Commercial foraging

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Commercial foraging
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quixoticgeek

Joined: 23 Dec 2008
Posts: 296
Location: Canterbury

Posted: Sun Sep 07, 14 3:37 pm Post subject: Commercial foraging

Just been out to pick sloes. Went to my usual foraging spot that normally is so heavy in sloes that you barely have to walk more than a dozen yards and have enough sloes to make more gin than you can healthily drink.

Well, for the second year in a rowing, every tree has been picked clean to a height just above head height. This has also happened to every hedgerow within walking distance of Canterbury.

I can't imagine that this is purely people making sloe gin for their own consumption. So my conclusion is that someone is picking them for a commercial operation. I was under the impression that to pick wild fruit for commercial purposes was illegal unless you had the permission of the land owner. I doubt that said operation has the permission of every farmer for 10 miles.

What is the law on this? Any ideas how I can get them to stop being so selfish?

Julia

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sun Sep 07, 14 4:05 pm Post subject:
I don't know what the legal position is but I don't think there's much that you can do really. Unless the people who own/administer the land are a) bothered, b) prepared to police it.

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon

Posted: Sun Sep 07, 14 4:57 pm Post subject:
Could it be that that's the height at which the flail was set when they were in blossom? What does the other side of the hedges look like? Maybe you could could ask one of the farmers if you could pick from their internal hedges?

quixoticgeek

Joined: 23 Dec 2008
Posts: 296
Location: Canterbury

Posted: Sun Sep 07, 14 5:01 pm Post subject:

Jamanda wrote:

Could it be that that's the height at which the flail was set when they were in blossom?

No, as these hedges haven't been tended by anyone other than them being picked.

Quote:

What does the other side of the hedges look like? Maybe you could could ask one of the farmers if you could pick from their internal hedges?

Everything you can reach from any path (short of standing upto your arm pits in nettles), is picked clean. We're not talking about one hedge, we're talking about the hedges over an area of several miles. From Blean to the north, down to Sturry to the east.

Julia

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon

Posted: Sun Sep 07, 14 5:43 pm Post subject:
No, I meant picking from inside the fields, not the paths.

quixoticgeek

Joined: 23 Dec 2008
Posts: 296
Location: Canterbury

Posted: Sun Sep 07, 14 5:45 pm Post subject:

Jamanda wrote:

No, I meant picking from inside the fields, not the paths.

Same situation on all sides. Really cleaned out.

Julia

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Sun Sep 07, 14 7:21 pm Post subject: Re: Commercial foraging

quixoticgeek wrote:

What is the law on this? Any ideas how I can get them to stop being so selfish?

First problem is to find out who them are.

sueshells

Joined: 20 Jan 2009
Posts: 690
Location: North Bucks

Posted: Sun Sep 07, 14 8:35 pm Post subject:
Lots for sale on eBay - here are some from Kent! 151404403101 (put the item number in the search box) Doesn't solve your problem but may provide an explanation.

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Sun Sep 07, 14 10:28 pm Post subject:

As to the question of what is the law, I think it is theft:

The Theft Act 1968 wrote:

A person who picks mushrooms growing wild on any land, or who picks flowers, fruit or foliage from a plant growing wild on any land, does not (although not in possession of the land) steal what he picks, unless he does it for reward or for sale or other commercial purpose.

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1968/60/section/4

Most people would consider theft to be a matter for the police... possibly with the exception of the police.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16005

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 14 6:49 am Post subject:

This is a problem with lots of wild food. Some places have even enacted bylaws and police the area to prevent commercial mushroom harvesters.

I don't object to people picking wild fruit and fungi in our woods, although I know in law I can't stop them, but think it reasonable to share anyway. I do get rather cross when something has obviously been picked completely though. Not only do I not get my share, which I think is reasonable as the landowner, but nor do the animals that may depend upon the crop.

It rather depends on the police force in the area. If they are mainly town based they may not understand the problem. If they are country based, they may take steps and at least warn off the perpetrators. By the sounds of it they are not going to be hard to find if they are advertising on e-bay.

Ty Gwyn

Joined: 22 Sep 2010
Posts: 4613
Location: Lampeter

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 14 11:23 am Post subject:
This is what happens when certain people get educated by others that charge for the education?

quixoticgeek

Joined: 23 Dec 2008
Posts: 296
Location: Canterbury

Posted: Sun Sep 14, 14 8:54 pm Post subject:
Thanks everyone for your replies. Spent an afternoon wandering the hedgerows near Sandwich, and picked 1.7kg of sloes. More than I need to make slow gin with. Also got 600g of what I think are Damsons. Haven't worked out what I want to do with them yet. J

Midlandsman

Joined: 22 May 2014
Posts: 116

Posted: Sun Sep 14, 14 10:26 pm Post subject:
Damson Vodka's good! MM

quixoticgeek

Joined: 23 Dec 2008
Posts: 296
Location: Canterbury

Posted: Sun Sep 14, 14 10:27 pm Post subject:

Midlandsman wrote:

Damson Vodka's good! :wink:

MM

You have my attention. Do you have a recipe?

J

Midlandsman

Joined: 22 May 2014
Posts: 116

Posted: Sun Sep 14, 14 11:04 pm Post subject:
Sorry, it's the same as sloe gin. My base recipe is: Sloe Gin 1 70 cl bottle gin 1lb sloes 7oz sugar Whatever I do - damson vodka, blackberry whisky, blackcurrant brandy, raspberry vodka etc, I just make it to the sloe gin recipe and adjust the amount of sugar to what I think is about OK according to how much sweeter the fruit is than sloes. HTH MM

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