No set-aside no problem, as farming is presented with the perfect PR opportunity

The recent victory by the Campaign for the Farmed Environment to head off plans for the re-introduction of compulsory set-aside is a milestone for the industry. The NFU and CLA (along with the GWCT amongst others) have done their bit and it is now down to the farmers themselves to get on board and deliver what is asked of them.

The NFU and CLA will have been celebrating following Hilary Benn's announcement at the Royal Show in early July; not only have they fought against the odds to ward off the compulsory scheme, but they have achieved some excellent PR to remind farmers and landowners of the vital importance of these two institutions.

The success of the plan will be measured against agreed targets, with the CFE reporting to DEFRA on an annual basis. If the targets are not met then DEFRA will surely waste no time in imposing compulsory set-aside once more. It is vital then, that the industry shows that the trust held by the NFU and the CLA in the UK's arable farmers to support its plan was well founded. The only way to do this is for every arable farmer in the country to get behind the plan and find some ground on their farm to encourage farmland birds and create other environmental habitats.

Like all farmers, Strutt & Parker's clients are passionate about the countryside and natural environment. The vast majority hold ELS agreements and we also look after a huge number of CSS, ESA and Higher Level Scheme agreements. Under the CFE participation in these schemes is key, and to reach the targets it is vital that over 90% of existing ELS agreements are renewed when they come to the end of their 5 year term.

So, apart from keeping their agri-environment schemes going, what are farmers being asked to do? There are three main targets, which have to be met by June 2012:

Maintain at least 179,000ha of uncropped land.

Figures quoted in the CFE proposal document suggest that at least 175,000ha will be uncropped in 2008/09. This has only to be raised by 2% to reach the target. Practically there could be a problem here – this area will be recorded using land use codes on the SP5 form; it is important that farmers put uncropped land on the SP5 form as OT2 rather than be tempted to include it as temporary grass under TG1, which gives more flexibility in terms of cutting the green cover. It will only be counted as uncropped land if you call it OT2 and manage it in line with the GAEC12 rules.

Double the area of in-field ELS options by 2012.

This is going to be a difficult target to achieve; most agreements we have dealt with have used a combination of hedgerow management, grassland options, and arable options. This will be helped when schemes are renewed as management plans will have to find points from elsewhere. (management plans have not been allowed in new schemes starting from January 2007). The easiest in-field options to manage are field corners, 10-12m grass strips, pollen and nectar mixes, and wild bird seed mixes. The latter can also help if there is a shoot on the farm, but remember maize or sorghum cannot be included. The CFE is relying on farmers opting for arable options over low-input grassland, or even hedgerow management, which will have a big impact on many agreements.

Add a further 30,000ha of arable land into voluntary environmental measures.

For those farms not in ELS or to add to existing ELS options, 21 voluntary measures have been developed by the CFE, most of which are based on ELS options. Farmers are going to have to embrace these measures which are in addition to their ELS scheme. At Strutt & Parker we build in a surplus of points to act as a margin of error, in all the ELS schemes we set up, thereby already contributing to this target.

An over-riding theme of this approach is the trust that is being placed with individual farmers to do the right thing for the good of the industry. Individually, costs will have to be incurred to provide extra habitats and retain uncropped land, but it is only by each farmer doing his bit that this approach can be made to work and the far greater costs of an imposed set-aside regime can be avoided. We have already started encouraging our clients to adopt this community-minded approach, and although it will come naturally to many, for others it may seem quite alien. We are sure that in this instance there is no question that farmers, will throw their support behind this hard-fought opportunity provided for them, not least to improve public perception of our industry. Farmers are continually being told that they don’t spend enough time telling the public what good they do for wildlife and the environment. Well here is the perfect chance to provide some good news.