FARMING GROUPS JOIN WITH CONSERVATIONISTS TO DELIVER WILDLIFE CAMPAIGN

A new three-year initiative encouraging land managers to boost farmland wildlife through positive land management practices gets underway this week.

Species as diverse as the brown hare, common frog, red tailed bumblebee, prickly poppy and the grey partridge will be among those to benefit under the Campaign for the Farmed Environment (CFE) www.cfeonline.org.uk The CFE is launched today by Defra Secretary of State Hilary Benn, who agreed that the industry could take a voluntary approach to environmental management rather than Government imposing a compulsory set aside measure. Key industry bodies including the NFU and CLA (Country Land and Business Association), are to work in a partnership with Defra and its agencies, Natural England and the Environment Agency, alongside conservation organisations such as the RSPB. They will encourage farmers to take steps to protect resources such as soil and water, farmland birds and wildlife. NFU South East senior policy adviser Sandra Nichols says: “This unprecedented Campaign sees farming organisations join with Government and conservationists. Farmers will be persuaded to adopt voluntary management practices, such as placing grass buffer strips alongside watercourses, leaving land fallow, sowing pollen and nectar margins to help insects or reducing the use of spring herbicides. They can choose from a broad menu of options, many of which are funded under the Environmental Stewardship Scheme. The message to all farmers and land managers is ‘you can make a difference, your farm has environmental value and choosing the right options for the right places can have a major influence’.” Ben Underwood, Assistant Regional Director of the CLA in the South East, explains: “This is a chance to showcase the vast array of conservation work already being undertaken by the industry and to encourage greater engagement across the board. The best managers of natural resources and those best able to deliver environmental services are the very people who manage the land, its landscape and habitats. Farmers and land managers need to get behind the campaign to ensure it delivers its objectives, enhances the environment and shows the government that voluntary initiatives and partnership working should be at the forefront of environmental policy and delivery.” Local liaison groups are already being formed to drive forward the Campaign in the target counties – where arable farming predominates. In the South East these are:- • Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire • Hampshire • Kent Over the next few months, county co-ordinators will be appointed for the Campaign who will arrange informative events. Local ‘beacon’ farms will be selected to demonstrate how commercial farming and environmental management can work hand-in-hand. All target counties will have priorities for action that reflect the opportunities present in a particular area. The Campaign runs until 2012 and all farmers are asked to help meet agreed national targets. Notes To Editors: 1. Visit www.cfeonline.org.uk to find out more about the Campaign targets, themes and voluntary measures All the Campaign partners are encouraging farmers to adopt, or continue, management practices that will help meet national targets between now and June 2012 to: • Support increased uptake of Entry-Level Stewardship (ELS) • Ensure that Entry-Level Stewardship agreements contain the right options in the right places to create important habitats for wildlife on farms • Retain a certain level of uncropped land (179,000 hectares across England) and seeking to improve the management of this land • Increase the level of voluntary environmental management undertaken by farmers by at least 30,000 hectares beyond the level that exists currently • Promote participation in environmental management with the aim of getting 60% of farmers not engaged in ELS to undertake some form of voluntary environmental management effort on their land • Natural England manages the Environmental Stewardship grants for farmers and landowners to deliver conservation of wildlife, maintain landscapes and natural resources and protect historical features. There are more than 4,000 live Environmental Stewardship agreements in the South East, covering more than 660,000ha. Through these agreements, more than 17km of hedgerows, 5,000ha of arable margins (which is equivalent to 28km) and 14,500ha of overwinter stubbles are managed. Established in 2006, Natural England’s work is focused on enhancing England’s wildlife and landscapes and maximising the benefits they bring to the public. For further information about Natural England please visit: www.naturalengland.org.uk NFU South East PR Officer Isobel Bretherton Tel: 01730 711956/07778 002617 – high resolution images are available – send requests by email to isobel.bretherton@nfu.org.uk NFU South East, Unit 8, Rotherbrook Court, Bedford Road, Petersfield, Hampshire GU32 3QG Telephone: 01730 711950 ISDN: 01730 266023 Http://www.nfuonline.com The NFU is the voice of British farming and provides professional representation and services to its farmer and grower members. The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has a 36,000-strong membership. As a membership organisation, the CLA supports landowners by advising them on how best to protect and maximise their asset: the land. We are dedicated to supporting landowners and our success is measured by how effectively we do that. We have a team of experts in London and a regional structure able to give local support. We have been looking after the interests of our members, as well as promoting the positive aspects of land ownership and land management, for the past 100 years. CLA members own or manage approximately half the rural land in England and Wales, and the resulting expertise puts us in a unique position to formulate policies and lobby effectively. For more information about the CLA, visit: www.cla.org.uk Jonathan Roberts Press Officer South East Country Land and Business Association T: 01892 614013 M: 07960 716573 jonathan.roberts@cla.org.uk www.cla.org.uk

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