Farmers in the Weardale area will be finding out how Natural England can help them look after precious wildlife habitats while running a successful business in the years ahead.
Farmers from the area are being invited to St Anne's Centre in Wolsingham, County Durham, on 20 March (at 10.30am) to find out more about the grants schemes available to help them preserve and enhance the environment and support its wildlife and bird species.
As the farmers' existing ESA (Environmentally Sensitive Area) and CSS (Countryside Stewardship Scheme) agreements come to an end - and almost 80 per cent of the 126 agreements in the North East run out in 2012 - they need to consider whether they should transfer to one of the newer Environmental Stewardship schemes: Entry Level Scheme (ELS), Organic Entry Level Scheme (OELS) and Higher Level Scheme (HLS).
The new schemes enable farmers to manage their land in a way that preserves and enhances its characteristics, supports its wildlife and bird species, protects archaeological and historic features and allows access for the public.
On hand to help them will be several Natural England experts, as well as a representative of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), who will explain how the newer Environmental Stewardship schemes can encourage and safeguard bird life.
In addition, local farmer Joy Henderson will talk about her own experiences of transferring from a CSS agreement covering part of her farm to a new combined OELS/HLS agreement. The day will conclude with a short site visit to Joy's Carrs Farm, near Wolsingham, to look at work already being carried out under the new OELS/HLS agreement and various other initiatives.
Joy said:
"My granddad was always very proud of his farm, particularly the hay meadows with their incredible variety of wild flowers. When I took over I was looking for ways of making a living from the farm. The traditional Aberdeen Angus suckler herd did not produce enough to keep a family, particularly since the local markets were not geared up for this kind of specialist produce.
"Going organic opened up a whole new system and a way of achieving premiums for our meat. Never having had fertiliser on the fields has allowed the wonderful variety of flora and fauna to remain on the farm but it does mean that our hay crops are small, if wonderful to smell, and the pasture produces much less forage because the aggressive agricultural grasses are absent.
"Environmental Stewardship pays us to continue to farm as the farm has always been run. We make late hay with small yields rather than silage which doesn't allow the flowers to set seed. We are paid to repair the walls, which we would rather keep repaired in any case, and to refrain from cutting the hedges too often. This scheme allows us to keep the farm as wonderful as my granddad kept it and to encourage other people to come and look at the wealth of flora and fauna ands perhaps study them too".
David Morris, RSPB Agricultural Adviser, said:
"The North Pennines are now one of the most important strongholds in the UK for nesting birds, such as lapwings, curlews, redshanks and black grouse. Many of these birds are in decline elsewhere in the country and farmers within the North Pennines provide a lifeline for these much-loved birds through their farm management. Environmental stewardship schemes can help provide the vital funding that farmers need to manage their land to secure a future for these charismatic upland birds"
Val Brown, Team Leader, West Durham Team, Natural England, said:
"We held a similar event to this one in Teesdale last year and it was very successful. These meetings provide an ideal opportunity for farmers who have ESA and CSS agreements to find out how they can continue the valuable work they have been doing to protect the unique Dales landscape through the new Environmental Stewardship schemes.
"Transferring to one of the new schemes does not have to be complicated and Natural England advisers will be on hand to help farmers and other landowners through the process."
To find out more or to book a place on the day farmers are urged to contact their local Natural England office, in Newcastle, on 0191 229 5500.
