A new survey of sugar beet growers reveals the true value of the crop to the environment. Richard Allison takes a closer look

Root crops are often perceived as being less environmentally friendly than cereals and oilseed rape because of the intensive cultivations and higher demand for inputs such as water.

But this is not the case with sugar beet, according to the sector, which is working with Natural England to highlight the many environmental benefits that stem from the national crop.

Sugar beet has been a true success story, seeing a 60% increase in yield since 1980 to an average of 11t/ha of sugar, highlights British Sugar agriculture manager Robin Limb.

He adds that this increased yield means the area needed to grow the same total UK crop has fallen from about 202,000ha 20 years ago to the current 120,000ha, releasing more than 80,000ha of land for other crops.

“However, the ‘s’ word [sustainability] is key and there will be a greater focus on it in the future,” he says.

Sustainability has been a focus in the £1bn invested by ABF since it took over British Sugar in 1990. “This investment is to ensure British Sugar is at the leading edge of the sugar business,” he said.

Richard Pike, managing director of British Sugar adds: “In our factories, we are making more from each root of beet. Energy consumption per tonne of product has fallen by 25% since 1990.”

A zero waste culture means everything is reclaimed and utilised, resulting in a range of co-products. “We handle a total of 10m tonnes of produce (sugar beet and end products) and only 4,000t (0.04%) goes to landfill. “For example, soil washings are sold as top soil and we supplied soil to the Olympic Park in London. Pulp is a valuable cattle feed and lime arising from beet processing is sold as a soil conditioner.

The company produces bioethanol to generate power and has the largest tomato glasshouse in Britain at Wissington, producing 140m tomatoes annually using the waste heat and carbon dioxide.

Farm inputs have also fallen, with 40% less nitrogen, 70% less phosphates and 90% less insecticides being used. Water is an increasingly scarce resource, and with less than 5% of the crop being irrigated, more than 95% is produced just using rainwater.

Now the focus has shifted on to farmers and many are already doing their bit under the various environmental schemes including ELS and HLS. But there is little data and little is being done to highlight the efforts being made by growers, says Mr Limb.

So British Sugar, together with Natural England, carried out an initial survey in 2011, which revealed 83% of beet growers were in an environmental scheme.

“This shows a really good buy-in,” said Adam West, national account manager at Natural England. “Recognising their efforts may help encourage the other 17% to get involved.”

Last year they surveyed about 11% of the beet area in more detail looking what farmers were doing practically on the sugar beet ground (excluding other crops).

Mr West explains there are four key areas of benefits from the various measures, namely increased biodiversity, more-efficient water use, reduced impact on the climate and protection of the historic environment (see panel).

“Looking at increasing biodiversity, there were 1,161km of field boundaries with hedges offering habitat and food, 2,700ha of brown hare habitat, 2,399ha of winter bird food margin and 2,045ha of nectar-rich bee habitats,” says Mr West.

There are also 100ha of archaeology, 50,000 sq m of traditional buildings being maintained and 3,650ha of measures helping to protect water such as margins preventing soil movement into ditches.

“This is only for the 11% we surveyed, for the whole UK crop the benefits are much greater,” he stresses.

Looking to the future, British Sugar is planning to pilot an online self-assessment form before the end of the year, and encourage growers to benchmark their environmental contribution to provide a more complete and accurate picture of the whole industry.

Survey results – headline figures

Wildlife (animals and plants)

• 2,722ha managed as habitat for the brown hare
• 2,045ha and 802km of field boundaries managed as habitats for butterflies, bees and vulnerable grassland
• 40ha managed for the benefit of rare arable plants

Farmland birds

• 2,399ha overwintered stubble for farmland birds
• 611ha managed to provide in-field nesting habitats
• 188ha managed to provide insect-rich foraging habitats to feed bird chicks in spring

Cleaner water and healthier soils

• 3,686ha of land and 2.8km of field boundaries managed to slow down soil erosion/run-off and protect watercourses

NB: Survey of growers equating to 11% of the sugar beet area

CASE STUDY

Mark Ireland, Grange Farm, Lincolnshire

The Ireland family has been growing sugar beet at Grange Farm since 1923, and while the business is run on a fully commercial basis, there are many measures benefiting wildlife and the farmed environment.

Mark, together with his brother James and father Tony, farms 760ha near Sleaford, with sugar beet as the main break crop. Other cropping includes wheat, winter barley, spring barley and oilseed rape, with 25ha in ELS and 40ha of permanent pasture protecting a historic site.

Sugar beet is generally grown on lighter land followed by three barley crops, while on medium land, it is sugar beet, wheat, oilseed rape and wheat.

In the past four to five years, the family has invested in renewing buildings and this included harvesting 900,000 litres rainwater.

“Rainwater is sufficient to meet all of our spraying requirements. We are in a hard water area, so we also see benefits with spray mixes.”

All water courses have 6m grass margins, and other field margins act as a green corridor across most of the farm, joining up woodland.

Hedges are managed in ELS and are cut every two years to encourage fruit (hawthorn and blackthorn) production. “We found cutting once every three years was too harsh,” says Mark.

Bird food strips contain a bespoke mix of kale, cereals, quinoa, chicory and millet. “We want small seed available throughout the winter,” explains James.

Adam West, national account manager at Natural England, adds that fodder radish is particularly useful, as it will hold seed in pods, helping to extend food supply.

Mark has also invested in solar photovoltaic panels, including a 60kw installation at Grange Farm. “On a sunny day, it can generate enough to run the grain store ventilation fans,” he says.

Another benefit of sugar beet is the overwintered stubble from the previous crop, which Janet Lambert, lead adviser land management at Natural England in southeast Lincolnshire, says is valuable for hares and birds.

“There are lots of weed seed and grasses providing food and valuable habitat in sugar beet rotations,” she says.