I also believe good farming practices can help save the NHS. Too many NHS patients have poor diets consisting of foods low in nutritional value. As farmers we can supply green prescriptions. We could be known as the FARMACISTS!
What nature-friendly farming practices have you introduced on your farm?
We’ve been in agri environment schemes for the past 10 years.
We signed up to no inputs and reversion on most of our fields, recently there has been zero chemical fertilizer used at all on the farm.
We are putting in 2000 meters a year of double fencing and hedgerow restoration, plus tree planting. Hedges are left to grow up taller with a light trim taking place every 3 years.
A large pond has been created.
Less need for animal medicines.
Out wintering some cattle on a regenerative system has been introduced, including conservation grazing with cattle on the adjoining hill, which is common land.
Herbal leys have been incorporated into our reseeding after the cereal option in the Glastir Advanced scheme.
What do you think of farming policy and what needs to change?
Now we have left the EU, I hope the UK and the devolved nations can make agricultural policy work for the individual countries and we can reward farmers to work with nature. The BPS system has in the past rewarded some landowners either to destroy biodiversity, habitats and the environment or to do nothing - just by having the luxury to own land. Huge numbers of common land registered rights holders have received substantial BPS payments, yet have done little or no management work on these commons, many of them don’t even own livestock that could manage these hills.
The BPS system has rewarded the older farmer rather than helping and encouraging the younger, eager next generation farmer.
Drastic change is needed and it’s very encouraging to hear our devolved governments talking about rewarding work with nature and managing our soils, water and air quality whilst looking after biodiversity and the environment. Producing healthy nutritional food while working with nature is what future policy should be based on.
What do you need from citizens how can they help?
As farmers in general we need citizens to support us by using their buying power on food products that have been produced by nature-friendly methods.
Buy locally produced seasonal food, and insisting that the food they consume must be more nutritionally dense.
Use of wool products where possible, rather than oil-based fibers needs to be a priority.
Farmers need to connect with consumers and consumers need to connect with farmers. Citizens are the ones that can drive change for a better planet; they must take responsibility for their actions along with the farmers.
What nature-friendly farming methods do you need financial support for?
We need a policy to financially reward us to cut our stocking rate so we can farm to the optimum rather than the maximum. This will enable us to increase biodiversity on our land, improve our soil, water and air quality and produce better, more nutrient dense food.
Managing our hedgerows differently - letting our hedges grow for a much longer period would create a great increase of food and habitat for wildlife. Different hedge management regimes can also create timber for coppicing and work for more rural people.
How do your farming practices make you more resilient to climate change?
Cutting the inputs on our farm, looking at our system holistically and looking at the best assets we have here has been most helpful. Farmers on smaller family farms might have to have off farm income to survive but time away from the farm actually is not just a financial benefit, but it’s good for our wellbeing too.
How will we get farming to change?
By rewarding farmers to work with nature not against it. The change must be both policy driven and supported by consumers too. Currently we have a system that also rewards landowners to do nothing, and in some instances we have people being rewarded that don’t have control of land. Rewarding a working farmed landscape to work with nature at the forefront is key.
What is the value of the NFFN?
