Blogs

On Wednesday 24 January, Teresa Dent CBE was on a panel of experts giving their witness statements about the role of natural capital in the green economy. Teresa joined Minette Batters, President of the NFU, and Judicaelle Hammond, Director of Policy and Advice at the CLA.

The GWCT-managed FAB project, with generous support from Pepsico and key input from NatureScot and Scottish Agronomy, aims to demonstrate how productive agriculture does not need to suffer whilst accommodating biodiversity.  

The latest changes to the Sustainable Farming Incentive, launched at the Oxford Farming Conference, are a huge step in the right direction. For many years, the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust has argued for those farmers with good existing habitat to be rewarded for their work. Finally, we have this at a fair rate within government policy.

A few weeks ago, 13 hardy souls defrosted their vehicles and headed to Gilston Farm for the latest PepsiCo FAB (Farming Arable Biodiversity) project farm walk. 

Find out what they got up to...

The Government, through the Farming Innovation Programme, is set to launch another round of the Large R&D Partnerships competition on 15th January. This initiative aims to allocate a share of £7.8 million to farmers, growers, and foresters in England. The focus is on advancing ideas that enhance productivity, sustainability, and resilience, while steering the sector towards net-zero emissions.

We all have vested interests. Sometimes they can be a driver for good. There are some opportunities to be realised through adoption of climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, but we need to accept that there are sacrifices too, and individuals vary in their willingness to embrace this for the greater good.

In line with the agricultural transition post-Brexit, the government want to establish a more equitable and transparent regulatory system for farmers. They have published this guidance on the conclusion of cross compliance and its implications for farmers and land managers.

The GWCT is delighted that the headline of the EFRA report following its soil health inquiry is that government should take soil health as seriously as it does our other critical assets of water and air.

‘Regenerative’ agriculture is seen by some as perhaps only the latest buzzword in a long line of farming systems: organic; conventional; conservation; sustainable intensification; agroecological.

Starting 1st November 2023, a new environmental principles duty has taken effect, marking a crucial milestone in embedding environmental considerations into government policy-making.