Expansion of Environmental Stewardship schemes is the key to safeguarding the gains made by set-aside, said Natural England in response to the launch on 5 November of the Campaign for the Farmed Environment (CFE).
CFE – a partnership involving NFU, CLA, Natural England and a range of other leading farming and landowning bodies – sets ambitious voluntary targets for farmers to retain and surpass the environmental benefits achieved under the previous set-aside system. Critical to achieving this will be increasing uptake of Environmental Stewardship (ES) – agri-environment schemes offering financial rewards to farmers and land managers who incorporate eco-friendly measures in their business.
Poul Christensen, acting chairman of Natural England, said: “The Campaign for the Farmed Environment marks a watershed for the farming industry. There is a real opportunity through this voluntary partnership approach to ensure that the environmental gains of set-aside are firmly secured. Central to this will be the continuing uptake of Environmental Stewardship schemes, which have proved their worth in terms of combining the needs of the natural environment with the needs of food production. I’m confident that by strengthening the bond between farming and conservation through Environmental Stewardship we can achieve these goals together.”
Around 66 per cent of farmland in England is under Environmental Stewardship agreements, but Natural England is working to increase this to 70 per cent by March 2011. As well as urging new recruits to join the schemes, it is also encouraging farmers in expiring “classic” schemes to switch to ES, which comprises Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) and Higher Level Stewardship (HLS).
Poul Christensen added: “It’s important that farmers’ pride in maintaining the land as a source of food production runs alongside an equal pride in looking after the natural environment. The Campaign for the Farmed Environment partnership represents a positive move towards achieving this; we welcome it with open arms.”
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