A few easy steps is all it takes to support the Campaign this spring

This spring farmers and growers are being urged to throw their weight behind the Campaign for the Farmed Environment when they renew or join the Entry Level Stewardship scheme for the first time.

Demonstrating farmings commitment to protecting and enhancing the environment, growers are being asked to ensure that one third of the points in their ELS form come from key target options. These include farming for cleaner water and a healthier soil, measures to protect farmland birds and encouraging wildlife and biodiversity.

James Langley, who farms over 400ha in Nottinghamshire, renewed his ELS agreement earlier this year, with around 16ha worth of key target options, in addition to retaining a reverted arable area which also counts as a Campaign voluntary measure.

Where we have two or three in-field trees near each other we are taking the whole area around them out under the field corner management option, rather than using the individual in-field tree option, he said. We are also taking out the more awkward and damp areas nearer woodlands to make management easier. These are simple but effective steps to take.

To help support farmland bird populations on the holding we have also introduced five skylark plots, a new option for us on the farm. And in order to protect the River Idle that runs through the farm we have put in place the 12m margin option EJ9. This has allowed us to have a margin, which is 12m at its narrowest and 20m at its widest, giving us a straight cropping edge where the river bends.  We have also used 6m margins against the Chesterfield canal, helping to protect this SSSI feature.

I would urge all farmers to support the Campaign and have the option to get recognised for the work they do in managing the countryside well and get paid for it through ELS. If we do nothing we risk having regulations forced upon us – and for little or no return.

Farmers who establish 6m buffers next to water courses as part of their ELS application or renewal need to make sure that they use the correct code on the application forms. It is also important to use options EE9 (on arable land) and EE10 (on intensive grassland), rather than standard 6m buffer strips codes of EE3 and EE6 which is how they would have been registered in agreements prior to 2010. Help the Campaign by changing the code you use and play your part in ensuring the CFE succeeds.

• Campaign for the Farmed Environment partners are the NFU, the Country, Land and Business Association, the Agricultural Industries Confederation, the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group, the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, Linking Environment and Farming, Defra, Natural England, the Environment Agency and the RSPB. They have been joined by the Association of Independent Crop Consultants and the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers to create a powerful national partnership.
• The Campaign website www.cfeonline.org.uk – provides useful information about the campaign targets, themes and voluntary measures. It also highlights activities at a local level including coordination details, a diary of events and details of Beacon Farms.