News & Info

Campaign for the farmed Environment

The campaign for the farmed environment (CFE) offers advice and guidance on how to retain and increase environmental benefits on farms. It is hoped that farmers and land managers will voluntarily adopt as many as possible of the 25 options to benefit the environment and to reduce the chances of further legislation and ‘red tape’ in the future.

It does not involve any regulation, but can provide financial incentives (schemes such as ELS).

CFE unites industry stakeholders such as:

• NFU
• CLA
• FWAG
• LEAF
• AIC
• GWCT
• AICC
• CAAV

If by June 2012, the national targets for environment have not been met, then the voluntary approach could be replaced with a regulatory one, such as compulsory set aside, involving far more red tape with no reward or possible expense for farmers.

The campaign is aimed at meeting the national targets to:

• Ensure that ELS agreements contain the right options in the right places to create important habitats for wildlife on farms.
• Retain a certain level of uncropped land and strive to improve the management of at least a third of this land to support habitats for birds insect, and mammals. In some cases this will also help with resource protection on farms.
• Increase the current national level of voluntary environmental management by at least 30,000 hectares.

Resource Protection

Seven options can benefit the resource protection aspect of the farm. This involves appropriately managing land in risky areas.

Protection of watercourses assists in protecting the environment, and careful management can help to prevent sediment and other pollutants from reducing water quality and harming aquatic life.

Rivers, estuaries and lakes could be in better condition, this could be achieved by:

• Tackling the source of run off, flooding and erosion
• Slowing pathways of soil erosion and runoff
• Creating a physical barrier

Farmland Birds and Wildlife

Cultivated and flower rich margins and conservation headlands can provide a network of insect rich foraging habitat, ideal for farmland birds to feed their young. These habitats can also benefit bees, butterflies and other insects.

Protection of watercourses should protect and provide a habitat for bats, newts, voles and other small mammals.

Cover crops and over winter stubble (preferably not sprayed) provide seed food throughout the winter, and habitats provided by boundary management and field margins assist in the protection of skylarks and lapwings.

Farmers and Landowners should look to renew their Entry Level Stewardship Agreements two months before they end to avoid a break in payments, and if possible, choose options suggested by the Campaign to achieve the best environmental results on their farm.

For further information about Environmental Schemes, Stewardship and the Campaign for the Farmed Environment, please contactAKC on 01380 724687 or email:

Simon Bennett – simon.bennett@akcagric.co.uk

Jenna Copp – jenna.copp@akcagric.co.uk

Aimee Graville – aimee.graville@akcagric.co.uk