Know How / Biodiversity ENVIRONMENTWildfire warning as Labour plans to ban controlled burningUK government plans to further restrict controlled burning on peatland has been met with criticism by campaigners, who say the move will risk increasing out-of-control wildfires across the country. The… NEWSMinisters invited to choose which wildlife plots must goA Bedfordshire arable farmer has written to prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, Defra ministers and chancellor Rachel Reeves to ask if they might help decide which wildlife plots to rip… WILDLIFESenedd committee slams lack of progress on nature recoveryThe 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… BIODIVERSITYLottery grant to help northern farmers realise natural capitalA group supporting farmers in the north of England to capture income from natural capital markets has secured £100,000 to fund catchment-scale conservation work. Wensleydale & Swaledale Environmental Farmers (Swef)… ENVIRONMENTAL SCHEMESForestry Commission issues new advice for farmersPlanting the right trees in the right place on farms just got easier, with the publication of a new guide from Forest Research (the Forestry Commission’s research arm) and Reading… BIODIVERSITYHow beneficial insects can help nature and food productionIt 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… NEWSWild Justice launches legal action over Dartmoor grazingWild Justice is taking legal action against the Dartmoor Commoners’ Council (DCC) in the High Court, alleging it has failed to meet its statutory duties in maintaining the commons and… BIODIVERSITYNorth Lincs Environmental Farmers Group set for expansionThe Environment Farmers Group (EFG) is setting its sights on further expansion, with one of its subgroups having secured more corporate sponsorship. The northern Lincolnshire EFG is one of ten… BIODIVERSITYHow to reverse insect decline and preserve food outputA new free guide for farmers has been produced by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), outlining the measures they can take to increase insect numbers and improve biodiversity,… BIODIVERSITYWild Justice threatens legal action over Dartmoor grazingEnvironmental campaign group Wild Justice is planning a legal challenge against the Dartmoor Commoners' Council as a way of forcing livestock farmers to reduce stocking rates within the Dartmoor special… BIODIVERSITYWild grey partridge project promotes biodiversity and profitA 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… BIODIVERSITYRail plan a 'threat' to nature-rich farmland, says charityPlans to build a railway line across regeneratively farmed arable land have been described as a “crime against the countryside”. The Countryside Regeneration Trust (CRT) has hit out at the… CARBONLevy bodies aim to establish farming's true carbon footprintThe AHDB and Quality Meat Scotland are investing some £2.5m and £375,000 of levy-payers’ money respectively in a major new research project designed to calculate agriculture’s true carbon footprint and… BIODIVERSITYEnvironmental Farmers Group expands in MidlandsThe Environmental Farmers Group (EFG), a co-operative setup to help farmers generate and trade their natural capital, has announced a further expansion with the launch of a new Central England… BIODIVERSITYNew map provides first accurate baseline of UK hedgerowsResearchers at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) have used aerial laser scanning to reveal a total of 390,000km of field hedges in England, providing the first accurate… ARABLEHow 'mega-cluster' project benefits farming and natureA 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… NEWSPeak District farmers launch hedge-planting driveUpland farmers in the Peak District are planning to plant 6km of new hedges this winter for nature and carbon capture. The project, led by the Peakland Environmental Farmers (PEF)… ENVIRONMENTScientists challenge 'green' claims of organic farming lobbyA group of scientists has challenged the claims of organic certification body Organic Farmers and Growers (OF&G) that trebling the area farmed organically will deliver significant climate change and biodiversity… AGRICULTURAL TRANSITIONHow trading natural capital can help recoup BPS lossesFarmer interest in trading natural capital is in the ascendancy. Legislation has just been passed requiring house builders and commercial developers to deliver at least a 10% improvement in biodiversity… BIODIVERSITYScots fear permanent loss of chemical bracken controlSwathes of “tick laden” bracken will soon dominate Scottish hillsides, farm leaders have warned, with the one chemical that can control the plant likely to be permanently removed from the…
