Last Updated on: 22nd November 2023, 05:16 am
Thirty-one farmers in the Test and Itchen catchments in Hampshire are set to join the Environmental Farmers Group (EFG), a ground-breaking, farmer-led initiative aiming to improve carbon, phosphate and biodiversity off-site solutions.
The addition of the farmers will bring the number of EFG members to 178, making it the largest initiative of its kind, covering 81,344 hectares.
Simon Packer, director of regional planning consultancy Turley, welcomed the news: “The EFG is a very interesting and encouraging initiative and I’m pleased to hear that the Test and Itchen Group is joining the cooperative.
“There was an increase in nutrient mitigation schemes in the area a couple of years ago, but the credits available are rapidly being consumed and I’m not convinced there is sufficient alternative capacity coming through. I can also see strong evidence of increased demand for off-site biodiversity offset solutions.”
The EFG’s three principle aims are to restore rare chalk stream habitats, biodiversity and species recovery, clean water, and achieve net carbon zero farming by 2040.
Joe Edwards, who manages the Middleton Estate, has seen dramatic improvements to the water quality along its three-mile stretch of the Test. He said: “We set out to recover the river combining a wide range of measures including bringing back ranunculus and other habitats that the insects will naturally thrive in and encouraging wild brown trout reproduction.
“The result was when we tested the water for 300 chemicals, it showed that the water’s cleaner when it leaves Middleton than when it entered.”
James Hewetson-Brown, who runs Ashe Warren Farm near the source of the Test, set up Wildflower Turf Ltd. to encourage the return of wildflowers to the countryside. He said: “The EFG has great potential to unlock funding to create new and better networks of these type of measures and restore wildflowers to the countryside.
“Farmers are in so many ways best placed to deliver really good biodiversity because they have the equipment and practical understanding to make it work and by joining together, they can achieve it on a scale that will make a real difference.”
The EFG is convened by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), whose scientific research lies behind pioneering agri-environment schemes. GWCT Chief Exec Teresa Dent said: “We applaud the government’s ambitions but note that they are going to need to harness the environmental delivery of the farmers and land managers, the Working Conservationists, who look after the 72% of land that is in private stewardship in England.
“The addition of the farmers of the Test and Itchen to the EFG is an important step on the way to achieving this. We just need every farmer to improve on their previous best and the combined effect of them working together could be significant.”
The environmental auditing and monitoring of EFG projects will be carried out by Natural Capital Advisory (NCA). Funding will be a combination of public money in the form of Environmental Land Management Schemes and private finance from sponsorship, green investments and offset markets.
Christopher Sparrow, NCA chief exec, said: “Our partnership with EFG will appeal to investors who want to see tangible guaranteed environmental outcomes and contribute to the restoration of some of our most iconic landscapes.”
The EFG initiative was formed when lead farmers from several Farmer Clusters in Wiltshire and Hampshire catchments came together at GWCT’s suggestion (and with the endorsement of the NFU) to create a farmer-led, farmer-owned environmental cooperative. The group has recently completed its first trade worth c. £1m and has a further trading pipeline of £11m.
On Wednesday, 28 June, 2023, thirty-one farmers in the Test and Itchen catchments in Hampshire joined the Environmental Farmers Group (EFG), a ground-breaking, farmer-led initiative aiming to improve carbon, phosphate and biodiversity off-site solutions. This addition brings the total number of EFG members to 178, making it the largest initiative of its kind, covering 81,344 hectares.
The EFG’s three principle aims are to restore rare chalk stream habitats, biodiversity and species recovery, clean water, and achieve net carbon zero farming by 2040. Simon Packer, director of regional planning consultancy Turley, welcomed the news: “The EFG is a very interesting and encouraging initiative and I’m pleased to hear that the Test and Itchen Group is joining the cooperative. There is a clear need for alternative capacity in the area, and I can see strong evidence of increased demand for off-site biodiversity offset solutions.”
Joe Edwards, who manages the Middleton Estate
