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	<title>Rural Diaries - live the country life, love the countryside and learn about rural issues</title>
	<link>http://www.country-couples.co.uk/blog</link>
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		<title>Bat Boxes - Weekend Project</title>
		<description><![CDATA[British bats are one of our wildlife treasures, all 17 UK species are protected by law due to their dramatically reduced numbers and they are an absolute joy to watch in the late evenings.
Being lucky enough to live on a farm in Cumbria we have a thriving bat population and can sit out at night [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.country-couples.co.uk/blog/bat-boxes-weekend-project/</link>
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		<title>Online Dating for UK Countryside Lovers Does Work</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Finding love in the UK countryside is not always easy, as expressed in my post Countryside Love - The pub full of ex&#8217;s and the time and lifestyle limitations of rural life does not help the situation.
Online dating has become big business in the last decade but finding a partner on a big popular site [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.country-couples.co.uk/blog/online-dating-for-uk-countryside-lovers-does-work/</link>
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		<title>Defra Refuses to Cull Bluetongue Rams</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Two cases of bluetongue have been confirmed in imported rams on two premises in Souther England, they are the first bluetongue cases in the UK this summer.
The infected rams both come from the same farm in a bluetongue restricted zone in central France and the virus was detected after routine post-movement testing by Defra on [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.country-couples.co.uk/blog/defra-refuses-to-cull-bluetongue-rams/</link>
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		<title>UK Biofuels Fail to Meet Minimal Environmental Standards</title>
		<description><![CDATA[ At a time when fuel prices are rocketing and consumers become more environmentally aware steps have been taken to try to introduce more biofuels into the UK transport system.

In April 2008 the government, through the Renewable Fuels Agency, introduced the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) intended to phase in increased biofuel usage in the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.country-couples.co.uk/blog/uk-biofuels-fail-to-meet-minimal-environmental-standards/</link>
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		<title>Working Dogs Should Work</title>
		<description><![CDATA[There are few sadder sights than an overweight miserable dog designed for country sports lolling by the fire waiting for the next meal to magically appear before it.
From sheep dogs to gun dogs to hunting dogs and beyond we often see these dogs bought and kept as family pets with little more than a ten [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.country-couples.co.uk/blog/working-dogs-should-work/</link>
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		<title>British Pork A Step Closer To China</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Defra have announced that a protocol on the conditions for the export of UK pig meat to China has been signed.
China did not lift their restrictions on British meat imports, following the foot and mouth crisis in UK, until early August 2008, so this protocol is an important step in our trading relationship.
It has taken [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.country-couples.co.uk/blog/british-pork-a-step-closer-to-china/</link>
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		<title>Cumbria - Farmers Praised for Agri-Environment Schemes</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Living on a Cumbrian farm I see first hand how agriculture and countryside can live side by side, complimenting each other but it takes hard work and money to keep our countryside in such good condition.
In Cumbria, a large rural area, we have miles of dry stone walling, with men still skilled in dry stone [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.country-couples.co.uk/blog/cumbria-farmers-praised-for-agri-environment-schemes/</link>
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		<title>American Mink - Threat to Thames Wildlife</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The Oxford Mail have reported that the North American mink, a real threat to UK wildlife, has been spotted on the River Thames at Abingdon.
Having been brought to Britain for the fur trade many either escaped or were set free into our foreign environment by animal rights activists.
These mink have no natural predators in the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.country-couples.co.uk/blog/american-mink-threat-to-thames-wildlife/</link>
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		<title>Free Publicity for Rural Craft Businesses</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Are you a rural crafter, artist or maker that struggles to sell your work at small craft fairs or locally?
A UK web design company, Craftsman Web Design, are going to embark on a tour of England, Wales and Scotland to visit crafters and artists, such as you.
Roseanna Wyatt, co-owner of Craftsman Web design, said “The [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.country-couples.co.uk/blog/free-publicity-for-rural-craft-businesses/</link>
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		<title>Why the UK Culls Deer</title>
		<description><![CDATA[If you have ever been lucky enough to sit and watch deer grazing in the morning mist you will appreciate their beauty, their majesty and their nimble playfulness, they are a delight to watch.
Britain is very lucky, we have six species of deer living in our parks and woodlands. Red deer and Roe deer are [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.country-couples.co.uk/blog/why-the-uk-culls-deer/</link>
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