Jim Paice, minister of state for environment and rural affairs, has praised the “steady progress” of the Campaign for the Farmed Environment (CFE) but has called on farmers and growers to push project further.
A year since the inception the prohect, a new annual report has highlighted the successes of the initiative to date and the challenges for the year ahead.
Cross industry efforts over the past 12 months have focused on raising awareness about the campaign through local events and focused promotional materials that provide farmers and land managers with advice on land management practices that work for their holding, while benefiting the environment.
However, the annual report demonstrates the “vital need” for all farmers and land owners to turn enthusiasm for the CFE into action. The campaign’s partners are put out a strong call to action to ask all farmers and land managers to put their good intentions into practice during this harvest and autumn cultivation period.
Paice said: “The campaign has been making steady progress and the fact that farmers are volunteering to look after our biodiversity and natural resources is a great example of the Big Society at work.
“Progress has been made but we need to see farmers going further. The key priority for the campaign over the next 12 months will be to ensure as many farmers as possible renew their ELS agreements, and carry out at least one voluntary measure to benefit the environment.”
Those participating are urged to retain former set-aside and any other areas of uncropped land and record these in their annual DEFRA June survey returns and renew their Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) scheme while putting areas outside of ELS into a campaign voluntary measure.
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