FARMLAND WILDLIFE CAMPAIGN IS FRONTED BY OXFORD WOMAN

A national three-year initiative encouraging farmers to boost farmland wildlife through positive land management practices is being fronted by an Oxford-based woman.

Laura Francis, aged 26, will be working with farmers to help species as diverse as the brown hare, common frog and prickly poppy under the Campaign for the Farmed Environment (CFE) www.cfeonline.org.uk Laura, who has a Masters degree in environmental science, will be helping farmers to take grassroots action as the newly appointed coordinator for the Campaign in the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. She is well known to farmers and land managers as an adviser for FWAG (Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group), advising farmers in these three counties. She also helps out on friends’ farms with tasks including lambing and milking. Buckinghamshire-born Laura says: “This is a great opportunity for farmers from Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire to lead the way, as they so often do by voluntarily creating new habitats for farmland birds and other wildlife. The measures they take will also ensure that the soil and water on their farms is well protected. By working together on this Campaign, we hope to maintain a flourishing working countryside and help farmers to avoid greater regulation in the future.” The Campaign was launched in November 2009 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 measure to make farmers set aside land from production. Key industry bodies including the NFU and CLA (Country Land and Business Association), are working in a partnership with Defra and its agencies, Natural England and the Environment Agency, alongside conservation organisations such as the RSPB and BBOWT (Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust). NFU South East senior policy adviser Sandra Nichols says: “The Campaign aims to demonstrate that environmental work can work hand in hand with commercial farming. Laura’s practical experience and links with the farming fraternity in the three counties will prove invaluable.” Ben Underwood, Assistant Regional Director of the CLA in the South East, explains: “The aim is to enhance the farmed environment in a way that does not compromise farm businesses and actually provides opportunities for the industry to show off the voluntary conservation work already being undertaken. As coordinator, Laura will organise local events on demonstration farms, provide guidance and ultimately will ensure the Campaign gains momentum, gaining the support of as many farmers and landowners as possible across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.” Laura Francis is among 17 local coordinators driving forward the Campaign in the target areas – where arable farming predominates. In the South East these are:- Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire (taken as one area); Hampshire and Kent. Local ‘beacon’ farms are being 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. High resolution images of Laura Francis are available from isobel.bretherton@nfu.org.uk Tel: 01730 711956/07778 002617.

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