Member Article

Wildlife gets boost from new countryside coalition

This summer, 42 progressive arable farms are embarking on a new model for sustainable farming and will create nature-friendly corridors on farmland which, if placed end to end, would reach from Land’s End to John O’Groats - as part of a new partnership to enhance the natural environment and support farming communities.

The new and unique collaboration - involving The Wildlife Trusts, Linking Environment And Farming (LEAF) and Jordans - will promote sustainable farming practice - and address rural development issues through The Prince’s Countryside Fund. Known as the Jordans Farm Partnership, it will create a new model for UK farm sustainability and set high standards for nature-friendly farming.

Currently, five farms are currently piloting the scheme and, from this summer, all 42 farms which supply grain to breakfast cereal brand Jordans, will undertake a wide variety of measures to protect water and soil, building on their longstanding commitment to support wildlife on at least 10% of their land.

Together, the farms in the Partnership manage over 44,500 acres of land. Ten percent of this area will continue to be managed to provide food for farmland birds, pollen and nectar for bees, butterflies and pollinating insects; sustaining landscape-scale wildlife corridors with dedicated habitats, such as ponds and hedgerow highways, for species of significance in the local area.

The Jordans Farm Partnership has been set up to address key issues facing rural communities today, including the decline in priority wildlife species of almost 67% since 1970, with significant reductions in insects and farmland birds, the requirement to produce more food to feed a growing population, balanced with an equally important need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with agricultural output; and to provide support for rural communities, many of which are struggling from social and economic changes (800 rural shops closing a year and the average age of a UK farmer increasing to 59 in 2013).

Jordans will also fund field trials and share best practice agronomy with its farmers, while providing incentives for yield and productivity improvement and will develop its longstanding relationship with The Prince’s Countryside Fund, a charity which seeks to secure a brighter future for the British countryside and the people that live and work in our rural communities.

Founded in 2010 by HRH The Prince of Wales, The Prince’s Countryside Fund has invested over £6.7m supporting over 210,000 people in rural areas across the UK, including support for many young people who want to enter farming as a career by creating access to training and apprenticeship opportunities. Jordans contributes to The Prince’s Countryside Fund and will continue to work through them to address rural development issues as part of the Partnership.

The Jordans Farm Partnership will encourage all its UK farm suppliers to actively engage with their local communities through, for example farm visits. By providing opportunities for people to gain a deeper understanding of farming, wildlife and rural communities, it is hoped they will value and support it in the future.

Paul Murphy, Chief Executive of The Jordans & Ryvita Company said: “The Jordans Farm Partnership builds on Jordans’ 30 year commitment to wildlife. We are delighted to have the support of our 42 farm suppliers who have already done a great deal to support wildlife on their land. Our new model will ensure 44,500 acres of British countryside, equivalent to a city the size of Bristol or Nottingham, is managed to high environmental standards. At the same time we will continue to work with The Prince’s Countryside Fund to provide support for rural development.”

Steve Lowe, Head of Conservation at Northumberland Wildlife Trust said: “Farmers are the custodians of 75% of our countryside and The Wildlife Trusts, including Northumberland Wildlife Trust, have a long history of working with farmers to help find ways to maximise the wildlife habitats on their land.

“As conservationists we are delighted to be working with the Jordans Farm Partnership and their farmers. New areas of wild flowers, hedges and nest boxes make a big difference to pollinating insects, wild birds and small mammals as they navigate their way through our landscape. In this way the partnership will not only help wildlife to adapt to the pressures of a changing climate, but it will help bring wildlife back into people’s lives.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sue Bishop .