One of the themes of the Oxford Farming Conference was 'more for less' (an interesting phrase which can mean an awful lot of things) or 'sustainable intensification' (an ill-defined but useful starting point).
The Secretary of State, Caroline Spelman, has been talking up the fact that HLS funding is increasing by 80% over the next few years, at this time of tight money, and that ELS funding is remaining the same. We welcome both of these things - they are crucial for the future recovery of farmland bird species. They also represent a vote of confidence in our farmers. Many farmers at Oxford thanked RSPB staff for the role we played, and the NFU and CLA did not, in arguing for the safe-guarding and expansion of these funds.
The RSPB also welcomes the fact that ELS is being reviewed. This scheme, which is basically the source of our great success at Hope Farm - where farmland birds have increased dramatically over the last decade in utter contrast to the surrounding countryside - could provide more for the same amount of money with just a little tweaking. Defra is looking at what tweaks are possible. This is very important - if done well then the recovery of farmland birds is almost guaranteed.
Let's hope that Defra do this well. Actually, we won't leave it to hope, we'll be pointing out what needs to be done.
It's just occurred to me - I heard rather little of the Campaign for the Farmed Environment at Oxford.
A love of the natural world demonstrates that a person is a cultured inhabitant of planet Earth.
Sooty - but the question is 'why isn't everything as efficient as it should be?'.
Jockeyshield - land agents - some are good, many are not. And those that are good are often good at the economics rather than the ecology.
redkite - fair points. But since HLS might have disappeared completely the 80% is worth trumpetting! It is, I think (and without checking) 80% increase over 2010 figures over the period of the Comprehensive Spending review (next 4 years). And yes, some of that increase was expected anyway (but was never certain), and yes again, some of that is needed to replace Countryside Stewardship and ESA agreements that are coming to an end. But it is still very good news - and a reason for farmers to thank the RSPB since the NFU and CLA did little to achieve this.