipelines.

This has largely gone un-noticed and the affected landowners have benefited from commercial arrangements with the mining company.

During the course of the summer, a Canadian firm called Tesla has been carrying out an extensive seismic survey in our region to establish what other resources might lie below the surface. There are no statutory powers and Tesla has negotiated access rates and compensation with individual land owners.

The survey is carried out by two alternative methods – shot blasting or a vibrating machine.

We have opted for the vibrating method for no other scientific reason than it sounds less dramatic.

However, the principle I would emphasise is that all this activity is the result of commercial negotiation between the parties and not backed by compulsory government powers.

• The Case for the Prosecution – Sarah Houlston, along with a growing number in Ryedale, believe that this seismic survey could be the back door in to a full scale fracking operation, although there is nothing at present to suggest this. They have set up an information website called frackfreeryedale.org

It’s strong stuff but you need to look at it to get the full picture.

Sarah has also drawn attention to a little publicised Government consultation which to my mind is quite a serious threat.

• Government consultation – This consultation has been open since May 23 and has apparently has slipped underneath the radar of most professionals. Its proposals are to reform the procedure for gaining underground access to oil or gas deposits and geo-thermal energy.

Their preferred solution consists of three elements:

• An underground right of access below 300m;

• A voluntary payment from industry;

• Notification for access.

These proposals are a significant breach of existing rights in that the mining companies will in future be automatically entitled to drill through ground belonging to a third party in order to access gas deposits below; they will only have to notify the owner of access and most ludicrous of all offer a “voluntary payment”, and we have all seen what voluntary codes do with the supermarket industry!

I don’t think it is proper for us as a community or a landowner to be forced to surrender these rights.

Leaving aside the fracking debate, I think that that mining companies should be left to initially negotiate commercially with both the community and the landowner; and if this fails then an appeal can be made for a Government led inquiry which would protect the underlying national interest; and it should be up to the applicant at all times to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

If you want to express your view on the consultation you need to do so by this Friday and the almost prohibitably long email address is https://econsultation.decc.gov.uk/decc-policy/consultation-on-underground-drilling-access

• There was one letter in last week’s Gazette applauding Owen Paterson’s departure as DEFRA Secretary but on balance I have had multiple comments backing the forming Minister .

On Monday he announced he was setting up a think tank to provide “a radical conservative vision” . The focus of Mr Paterson’s project will be to encourage Britain to leave the EU and to slash regulation relating to climate change.

Since leaving office he has raised a bank of money for his new think tank which is provisionally called UK 2020. It will be interesting to follow its progress.

• The back end of Bertha may have squashed a few bumper harvest hopes but to be truthful OSR is finished, and most of the barley is in the shed and a start has been made on wheat. Globally we are still looking at one of the best harvests on record and a bearish market is the natural consequence.