Countryside Jobs Service       CJS Focus on Farming and the Environment May 2010   You are here> Jobs > CJS Focus> May10

Playing your part in the Campaign for the Farmed Environment

Last July the Secretary of State, Hilary Benn, finally announced that the Campaign for the Farmed Environment was the preferred way forward to address the loss of environmental benefits delivered by former set-aside.  The industry-led voluntary approach has been developed as an alternative to a compulsory cross-compliance approach and has been given three years to demonstrate it can work.       

The NFU and CLA have been joined by a wide range of other key industry partners including FWAG, LEAF, GWCT, AIC, AICC and CAAV to develop the Campaign, who are working in partnership with Defra and its agencies, Natural England and the Environment Agency, as well as the RSPB and other wildlife representatives.  This partnership is truly a joint effort to find a way forward that allows farmers to continue to produce more, but impact less on their environment.

The Campaign for the Farmed Environment aims to encourage farmers and growers to adopt land management practices voluntarily that will benefit three key themes – resource protection, farmland birds and farm wildlife.  Basically, farmers and landowners are being asked to choose some key in-field options when renewing or entering ELS agreements for the first time.  All farmers, whether or not they are in a formal stewardship agreement, are also asked to review any existing voluntary management and aim to deliver one thing from the list of voluntary measures, whilst also retaining existing uncropped land. A range of measures have been identified to keep participation in the Campaign as flexible as possible and at the end of January 2010 a farmer guide to these voluntary measures was sent out to over 45 000 farmers with more than 10ha arable land.

Pollen and Nectar mixes Photo credit: GWCT

Farm walk on the Cotswolds Farmland Bird Project workshop March 2010 Photo credit: GWCT

So how will the Campaign work on a local level? Local Liaison Groups (LLG) across the key target counties were set up at the end of last year and they will coordinate the delivery of tailored advice on the ground depending on the local challenges and opportunities. Each group has a Local Campaign Coordinator who will manage the Campaign on behalf of the LLGs. One of the main ways that farmers can find out more about the Campaign is to attend an event on a beacon farm, an example of best practice that will demonstrate ways to take part in the Campaign.

Guidance and advice about the voluntary management promoted by Campaign can be found at www.cfeonline.org.uk. The website also provides the contact details for the Local Campaign Coordinators and highlights events that will be taking place across the country.

In the meantime please contact the National Coordinator, Corrina Gibbs, if you have any questions on 024 76858 536 or email corrina.gibbs@nfu.org.uk.

Organisations:

He, among others, watched with great unease in the following decades as the countryside and its wildlife became demoted in the quest for a cheaper tonne of grain. Robin wrote about his concerns, mainly in the Daily Telegraph and he began to think through ways of combining farming with wildlife management.   He became  keen to demonstrate that the two can work together and with the generous donations from Telegraph readers, he began to buy and improve land at Barton and set up the Countryside Restoration Trust in 1993.

Today the Trust owns over 400ha of land in six counties and the land management is aimed at more sustainability with special emphasis on demonstrating a combination of profitable farming alongside wildlife welfare.

The 120ha of arable land at Barton and Comberton is farmed for the Trust by Tim Scott and he too is passionate about managing farmland for wildlife. Alongside volunteers he has helped in the replanting of new hedges where they existed over 50 years ago as well as planning a farming system that is fundamentally different to many in Cambridgeshire. Even though the soil is quite heavy, Tim is willing to grow spring crops, to leave over-wintered stubble ahead of those crops, to include conservation headlands and to plant grass margins, beetle banks and crops for birds and bees.

He also avoids block cropping which is planting similar crops in adjacent fields. Block cropping saves  time and fuel but reduces the feeding opportunities for wildlife and increases soil erosion risks. He also aims to reduce pesticide and fertiliser impacts. Many of these options have been managed under Defra stewardship schemes which provide guidance and financial incentives. His cropping this year includes winter wheat and barley, spring wheat and barley, and winter oil seed rape, Next year he will also return to linseed.

Has the management delivered improvements? You only have to walk along one of the many footpaths on the farm to see dramatic signs of improvements to wildlife. The landscape is also more interesting because of the new hedges, new woodland and willows alongside the Bourn Brook. The arable land next to the river has been reverted to grass, buffering the river and re-establishing water meadows that can help alleviate flooding downstream. Ponds have been dug or improved. The professional monitoring of wildlife by volunteers over fifteen years has confirmed that the land management options chosen have encouraged birds such as skylark, yellowhammer and barn owls. The monitoring volunteers have also confirmed that butterfly and bumblebee numbers have multiplied alongside a significant increase in brown hares, bats and other mammals.   These figures are recorded by regular monitoring by teams who cover the same ground from early spring. The figures not only find their way into our record books but contribute to those of the local biological records centre and other monitoring databases.

one of the ponds dug to encourage newts, frogs, toads and dragon flies Photo credit: Nigel Housden

We therefore have a good idea of the correlation between wildlife and land management as well as how the options affect farm profit. This allows us to demonstrate effectively with farmers and advisers and to explain the benefits, and the financial implications of conservation on commercial arable farms. In this way we will contribute to the Campaign for the Farmed Environment

For more information, please contact The Countryside Restoration Trust, telephone: 01223 262999, email: info@livingcountryside.org.uk; www.livingcountryside.org.uk

John Terry (May 2010)

Demonstration sites:

Farming,  a Foundation for our Future.   While we may wake up each day with many problems on our minds, a hungry person has just one, finding food. Only when you have fed yourself can you attend to other things. When our ancestors learned to farm their food, instead of gathering it or hunting, communities began to settle and civilisations grew.   Not that farming was ever easy. For centuries growing crops or rearing livestock meant backbreaking labour with only oxen or horses to help.

It was a battle against the weather and little understood pests or diseases. When harvests failed people could starve.

In Britain advances really began during the 18th century agricultural revolution. Pioneering “improvers” bred more productive livestock and developed better ways to grow crops, with new machines to plant and harvest them. Increased food production helped feed the masses migrating to towns and cities for work in the new factories and mills of the industrial revolution.

For the next 200 years farming’s progress was stop-start depending on weather, wars and competition with food imported from the growing British Empire. In 1914 those imports were threatened and farming became key to Britain’s survival during WW1. Agriculture still relied on manpower and horses but these were also needed at the front so farmers began to introduce “new fangled” tractors. 

Mechanisation continued after the war, driven by the labour shortage. It accelerated between 1939 and 45 when again, the U boat threat made farming vital. Following the conflict there was more need for farming innovation with millions starving in a devastated Europe and Asia. 

By the time Britain joined the European Common Market in 1973 farm production was booming. A green revolution had produced outstanding new crop varieties that raised world yields, protected from pests or disease by an armoury of chemicals. Hedges disappeared and fields grew larger to fit powerful machinery. Subsidised by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) starvation in Europe had ended but food surpluses were growing. 

As the 80’s ended taxpayers protested about grain mountains and wine lakes. Others complained about disappearing wildlife and pollution. In the 90’s fears over BSE raised further questions about modern production, adding to concerns about farm animal welfare. Amid arguments over genetically modified foods versus organic production farming faced a crises of confidence.

Today much has changed. The industry addressed its issues. New regulations protect the environment and govern welfare or food production systems. Many chemicals are banned. Meanwhile there are the challenges of greenhouse gasses and food supply. In 40 years we may need to feed 9 billion people from less available land, water and energy while Climate Change alters the weather and encourages pests and disease. 

Farming is valued again and faces an exciting future. It needs scientists and land managers. There are new crops to breed, new environmentally friendly ways to grow food or control pests.  There are jobs in organic production or conventional farming, work indoors or out with livestock, nature or the public. No longer is farming backbreaking drudgery it is mechanised, computerised, vibrant and vital.

Ken Rundle SAC ( Scottish Agricultural College)  (please see the College’s advert below)

Training:

Grazing Advice Partnership: Grazing for Environmental Benefits

The Grazing Advice Partnership (GAP) was initially set up as the Grazing Animals Project in 1997 and was re-formed in 2008 with an investing partnership comprised of Natural England, the National Trust, Defence Estates and the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. GAP exists to promote grazing with the natural environment and our cultural heritage in mind.  This is more commonly known as conservation grazing and refers to grazing that achieves nature conservation objectives. While there is no golden rule, conservation grazing generally involves less intensive land management techniques on areas that are less commercially productive. The type of livestock is a primary consideration for conservation grazing and differences in feeding preferences, physiology and animal behaviour will affect suitability for different sites. Due to their hardiness rare and native breeds of livestock are frequently used in conservation and extensive grazing systems and 

represent an important part of our cultural heritage.

In the UK almost all areas we value for their conservation interest form part of cultural landscapes created by humans, often as a side product of subsistence agriculture. Grazing livestock and associated activities played a key role in the formation and maintenance of many semi-natural habitats including grassland, heathland and pasture-woodland. In Gloucestershire the National Trust and Natural England work in partnership to manage unimproved limestone grassland through the Cotswolds Grazing Animal’s Project. Belted Galloways and Welsh Black cattle graze at more than 20 separate sites covering 150 hectares. The sites are often small and fragmented, in exposed locations with steep slopes and involve at least 10 different landowners. The grazed areas are also located on nature reserves and sites of special scientific interest which have public access. The cattle have proven ideal for grazing these sites, tackling the coarsest of grasses and the steep slopes whilst withstanding the winters spent out on the exposed Cotswold escarpment. Under the careful management of a stockman the cattle help maintain the wildflower rich grassland which supports a wide variety of insects and other invertebrates. The project also produces high quality meat which is sold locally to butchers and direct to the public through a box scheme.  This is just one example from the wide variety of grazing schemes undertaken by individual graziers, organisations and farmers across the UK, for further information please visit our website www.grazingadvicepartnership.org.uk/conservation_grazing_map.html. 

The GAP website also has wide range of free resources providing information and advice to anyone looking to set up or be involved with a grazing scheme. GAP runs introductory training courses on stock checking and stock husbandry for extensive grazing as well as one day workshops on more specific subjects. We also announced this month the start of a photographic competition focusing on the role native breeds of livestock play in conserving our natural environment. For details visit www.grazingadvicepartnership.org.uk or contact us at enquiries@grazingadvicepartnership.org.uk . 

Eleanor Newson, GAP 

.   Grazing Advice Partnership Room 202 Carlton Business Centre, Maundrell Road, SN11 0EY www.grazingadvicepartnership.org.uk enquiries@grazingadvicepartnership.org.uk

Conservation Grazing:

On-farm renewable energy – are you striking the right balance in your business?   Frustrated by the variable and slim profit margins from producing food, some UK farmers are looking at energy generation as a means of diversifying their business. At Farming Futures we’ve seen increased interest from farmers in renewable energy, with 98 per cent of those attending a recent event saying that on-farm renewable energy generation was “a very good or excellent business opportunity”. The launch of the Government’s Feed-In Tariff (FIT) in April 2010 has made generating renewable electricity more attractive by offering higher and more secure tariffs and has certainly made some waves in rural Britain.

"If there are two things that were made for each other, it's farmers and renewable energy. Whether it's biofuels or anaerobic digestion, wind turbines or biomass boilers, farmers have the land, the buildings, the entrepreneurial skills and often the raw materials to set up a renewable energy project." (David Cousins, Farmers Weekly, 27/02/09)

So what does UK agriculture look like if energy generation becomes its most valuable commodity?

Well, there are a few issues that need be considered, which create a bit of an ‘agri-environmental’ conundrum. Firstly striking the balance between delivering food and energy security; secondly striking the balance between protection of our local environment and protection of our global environment (e.g. tackling climate change) and thirdly the need to encourage rural enterprise and profitable farming.  

Feeding the wood chipper Photo credit: Richard Harvey (Rural Energy Ltd)

Richard Harvey is one farmer who seems to have got the balance right. He is a LEAF farmer, who farms 125 hectares of combinable crops and woodland in Leicestershire and has successfully diversified his business to focus on biomass heating. Over a ten year period Richard has converted all space heating systems on the farm to biomass and now doesn’t have to pay any heating bills and is saving over £5000/year. Richard is now building his business to sell biomass heating systems on a commercial basis, creating local jobs which benefit the rural community.

 John Taylor, who farms high up on Caton Moor in Lancashire, is trying to address all the issues too. He has eight 2MW wind turbines, which have added significant value to his business and his sheep are still able to graze right up to the turbines. Similarly, Robert Wiseman in Essex was able to access an emerging biofuels market by growing lower quality wheat on marginal land, whilst maintaining his food and feed crops. This guaranteed him a higher price and with a crop that was less susceptible to bad harvests.

There are many examples of farmers on the journey to business and environmental sustainability.  However it is on-farm renewable energy generation that is the path that excites many, primarily because it now works with one of farming’s most necessary values – profit. Profiting from on-farm renewables could and should enable farmers to address the many other challenges they face and will bring them closer to getting that balance right - tackling climate change, allowing food and energy security, conserving the natural environment and providing jobs in profitable farming businesses. On-farm renewables are, hopefully, simply a means to profitable and sustainable farming, rather than an end to farming, as we once knew it…

Services:

 Likewise, as ditches were piped and ponds filled in on the larger farms, valuable conservation projects were being carried out at the smaller end of the scale, and so on. Smallholders, justifiably, earned for themselves the reputation of being more wildlife conscious, more environmentally aware and more welfare friendly than their larger farming neighbours. However, a reputation, once made, must be maintained if it is to be upheld.  It now appears that the small-scale sector has been resting on its laurels for far too long over this, and is in grave danger of being left behind. 

Is the smallholding way of life more beneficial to wildlife than large scale agriculture? Photo credit: Tim Tyne

The whole emphasis within the agricultural industry has shifted. Production subsidies no longer exist. Instead, support payments are targeted towards environmental management and habitat creation, with the result that many commercial farms are involved in large scale, grant assisted conservation projects. Even those farmers who are not actively involved in specific schemes are now required to manage their land in accordance with a catalogue of stringent procedures (called "cross compliance"), which are designed to minimise environmental impact, enhance the wildlife value of farmed land, and preserve important habitat features such as ponds, wetlands and traditional meadows. In addition, there are strict guidelines as to what, when and where artificial fertilisers and other agrichemicals may (or may not) be used. Our agricultural industry is probably more eco-conscious now than ever before. At the other extreme, many of today’s smallholdings are mis-managed, and are woefully overstocked as inexperienced livestock keepers retain too many animals for "sentimental" reasons. Overgrazing (often with inappropriate classes of stock) can lead to a whole host of welfare problems, and delivers no environmental benefit whatsoever. These smallholders need to take a good long look at the current image they portray, and consider their position within the wider rural community. A bit of self-evaluation is not a bad thing, from time to time.

There are, of course, many small-scale producers who are very aware of environmental issues, but, as individuals, they can only make a limited contribution to wildlife and habitat management, due to the limited acreages involved. However, there are, in fact, more small holdings than large ones, so, taken altogether, the total contribution of a number of smallholders working together and in conjunction with their larger farming neighbours, could be great. A seemingly simple small-scale project, such as double fencing a short length of hedgerow, would assume far greater significance if it also provided a link between habitat creation projects on adjacent holdings, which might otherwise have remained isolated.
In this respect, there must surely be openings for people working in conservation to engage more closely with small-scale land managers, to help ensure that this sector of the agricultural industry delivers practical environmental benefits.

 

Tim Tyne is a second generation smallholder, who believes passionately that smallholding should be a viable career option for young people, not just the preserve of affluent downshifters and retired professionals. He was brought up on a productive holding in north east Essex, studied at the Welsh Agricultural College, and spent several years living on a small offshore island. He is now farming full time on the Llyn Peninsular, together with his wife and three children, and runs occasional practical short courses for smallholders. Tim is a regular contributor to Country Smallholding magazine, and is the author of The Sheep Book for Smallholders - probably the most comprehensive guide to small scale sheep keeping ever written.  Visit Tim and his family at www.viableselfsufficiency.co.uk

Tim Tyne is a second generation smallholder, now farming full time on the Llyn Peninsular in North Wales. Photo credit: Dot Tyne

Volunteering opportunities:

Farming and Wildlife               The pressure on the countryside today has never been greater and the farmers who are managing the landscape are now being expected to produce food of a high quality whilst also showing concern for the environment and our natural resources.    However, it is not difficult to farm commercially whilst also caring for the environment and there is plenty of advice available on how to achieve this.  There are also several schemes available for the farmer that will provide funding to undertake conservation projects.

One source of environmental management advice is the independent charity Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) who employ Farm Conservation Advisers that cover the whole of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.   A FWAG Adviser will pinpoint the areas of the farm most valuable for wildlife, propose management options, suggest specialist advice and also recommend the best source of funding and grant aid.

Mature hedge in blossom Photo credit: FWAG

In England there are two main funding schemes available under Natural England’s Environmental Stewardship programme.   Entry Level Stewardship (including Uplands ELS) is a voluntary scheme that encourages farmers to undertake simple environmental projects such as hedgerow management, buffer strips or arable and grassland options, ie field margins and skylark plots.   Before applying to ELS farmers must complete a Farm Environment Record, which is a simple map recording all of the features on the farm.   Participants receive a payment for all of the land entered into the scheme in return for the management being undertaken.  Practically all farmers should be able to qualify for ELS without making too many changes to their current management regime.  There is also an organic scheme available.    The higher and more complex scheme is Higher Level Stewardship (HLS), an agreement which lasts for 10 years.  This aims to deliver significant environmental benefits in high priority situations and areas.  It requires more complex environmental management so advice and support is vital.   As part of the process of entering HLS a farm will need to undergo a Farm Environment Plan to identify the appropriate options for management.  The FEP involves a detailed survey of the habitats and historic features that are present on the farm.

As well as the Environmental Stewardship schemes there are also a wide range of grants and funding available for management of individual wildlife features.  These are often accessed on a regional or local level.    The above initiatives only apply in England.  In Wales there are two similar schemes; Tir Cynnal is the entry level scheme which is whole farm scheme that runs for a minimum of 5 years with the option to continue to ten years.  Tir Gofal is the higher level scheme which aims to support the rich cultural heritage of Wales via permissive access options.  Again it is a whole farm scheme that runs for 10 years.  However, applications to both schemes have now closed and a new two tier agri-environment scheme, Glastir, will start agreements in 2012.   The Northern Ireland Countryside Management Scheme seeks to improve biodiversity, soil and water quality and mitigate against climate change.    It is open to all farmers who have a minimum of 3 hectares of eligible land.   Further advice on how to create and maintain farmland habitats is also available in the FWAG Farm Conservation Guide, priced £7.99, which is available to order through the FWAG website www.fwag.org.uk or on the telephone number above.    2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity and along with 300 partner organisations FWAG is urging everyone to “Do one thing for Biodiversity”.   There are a series of suggested “pledges” on the FWAG website but you can also tell us about your own activity.  The website also provides details on how to contact your local adviser to request a visit and gives advice on a career with the organisation. Jane Hampson, FWAG

Field margin with wild flowers Photo credit: FWAG

Products:

Food and Environmental Security is the Cornerstone to the Future CAP says the CLA   When the dust finally settles on the 2010 election there will be key issues for the new government to address and, although it may seem remote to many UK voters, not least among them is the Government’s approach to the Common Agricultural Policy.

Few farmers make money from their business yet most farmers provide goods the public demands such as landscape, environment, habitat biodiversity and so on.

Food production is – and must remain – the principle role of farming but farming is strongly dependent on public payments, and those payments are under threat. If we want farmers to continue to deliver food for which the market pays, and public environmental goods for which the market will not pay, then payment for the public goods has to come from the public purse – in this case via the Common Agricultural Policy. 

Farming must be efficient, competitive and viable in the long term – because without a viable farming industry we’ll get neither the food nor the environment we want.

The CLA argues that the UK Government needs to make the case for food security, but not for income support, as this invites payment capping. We need to continue to promote the need for a stronger CAP to European opinion formers by making the case that food and environmental security are inextricably linked.

The twin challenges of food and environmental security, say the rural champions, can only be met by European policy with commensurate budget resources - and that this is the task for a reformed CAP. The benefit for the public will be a more sustainable farm system that provides environmental benefits including cleaner water, reduced global warming and more biodiversity.

In a recent paper, the CLA and Bird Life International, the European equivalent of the RSPB, set out seven key points for the CAP reforms due to take place in 2012 which are:

●              Appropriate land management is crucial for the conservation of a range of ecosystem services, a critical one of which is food production for the human

                 population and underpinning this, the long-term capacity of land for food production.

●              Sustainable management of Europe’s land requires continued active intervention by farmers and landowners.

●              There is a particular need to ensure the maintenance of extensive livestock, and other High Nature Value, systems.

●              Europe plays an important role in global food security and in driving higher global environmental standards of production.

●              Policies and budgets at the European level are necessary to enable us to rise to these food and environmental challenges.

●              Future policy therefore requires the evolution of the CAP to ensure alignment between CAP support and public benefits.

●              The mechanisms and measures to achieve this are likely to show more characteristics of current CAP rural development and agri-environment measures

       than current farm support measures.

What we are suggesting is that the farmer’s role is steadily growing – producing both food and environmental services, but we have to emphasise that farmers are not charities so services not rewarded by the market must be paid for some other way.

For further information about the CLA go to www.cla.org.uk where you will be able to find your local CLA office.                                     Paul Millard, CLA South West

Short Training courses in 2010, all one day unless otherwise specified.

10 June How to Complete an (Entry Level) Environmental Stewardship Scheme Application (Workshop 1 of 2) in Pewsey, Wiltshire organised by IEEM. Details 01962 86862

http://www.ieem.net/workshops.asp

Followed on 1 July by the second workshop How to Complete an (Higher Level) Environmental Stewardship Scheme Application.

Grassland Restoration for new owners & managers on 11 June in Mold, Flintshire with Flora Locale. Find out more on 01672 515723, info@floralocale.org or

www.floralocale.org

15 June Best Use of Environmental Stewardship on an Arable Farm in Cambridgeshire, run by RSPB. Find out more on 01767 693308, conservation-advice@rspb.org.uk,

 www.rspb.org.uk

10 July Introduction to Permaculture over 2 days in Brighton with Brighton Permaculture Trust. More details via their website. www.brightonpermaculture.org.uk

22 September Grazing with carbon & wildlife in mind   in Ingleborough, Cumbria / North Yorkshire, organised by Flora Locale. Contact above

Also on 22 September Integrating the needs of farmland wildlife in lowland livestock/mixed farming systems in Shropshire with RSPB. Contact 01767 693308

www.rspb.org.uk for details.

And don't forget to have a look at the Training Section of countryside-jobs.com which has further details for many of these courses and providers plus lots more…

A4 sides this CJS Focus: 10      -           Details believed correct but given without prejudice, Ends.