Supporting CFE – choosing options

The principle means of supporting the Campaign for the Farmed Environment (CFE) is putting farmland into Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) and adopting ‘in-field’ options, such as wild bird seed mix or nectar flower mix on over 3-4% of your land.  Having an ELS agreement has the advantage of helping to conserve farmland wildlife whilst receiving an income from the Scheme eg £30,000 over a five year agreement on a 200ha farm.

An alternative or additional means of contributing to CFE is by managing land, not in government stewardship schemes, in accordance with the CFE Voluntary Measures guidelines.  Adopting Voluntary Measures supports CFE and helps conserve wildlife, though without financial reward.

Below is a list of some of the Entry Level Stewardship options that contribute to CFE, together with their respective ELS codes.  These options are commonly referred to as being ‘in-field’ options, though they need not be placed in the middle of a field and are often best placed on field boundaries such as hedgerows.

• Wild Bird Seed Mix (EF2)
• Nectar Flower Mix (EF4)
• Unharvested Cereal Headlands (EF10)
• Cultivated Margins for Rare Plants (EF11)
• Skylark Plots (EF8)
• Field Corner Management (EF1)

The above options are some of those best placed to make a real difference when it comes to conserving species such as grey partridge, yellowhammer, corn marigold and the large garden bumblebee.

Some reasons for supporting CFE:

• create habitat to support game and wildlife
• receive an independent income from Entry Level Stewardship
• supplement shoot cover crops with wild bird seed mix
• conserve soil resources and reduce water pollution
• avoid more compulsory rules, regulations and inspections

You can benefit from the expertise of the GWCT and seek professional guidance on the choice and practical management of habitats for both game and wildlife by contacting our team of regional advisors through Lynda Ferguson by tel: 01425 651013 or email:  lferguson@gwct.org.uk /  

Campaign for the Farmed Environment – Background

In 2009 the then government proposed the effective re-introduction of set-aside (in the same year that set-aside was abolished by the European Commission).  The objective of this new set-aside was to help conserve farmland wildlife and related resources, not to curb over-production.

Whilst supporting the objectives, the farming industry opposed the introduction of more rules and regulations requiring 4-6% land to be taken out of production as part of an additional Single Payment Scheme cross compliance measure.  The ‘industry parties’, including the GWCT, put forward an alternative voluntary approach; the Campaign for the Farmed Environment (CFE).

CFE runs from July 2009 to June 2012 and aims to benefit farmland birds, wider biodiversity as well as soil and water resources.  The Campaign is working with farmers and farm advisors to achieve CFE targets which include the adoption of more so-called ‘in-field’ options, such as wild bird seed mix and nectar flower mix, which benefit grey partridge, bumblebees and much more.

Farms and estates can support CFE by adopting certain Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) in-field options and/or CFE Voluntary Measures.

Defra’s Minister of State for Agriculture and Food, Jim Paice MP, continues to support CFE but has stated that there is still some way to go and that if the farming industry cannot achieve the results voluntarily the Government will consider a compulsory approach.  We need to make every effort to help the Campaign for the Farmed Environment succeed.

For more information on the Campaign for the Farmed Environment, please see the CFE website.