DEPARTMENT FOR
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS News Release (Information
Bulletin ref : 246/08) issued by The Government News Network on 25
July 2008
Environment
Secretary Hilary Benn today announced plans to explore how the
environmental benefits previously provided by set-aside can be developed.
Welcoming the latest report from Sir Don Curry's High Level
Group on set aside and the environment, Mr Benn said that he
accepted the Group's view that implementation in the 2008/09
year was not possible, but that there was a strong case for
action, which needs to be implemented as soon as is practical.
He also agreed with the Group's preferred option that would
require arable farmers to manage a small percentage of their land
primarily for environmental purposes. The proposed requirement
would not preclude arable production; instead Defra and its
agencies would work with the industry by asking farmers to choose
from a range of common practices such as permanent grass buffers,
winter stubble, or reduced-input cereal crops. Farmers would also
be encouraged to make the most of this land for wildlife through
proposed new 'top-up' options within the Environmental
Stewardship scheme.
The Secretary of State confirmed that the Group's preferred
approach will require the Rural Payments Agency and Natural
England to work up detailed implementation proposals, and Defra to
successfully negotiate changes in the CAP 'Health
Check'. The Health Check is not expected to conclude before
late 2008. This means that implementation will not be possible
until the 2009/10 cropping year.
A copy of Hilary Benn's letter to Sir Don Curry, which gives
more detail, is available on the Defra website.
Notes to Editors
1. To view the Secretary of State's letter to Sir Don Curry
and for further information on the recommendations visit: http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/policy/sustain/deliverygroup/index.htm
2. A summary of the recommendations in Sir Don's report is
as follows:
- It would not be practicable to introduce new cross compliance
requirements nor new options in Environmental Stewardship (ES) to
mitigate the loss of set-aside for the 2008/09 cropping year
- It is more important to take forward the right policy option on
a realistic timescale
- Officials should work up the practical implementation details
of the preferred option
- The group should re-double its efforts to actively promote
responsible voluntary action by farmers
- The monitoring programme should be continued for the key
aspects (covering farmers' cropping patterns and management
of uncropped land; consequential impacts on the distribution and
density of farmland birds; and peer review key pieces of completed research)
- The group should meet again at around the turn of the year
The five point plan presented by Sir Don Curry's High-Level
Set Aside group in November recommends that farmers:
A. Assess the environmental value of permanent set-aside land
Set-aside that serves an important environmental function includes
that which buffers watercourses, protects soils on slopes at risk
of erosion, protects underlying historic features, or has a
diversity or abundance of flowering plants.
B. Provide seed food for birds through the winter. Over-winter
stubbles are very important seed food sources for birds. This is
why rotational set-aside was so important. The British Trust for
Ornithology found that, over two winters, 7% of farmland was
stubble, but this supported over 50% of seed-eating birds.
C. Provide insect-rich habitats and nesting sites for birds
through the summer.
Two hectares of insect-rich habitat per 100ha of arable farmland
is a realistic target to aim for, given that this can include
cross-compliance margins, buffer strips and ditch banks.
D. Protect soil and water from erosion and run-off on banks,
margins and steep slopes.
Protecting soil and water from erosion and run-off can be
delivered through properly located uncultivated areas next to
watercourses, on steep slopes, valley bottoms, through erosion
gullies or anywhere else where there is evidence of soil erosion
E. Find out more about helping scarce species and protecting the
environment on farms.
This should mitigate the impacts of the removal of the
requirement to manage any land as set-aside in 2008 for the
general conservation of widespread farmland birds and protection
of environmental resources, but there may be specific wildlife or
environmental features on your farm, which would benefit from more
specific conservation measures
3. The High Level Group on Set Aside chaired by Sir Don Curry was
established in October 2007 at the Secretary of State's
request, to monitor the impact of and reaction to the decision to
set a 0% rate of set-aside for 2008.
4. Agri-environment schemes, such as Environmental Stewardship in
England (ES), provide incentives to farmers to deliver
environmental benefits on farmland.. Visit the Defra website on http://www.defra.gov.uk/erdp/schemes/
for more information on ES..
5. The RSPB and University of Hertfordshire have produced a
software programme that explains how farmers can meet the
objectives of the agri-environment schemes. The programme is
available to download from http://www.herts.ac.uk/aeru/ema/els/
or by requesting a 'Planning your ELS application' CD
from the RSPB Hotline number on 01767 693690.
Public enquiries 08459 335577;
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