Menu

Know How / Environment

Must reads

Practical advice

See all

ARABLE

Tips on achieving healthy hedgerows on farm

Hedges are a defining feature of our countryside and one of the best habitats for wildlife on any farm.  Far more than being a boundary, they also support farm business…

LIVESTOCK

How feeding methane inhibitors can help cut emissions

Methane inhibitors supplied in feed rations could play a significant role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in ruminants. However, no one size fits all, advises Annie Williams, ruminant nutritionist and…

BUSINESS

Alternative land uses: Woodland creation - key points

Financial support for woodland creation and management in England is at record levels, so it could be the right time to consider this as an option. Talk of reducing sheep…

CARBON

Carbon markets: A beginner's guide

The UK’s carbon markets are growing, but there is confusion around the principles. Farmers Weekly asks CLA adviser Matthew Doran how they work. See also: Mineral rights - what farmers…

BUSINESS

Rural housing: Options to decarbonise and improve efficiency

From period farmhouses to farmworkers’ cottages, rural housing comes in many shapes and sizes, but they all share similar challenges when it comes to energy. Rural properties off the mains…

ARABLE

How 'mega-cluster' project benefits farming and nature

A project linking farmers and private investors across a 12,500ha area of Sussex is aiming to support nature recovery and food production on a landscape scale.  The Weald to Waves…

Case studies

See all

LIVESTOCK

How a Portuguese green oasis inspired a move to agroforestry

Mike Adams had never seen the point in growing trees in fields. But visits to farms in southern Europe and Turkey proved transformational; he is now sold on their benefits…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Benefits of sward lifting for profit and environment

A decade of sward lifting on a Cornish farm has prevented run-off after heavy rainfall, shortened the winter housing period and is helping soils to sequester carbon. A typical field…

CARBON

Pioneering arable farm sells carbon credits to top F1 team

A pioneering arable farm in Leicestershire has become the first farm in the UK to sell measured carbon credits to a range of buyers on the open market, including the…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How farmer uses biodynamic approach to establish crops

For the past two decades, Wiltshire mixed farmer Richard Gantlett has been using the power of biodynamic farming to grow crops completely free of chemicals and without the plough. With…

BIODIVERSITY

Wild grey partridge project promotes biodiversity and profit

A decade-long wild grey partridge project establishing cover crop field margins at a Scottish farming estate has proved an effective way to promote biodiversity and reap an economic return. Balgonie…

COVER CROPS

Cover crop trial reveals impact of grazing on nitrates

Since winning the title of Farmers Weekly Environmental Farmers of the Year, Emma and James Loder-Symonds have been busy trialling the impact of grazing cover crops. The cover crop trial…

Insights

See all

WILDLIFE

Farmers’ conservation efforts key to reversing bird decline

The Big Farmland Bird Count (BFBC), an important annual event for monitoring farmland bird populations, returns this week, providing valuable insights into how farmers’ conservation efforts are benefiting wildlife across…

ARABLE

How to get arable land ditches working for wildlife

There are 500,000km of ditches in the British countryside, reaching almost every corner of the land. Found in most parts of the lowlands and surprisingly far up in the hills,…

ENVIRONMENT

Can Welsh farming afford another national park?

Plans to designate a new national park in north-east Wales have sparked grave concerns among farmers, who say their way of life is set to change for the worse if…

BIODIVERSITY

How beneficial insects can help nature and food production

It will come as little surprise to many to learn that a long-running study into insect populations in cereal crops – the Sussex Study – has shown a decline, linked…

ARABLE

Wetter farming: Growing typha for the construction industry

Field trials at the Horsey Estate in the Broads National Park are under way as part of a project investigating the growing of wetland crops to be used in the…

BUSINESS

How farms are generating income from the environment

Flood-prone land in west Norfolk that is difficult to farm productively is being turned into wetland – thanks to a mix of public funding and private investment. Using “blended finance”…

ENVIRONMENT

How industry is baselining emissions on farm

Baselining, the latest environmental buzzword, looks at emissions and carbon stores on individual farms, providing an initial marker against which progress can be measured. At a larger scale, across hundreds…

CARBON

Analysis: Can Welsh tree cover plans work for farmers?

One of the most repeated complaints about the Welsh government’s plans for future rural support is that farmers will be required to plant 10% of their land with trees and…

Latest environment news

See all

WILDLIFE

Big Farmland Bird Count 2025 gets under way

The Big Farmland Bird Count has been kickstarted today (7 February), aiming to capture bird species and numbers on farms across the country. The annual event, launched at Adam Henson’s…

NEWS

Lack of precision breeding in Wales could harm industry

The lack of precision breeding legislation in Wales means the country could be left behind other nations in the race to increase food production and reduce farming’s environmental impacts. That…

ENVIRONMENT

Study calling for tax on red meat is dismissed by industry

Meat industry representatives have hit back at an Oxford University study which claims that taxing meat and dairy products could result in the public making healthier food choices, as well…

ENVIRONMENT

Welsh Water alleged to pollute the Wye

Law firm Leigh Day, which specialises in environmental litigation, has added Welsh Water to the list of companies it is pursuing in the courts for compensation relating to pollution in…

ENVIRONMENT

Planned waste exemption charges to hit farmers from April

Proposed changes to Defra’s waste management strategy could cost the agricultural industry more than £2.9m a year in waste exemption permit charges, while increasing disposals to landfill. At present, it…

NEWS

Sheep dip disposal licences to be scrapped in Wales

The ending of waste sheep dip permits in Wales has been slammed by NFU Cymru, which is calling for an immediate reversal to the government’s plans. Natural Resources Wales (NRW)…

ENVIRONMENT

BFU criticises use of Bovaer in cattle feed

The British Farming Union (BFU) has slammed the use of the feed additive Bovaer in cattle rations, calling on the industry to stand against its use. Polling its members, 82%…

FARM POLICY

Government urged to support UK growers due to brassica shortage

Potential shortages of cauliflower and broccoli this spring have left the Labour government facing calls to provide more support to UK growers. During a debate in the House of Lords…

ENVIRONMENT

Cost a major barrier to cutting farm GHG emissions

Cutting excess nitrogen use and minimum tillage are seen as most effective ways to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, according to a farmer survey. The survey, carried out by Agri-food…

NEWS

Natural England wins right to protect historic sites

The Court of Appeal has granted Natural England (NE) a permanent injunction against a tenant farmer to prevent him from ploughing and cultivating land without obtaining the necessary consent. Andrew…

WILDLIFE

Senedd committee slams lack of progress on nature recovery

The Welsh parliament’s climate change, environment and infrastructure committee (CCEIC) has launched a scathing report on the lack of nature recovery progress in Wales. The committee warned that targets set…

ENVIRONMENT

Government off track to meet environmental targets

The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) is calling for urgent action after its latest report revealed the government is failing to meet environmental targets and is not on course to…

Video

See all

AIR AND WATER

Video: FW Investigates - would dredging reduce flooding?

The past few months of relentless wet weather have again highlighted the pressing issue of how best to manage rivers and watercourses near farmland. Heavy rainfall events are becoming more…

NEWS

Video: Farmer defends his actions on River Lugg

A Herefordshire farmer who was jailed for causing damage to a protected river has defended his actions, insisting they helped prevent flooding to local properties and land. Several homes along…

SHEEP

Video: How a lowland farm is preparing for low-methane sheep

Results from the first UK farm to test methane emissions in sheep using portable accumulation chambers have shown they were producing on average about 20g/day of methane and 1.2kg/day of…