Press Releases - December 2025

  • GWCT welcomes the review on Farming Profitability

    GWCT welcomes the review on Farming Profitability

    Last week the long-awaited Farming Profitability Review was published. Written by Baroness Minette Batters, the six-month review sets out 57 recommendations for both government and industry to improve the viability of farm businesses and make them more resilient.  

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  • GWCT appoints a new Chairman

    GWCT appoints a new Chairman

    The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) is very pleased to announce that Jeremy Finnis DL has been selected as chairman-elect of GWCT. Jeremy will take over from our current chairman, Sir Jim Paice, when he steps down in July 2026.

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  • Big Farmland Bird Count 2026: New digital platform makes counting easier

    Big Farmland Bird Count 2026: New digital platform makes counting easier

    The national annual census of farmland birds, run by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) and supported by the NFU, is returning in February next year when it will be launched from its birthplace, the Trust’s demonstration farm, the Allerton Project. 

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  • How do native and commercial sheep breeds compare when grazing on different types of forage in the Yorkshire Dales?

    How do native and commercial sheep breeds compare when grazing on different types of forage in the Yorkshire Dales?

    Tests have been carried out to establish the levels of methane being emitted by sheep living off a natural forage diet in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The Forage for CH4nge project – funded by Innovate UK – is bringing together farmers and scientists to better understand how traditional breeds and different pastures can help reduce the environmental impact of sheep farming.

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  • New research reveals badgers are major predators of red-listed waders

    New research reveals badgers are major predators of red-listed waders

    New research suggests badgers are one of the main threats to the survival of red-listed ground-nesting birds including lapwing and curlew, and that the risk of nests being predated increased during cold or dry weather when their stable diet of earthworms is less accessible.

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