BNG Credits for hedges

[theboytheboy]

I have a load of potential new hedges I have identified and have these been approved of by the national park ecologist.

I don't want to press on and find I have missed the chance to sell BNG credits on them in the future.

I am struggling to find information on what value is put on new hedges for BNG purposes.

I don't need exact figures but would help if anyone can provide rough numbers to guide decision making.

Ive seen the statutory credits for hedgerows is £44k......but how many meters make up one credit, how wide, etc etc

Has anyone actually done an BNG yet that is not part of a massive estate?

Thanks

 

[CornishTone]

@onesiedale

 

[onesiedale]

First I've heard of specific BNG credits for hedges. Be interesting to learn where you have seen the 44k/hedgerow unit.
However, if you are planning on doing anything BNG-wise you are right to hold fire just for now .
Before you do anything, you need to baseline the area you are earmarking for 'sale' This will cost you, £10k will not go far, but it will give you a formal record that you can keep as a reference which then in turn will allow to to base your BNG gain on.
Get an ecologist onside who understands both the Ag mindset as well as ecology.
Here in Oxfordshire/bucks the wildlife trust have been a great help in kick starting and sign posting for advice on BNG stuff...(.and they haven't charged!)

 

[theboytheboy]

It feels like this might be sorted of thing that is more achievable for the big estates and large farms. Those that can find the money and time to do the work needed to unlock the opportunity.

 

[farmerm]

Greenwashing nonesense, consumers are starting to wake up, as are companies who are discovering their expensive carbon certificates aren’t really worth a bag of magic beans

 

[onesiedale]

Greenwashing nonesense, consumers are starting to wake up, as are companies who are discovering their expensive carbon certificates aren’t really worth a bag of magic beans

carbon credits are a very different thing.

 

[Hill Ground]

I did a bit of research into it. Didn't fancy giving some freshly formed company a 30 year fbt on the ground that the new hedgerow is on!! Bugger that!!

 

[onesiedale]

I did a bit of research into it. Didn't fancy giving some freshly formed company a 30 year fbt on the ground that the new hedgerow is on!! Bugger that!!

why would you want to give a company an fbt on the ground?

 

[theboytheboy]

First I've heard of specific BNG credits for hedges. Be interesting to learn where you have seen the 44k/hedgerow unit.
However, if you are planning on doing anything BNG-wise you are right to hold fire just for now .
Before you do anything, you need to baseline the area you are earmarking for 'sale' This will cost you, £10k will not go far, but it will give you a formal record that you can keep as a reference which then in turn will allow to to base your BNG gain on.
Get an ecologist onside who understands both the Ag mindset as well as ecology.
Here in Oxfordshire/bucks the wildlife trust have been a great help in kick starting and sign posting for advice on BNG stuff...(.and they haven't charged!)

 

[yellowbelly]

I posted this elsewhere this morning...

Is it only me, or does anybody else have a hankering after simpler times when when we just plodded on about our way, farming?

Nowadays there always seems to be sharp boys in suits dreaming up some fancy scheme to rip others off, whilst using our natural assets as an excuse.

Carbon credits, BNG, GFC and what seems like loads more ponzi schemes being dreamt up almost daily.

It wouldn't be so bad but we're always made out to be the bad guys while everybody else wants to grab anything we may have to save the planet.

 

[Hill Ground]

why would you want to give a company an fbt on the ground?

The Chap I spoke to told me the way it worked was as follows:
. To ecology survey to establish how much biodiversity is on site
.Find company that needs bng credits
.Establish hedge or meadow or whatever is decided by them is most relevant in your area
.Give them 30 year fbt so they can garentee the hedge won't be ripped out or the flower meadow ploughed out or whatever.
.maybe get the maintenance contract for the area to keep it how its supposed to be.

I might be wrong, but that's how it was explained to me and I didn't fancy it one bit!!

 

[farmerm]

carbon credits are a very different thing.

Only one is private the other Government imposed, it’s all greenwashing..

 

[onesiedale]

The Chap I spoke to told me the way it worked was as follows:
. To ecology survey to establish how much biodiversity is on site
.Find company that needs bng credits
.Establish hedge or meadow or whatever is decided by them is most relevant in your area
.Give them 30 year fbt so they can garentee the hedge won't be ripped out or the flower meadow ploughed out or whatever.
.maybe get the maintenance contract for the area to keep it how its supposed to be.

I might be wrong, but that's how it was explained to me and I didn't fancy it one bit!!

sounds like you need to cut out a few middlemen...

 

[Hill Ground]

sounds like you need to cut out a few middlemen...

Maybe!!‍♂

It's all quite new stuff, what's your understanding of how it works?

 

[onesiedale]

It certainly isn't easy, it is a commitment and there seems to be an element of luck involved in getting units sold to an actual buyer. Having said that the financial rewards can be huge, which is why there are so many vultures and middlemen circling for a slice of the action.
Basically, developers must replace biodiversity lost on their building schemes with a gain somewhere else. It is all administered through the local planning authority dept. They hold all the cards in matching up developers with sites. Trouble is it is all new to them too, so everyone is learning. (Some faster than others)
As a farmer, you need to be of the mindset that you are actually wanting to enhance the biodiversity in your landscape, not just simply thinking you'll get the money for what you are already doing.
Baselining is the key to getting started, and is the biggest delay to getting units to market.
Get an ecologist in, get baseline surveying done. (Birds, plants, insects, soils, mammals) It really is time consuming and will cost '000s.
But once you have it, that baseline will stand as a reference to move things to the next step.

 

[Ffermer Bach]

Greenwashing nonesense, consumers are starting to wake up, as are companies who are discovering their expensive carbon certificates aren’t really worth a bag of magic beans

no, greenwashing is not nonsense, I can choose to fly with Virgin, secure in the knowledge that my meat free meal will mean I can happily fly with a clean conscience, so all good!!!! I could look it up, but from memory a flight per person (New York and back) is something like a ton of Carbon and no beef on my meal is like grams !!!

 

[Doing it for the kids]

It certainly isn't easy, it is a commitment and there seems to be an element of luck involved in getting units sold to an actual buyer. Having said that the financial rewards can be huge, which is why there are so many vultures and middlemen circling for a slice of the action.
Basically, developers must replace biodiversity lost on their building schemes with a gain somewhere else. It is all administered through the local planning authority dept. They hold all the cards in matching up developers with sites. Trouble is it is all new to them too, so everyone is learning. (Some faster than others)
As a farmer, you need to be of the mindset that you are actually wanting to enhance the biodiversity in your landscape, not just simply thinking you'll get the money for what you are already doing.
Baselining is the key to getting started, and is the biggest delay to getting units to market.
Get an ecologist in, get baseline surveying done. (Birds, plants, insects, soils, mammals) It really is time consuming and will cost '000s.
But once you have it, that baseline will stand as a reference to move things to the next step.

Ignoring set up costs, what does £44k get them? The right to claim a hedge is theorist for enviro benefit for 30 yrs?

How many meters of hedge does 44k get you, guessing not 1 m!?

 

[farmerm]

no, greenwashing is not nonsense, I can choose to fly with Virgin, secure in the knowledge that my meat free meal will mean I can happily fly with a clean conscience, so all good!!!! I could look it up, but from memory a flight per person (New York and back) is something like a ton of Carbon and no beef on my meal is like grams !!!

er yes it absolutely is nonsense. Tree planting and other such schemes are unable to keep pace with carbon emissions from deforestation and other bio-carbon losses, that has to be achieved before any bio-carbon storage scheme can be considered an offset to the burning of fossil carbon.

 

[farmerm]

It certainly isn't easy, it is a commitment and there seems to be an element of luck involved in getting units sold to an actual buyer. Having said that the financial rewards can be huge, which is why there are so many vultures and middlemen circling for a slice of the action.
Basically, developers must replace biodiversity lost on their building schemes with a gain somewhere else. It is all administered through the local planning authority dept. They hold all the cards in matching up developers with sites. Trouble is it is all new to them too, so everyone is learning. (Some faster than others)
As a farmer, you need to be of the mindset that you are actually wanting to enhance the biodiversity in your landscape, not just simply thinking you'll get the money for what you are already doing.
Baselining is the key to getting started, and is the biggest delay to getting units to market.
Get an ecologist in, get baseline surveying done. (Birds, plants, insects, soils, mammals) It really is time consuming and will cost '000s.
But once you have it, that baseline will stand as a reference to move things to the next step.

Farmers are one thing but the man with a business mind will get the bulldozer in first and lower the baseline as far as possible before the ecologist arrives....

 

[Overby]

The Ecologists are aware of the above 'cunning plans' and I believe have access to previous RPA records, the baseline takes many things into account, not just the state of play on the day of the survey.