County is celebrating 21 years of green farming

Aug 5 2008 by Michael Wood, The Journal

THIS summer Northumberland celebrates 21 years of green farming. Agri-environment schemes, which will be given nearly £3bn over the next five years, have seen an increase in access to the countryside, more wildlife and biodiversity and greater maintenance of essential features such as stone walls and hedgerows.

Northumberland has more than 1,000 agreements, covering 93,117 hectares, and projects achieved in the past year include:

16 bridleways

10 farms offering educational access visits

57 footpaths

49 hedgerows

60 stone walls.

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said: “Over the last 21 years, farmers in Northumberland have been managing the land to enhance and protect both it and our native wildlife.

“The English countryside doesn’t look the way it does by accident, and farmers deserve recognition and our thanks for what they have achieved.

“We are absolutely committed to seeing this great work continue.”

Agri-environment schemes work by providing financial support to farmers to manage and conserve the land with a focus on green farming, such as creating habitats for wildlife and to protect the English landscape.

More than 35,000 Environmental Stewardship agreements covering more than five million hectares of land in England, an area roughly twice the size of Wales, are now in place.

They have restored or replanted 30,000km of hedgerows, 2,600km of dry-stone walls, increases in numbers of rare birds and 800 farms now offer educational visits to more than 100,000 schoolchildren a year.

NFU president Peter Kendall said: “Over the last 21 years, agri-environment schemes have created markets for conservation as a crop.

“The next 21 years are likely to be defined by the triple challenge of food, energy and environmental security. I believe that voluntary schemes that reward farmers for the provision of public goods and services have an important role to play in the English countryside.”

Sir Don Curry, chair of the sustainable farming and food strategy delivery group, added: “A key theme of the 2002 Policy Commission report on the future of farming and food was the need for reconnection between the public and the farmer.

“As taxpayers and consumers, the public have a right to know how their money is spent on preserving the farmed environment.”