New information about local nature recovery and landscape recovery

onthehoof

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Cambs
As said before I think we need to know what ‘documentation’ showing the decline of landscapes and habitats Defra are using to base these policies on. I believe ‘Floodplain restoration’ is a target, we Farm about 400 acres of floodplain, the only change it has seen in about 1000 years has been the introduction of hedgerows under the Inclosure Act about 1800
 
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Grass And Grain

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Yorks
Let's hope the LNR pays better than SFI. Afraid SFI asks for too much inflexibility with little choice of options to suit individual farm circumstances, and pays too little.

If you are already farming in that way, then fine, claim the cash. If you have to alter YOUR system which suits YOUR land, then fulfilling the prescriptions won't cover the payment or inflexibility. Not really anyway.

@DrWazzock talks of badgers and buzzards etc.. He's right, they're taking the ground nesting birds. Oh hum.

On a positive note, I've some AB11 Cultivated Areas For Arable Plants @Janet Hughes Defra . Prescription is to leave until 1st of September, bit it's going a spring crop, so I left it all winter. The corn marigolds grew as per desire of the option, but also lots of fat hen. Now full of yellowhammers and linnets (or something), enjoying the fat hen.

Just as a suggestion, we've some AB15 2 year legume fallow, which is fine, but plays havoc with arable rotations. If there was a 1 year option, to autumn drill afterwards, that would he great. Think now enhanced overwinter stubble can have a cover sown on it??? That sort of thing would be a good option. Singe year in the rotation, adding OM, keeping weeds like broke and black grass smothered, all good. Maybe some flexibility to mow or spray any patches of such weeds would he a good idea. Weed seed return is a big issue, and can do more harm than good. We might be talking about 6m around the edge, or a little patch, hit that flexibility could save A LOT of herbicides in the following crops.

Thanks Janet.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Let's hope the LNR pays better than SFI. Afraid SFI asks for too much inflexibility with little choice of options to suit individual farm circumstances, and pays too little.

If you are already farming in that way, then fine, claim the cash. If you have to alter YOUR system which suits YOUR land, then fulfilling the prescriptions won't cover the payment or inflexibility. Not really anyway.

@DrWazzock talks of badgers and buzzards etc.. He's right, they're taking the ground nesting birds. Oh hum.

On a positive note, I've some AB11 Cultivated Areas For Arable Plants @Janet Hughes Defra . Prescription is to leave until 1st of September, bit it's going a spring crop, so I left it all winter. The corn marigolds grew as per desire of the option, but also lots of fat hen. Now full of yellowhammers and linnets (or something), enjoying the fat hen.

Just as a suggestion, we've some AB15 2 year legume fallow, which is fine, but plays havoc with arable rotations. If there was a 1 year option, to autumn drill afterwards, that would he great. Think now enhanced overwinter stubble can have a cover sown on it??? That sort of thing would be a good option. Singe year in the rotation, adding OM, keeping weeds like broke and black grass smothered, all good. Maybe some flexibility to mow or spray any patches of such weeds would he a good idea. Weed seed return is a big issue, and can do more harm than good. We might be talking about 6m around the edge, or a little patch, hit that flexibility could save A LOT of herbicides in the following crops.

Thanks Janet.
Fat hen grows for free here if you leave a bit undrilled on the sand. Doesn’t fit the forms though does it?
It would almost be better to have no official schemes just guidance then twice a year some bod comes round and gives you marks out of 10 for your environmental worth. Then you get paid accordingly.
 

Vader

Member
Mixed Farmer
20220127_144745.jpg
 
https://www.rspb.org.uk/our-work/co...lity/farming/near-you/farmland-bird-declines/
While I have no problem encouraging better wildlife support for birds etc, I often wonder with migratory species what effect we can have when we are only One area in which they live.

how effective has the uk environmental schemes been so far in improving bird numbers for non migratory birds that live in the uk.
if we are to belive the website I shared not much, and they are at a loss to know why, so why are these programs continuing to push ahead when the results are not showing?

if over winter stubbles is not working when set aside didn’t work why press for those as options, when dedicated options may give better results?
Often birds have areas they use every year, a farm near me gets geese coming over winter on set fields every year, mine only 100 meters away never get bothered.
An expansion of areas already getting birds visiting seems a better more targets system.
I have land surveyed every year and it has good bird populations because we have trees long term pasture and natural regeneration that’s a long way or at least a good way from housing so a long way from cats.
Just putting down random areas of bird food has not worked so why perpetuate it why spend money on random farm land areas when expanding areas around existing bird populations would give better results.
So those small farms that have these areas are supported in simple scheme that don’t require finding 500ha of land to also go into the scheme.
This is the sort of thing the Nature Recovery scheme is intended to help with - locally targeted actions, and support for local collaboration so that people in an area can work together (as many already do) to create joined up habitats and water management
 
And there we have it folks.
Anti farming at its best.
Janet clearly has no idea about the subject she is in charge of and is believing all words of packhams cult....

The worse thing is she will belive what the rspb and Co tells her.... FARMERS ARE TO BLAME FOR EVERYTHING!!!
I was referring to published evidence such as the 25 Year Environment Plan and supporting evidence, which are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/25-year-environment-plan and to be clear, I'm not seeking to blame anyone or be anti farming at all - all the reforms we're working on are intended to offer a workable, fair and practical set of choices for farmers depending on their particular farm setting and preferences, so that they can be paid to produce public goods alongside food production
 
Let's hope the LNR pays better than SFI. Afraid SFI asks for too much inflexibility with little choice of options to suit individual farm circumstances, and pays too little.

If you are already farming in that way, then fine, claim the cash. If you have to alter YOUR system which suits YOUR land, then fulfilling the prescriptions won't cover the payment or inflexibility. Not really anyway.

@DrWazzock talks of badgers and buzzards etc.. He's right, they're taking the ground nesting birds. Oh hum.

On a positive note, I've some AB11 Cultivated Areas For Arable Plants @Janet Hughes Defra . Prescription is to leave until 1st of September, bit it's going a spring crop, so I left it all winter. The corn marigolds grew as per desire of the option, but also lots of fat hen. Now full of yellowhammers and linnets (or something), enjoying the fat hen.

Just as a suggestion, we've some AB15 2 year legume fallow, which is fine, but plays havoc with arable rotations. If there was a 1 year option, to autumn drill afterwards, that would he great. Think now enhanced overwinter stubble can have a cover sown on it??? That sort of thing would be a good option. Singe year in the rotation, adding OM, keeping weeds like broke and black grass smothered, all good. Maybe some flexibility to mow or spray any patches of such weeds would he a good idea. Weed seed return is a big issue, and can do more harm than good. We might be talking about 6m around the edge, or a little patch, hit that flexibility could save A LOT of herbicides in the following crops.

Thanks Janet.
Thanks, I'll pass this on to the team
 

BrianV

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Dartmoor
I was referring to the 25 Year Environment Plan which includes supporting evidence and sets out detailed analysis and targets around biodiversity, water quality, air quality and water management (amongst other things): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/25-year-environment-plan
Looks very much like that new wonderful government 25 year TB clearance plan we recently heard about, I've now been farming for nearly 50 years with TB from badgers that we were told our governments had under control.
Why should we believe anything politicians say as they are here today then gone tomorrow & so are their meaningless policies!!
 

Two Tone

Member
Mixed Farmer
I was referring to published evidence such as the 25 Year Environment Plan and supporting evidence, which are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/25-year-environment-plan and to be clear, I'm not seeking to blame anyone or be anti farming at all - all the reforms we're working on are intended to offer a workable, fair and practical set of choices for farmers depending on their particular farm setting and preferences, so that they can be paid to produce public goods alongside food production
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/25-year-environment-plan
Oh dear!
Already three years out of date headed by two Politician point scoring, misinformed has-beens, the second of which can only "we hope, ensure that this country is recognised as the leading global champion of a greener, healthier, more sustainable future for the next generation", while its population sees massive food price inflation and worse still, pays taxes to enhance that very problem! Especially for that next generation.

You couldn't make it up. But obviously they have!
And probably will continue to do so.
 

willy

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Rutland
After all these years of pathetic schemes dreamt up by Defra et al, I seriously wish that Defra was scrapped and subsidy gone. It would get rid of all these hanger on so called experts, and we wouldn't be over producing food so we would get a fair living from what we actually produced, politicans have interfered especially EU Cap and we have lost our true meaning.

However I do feel things are changing and maybe just maybe we will get the appreciation that we possibly deserve.
 

topground

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
North Somerset.
Can you clarify what you mean? Do you mean developing / designing the scheme? Or how consultants will be involved on farms / giving advice etc when the scheme is live?
@Janet Hughes Defra
I am not sure why a simple question about the DEFRA budget for consultants associated with LNR would require clarification, however both or all and how will value for money in employing said consultants be demonstrated?
 
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Grass And Grain

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Yorks
Fat hen grows for free here if you leave a bit undrilled on the sand. Doesn’t fit the forms though does it?
It would almost be better to have no official schemes just guidance then twice a year some bod comes round and gives you marks out of 10 for your environmental worth. Then you get paid accordingly.
iirc, originally they were going to pay by results. No idea how they were going to assess it though. Could have been lots of disagreeing between DEFRA and farmers.
 

topground

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
North Somerset.
iirc, originally they were going to pay by results. No idea how they were going to assess it though. Could have been lots of disagreeing between DEFRA and farmers.
Typical civil service, all about the process and no consideration of the product leave alone how it will be measured and how value for taxpayer money will be demonstrated. Meaningless slogans and tag lines while spaffing goodness how much £K on consultants and other hangers on.
 

willy

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Rutland
Actually I think we have hit the nail on the head, link these Defra workers to results like we are, and add a bit of treating them like naughty children and see if they understand how we feel.

Also I love the way they always blame the previous jobs worth for poor results, while coming up with probably the worst incoherent unjoined up environmental scheme yet to be dreamt up.... Never mind they will be retired with a pension while the rest of us pay the price for their lack of common sense.
 
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SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 42.2%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 65 34.8%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.0%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 7 3.7%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,289
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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