Commercial foraging

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Commercial foraging
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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: 15464
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: 16219

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

ceridwen

Joined: 02 Nov 2014
Posts: 1

Posted: Sun Nov 02, 14 6:42 am Post subject:
My sympathies with this. It is very frustrating. I noticed what looked a lot like theft (aka commercial foraging) back in my home area (recently moved from). Certainly elderberries, hazel nuts and apples got stripped bare and my suspicions lay with "commercial foragers", rather than "greedy guts". Though, goodness knows, I've had problems with "greedy guts" as well.

pollyanna

Joined: 03 Nov 2012
Posts: 221

Posted: Sun Nov 02, 14 11:28 am Post subject:

I don't quite understand. Someone got there first and picked the sloes. Is this bad? Maybe the someone had permission from the landowner.

Quixoticgeek got there first, elsewhere, and picked the sloes. Is this OK?

If commercial foraging is theft, surely it is the landowner who lost not people who wanted to pick the sloes for their own use. It may be greedy and selfish to pick them all but I presume the police would laugh if this was reported to them.

IME it is a toss up between leaving the sloes for the first frost and their being blown off by the Autumn gales or eaten by birds. It is far simpler to freeze them for a couple of days before making the sloe gin, then the skins split.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16219

Posted: Mon Nov 03, 14 7:26 am Post subject:

Pollyanna, quite often commercial foragers don't get permission from the landowner. The thing about foraging is that as far as I know, it is legal and acceptable if it is for your own use, but not if you are selling it either processed of unprocessed without the land owners permission.

Another point you made is that 'it will get eaten by the birds'. Well the birds, mice, voles and all sorts of things depend on these things for their food to build up for winter. Stripping a bush means they are less likely to survive. Those that get blown off are eaten by the small mammals.

pollyanna

Joined: 03 Nov 2012
Posts: 221

Posted: Mon Nov 03, 14 5:50 pm Post subject:

The OP is all guess work. Was the picking for commercial gain? Maybe it was done by a family of people, all for their own use.

It is very frustrating when you have your eye on a tasty crop of anything, but that's the name of the game. He who gets there first, gets the crop.

In our area the best hedge was flailed; and there wasn't much crop anyway. Flailing hedges does more damage to winter-feed for birds and animals than foraging.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16219

Posted: Tue Nov 04, 14 8:05 am Post subject:
I would agree with that Pollyanna, but completely stripping a bush is foraging is bad too.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 43773
Location: yes

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 14 8:14 pm Post subject:

pollyanna wrote:

In our area the best hedge was flailed; and there wasn't much crop anyway. Flailing hedges does more damage to winter-feed for birds and animals than foraging.

this really annoys me round here ,tis a urban/semi urban setting and the timing of things done with a flail would attract legal intervention in an agricultural context
isnt about me losing my tasty snacks but the wildlife losing winter forage that there was no reason to destroy

flail early and there is plenty of grub for everyone

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16219

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 14 8:50 am Post subject:
One problem with urban/suburban is that people like things to 'look tidy' and get onto the council if they don't. We have a lovely patch of downland grass down the road, and every time things like the scabious start to flower, someone comes along and mows it. Similarly with the pyramid orchids on the verge the other side of the road and the harebells on a bank further down.

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