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Know How / Wildlife

News for farmers on how wildlife can have an impact on farms, both positively and negatively. See how to improve biodiversity on your farm to encourage pollinators and farmland birds. Find out about the developments in the rewilding debate and on releasing animals, such as lynx into the countryside.

Advice and tips

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…

ARABLE

How to restore 'forgotten' farm ponds for wildlife

As many as two-thirds of farmland ponds in England and Wales have been lost though drainage and in-filling, while those that remain are often shaded and tree-covered and do very…

ARABLE

How Britain's bee farmers can help raise crop yields

Britain’s bee farmers could have a key role in helping growers increase arable and fruit crop yields, by providing a targeted pollination service. There are about 400 professional bee farmers in…

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Case studies

ARABLE

Food production remains key on nature-friendly arable farm

All three of the distinct land types at Somerleyton Estate, near Lowestoft, are being put to best use, generating a diversified income for the business and supporting both people and…

ARABLE

Video: Why cows and trees are part of Essex arable business

George Young is making big changes to his arable business with nature at its heart. Read the full report and watch the videos for more detail on his tree planting…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

How mixed low-input farming can help grassland biodiversity

Gloucestershire farmer Ian Boyd has turned his intensively farmed arable land into wildflower meadows and introduced herbal leys into the cropping rotation. This has enabled him to tap into environmental…

PIGS

Suffolk pig producers see multiple benefits from pollinators

Combining outdoor pig rearing with planting pollinator strips has helped Suffolk-based Dingley Dell Pork raise sow performance, help the environment and provide a marketing boost for their direct sales business.…

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Community

Quiz: Can you spot 6 common farmland birds?

This Saturday sees the start of the Big Farmland Bird Count (6-14 February) and farmers are being encouraged to go out and tally up the species on their farms. The…

Big farmland bird count: how you can make a difference

Farming has changed the landscape of the UK and the way wildlife interacts with it massively since the Second World War. Before the 1940s weeds largely grew uninhibited from hedgerows…

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Insights

ARABLE

How arable farms can support farmland bird populations

A good, varied arable rotation, along with winter bird food stewardship options and a variety of hedges, will provide most of what farmland birds need to survive and thrive. Adding…

ARABLE

The network nature reserve built by farmers on arable land

Supporting nature in a productive farmed landscape is the goal for a like-minded group of farmers in East Anglia, having come together to protect and enhance the biodiversity that surrounds…

ARABLE

How a coastal group's audit is focusing biodiversity effort

The North Norfolk Coastal Group came together with the aim of collaborating to bring nature back to the farmed environment. The group represents more than 55,000ha of coastal habitat –…

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News

WILDLIFE

Sea Eagle Management Scheme support extended for 2024

Sheep producers who have lost livestock to sea eagles will continue to receive support for 2024, the Scottish government has confirmed. Up to £400,000 has been allocated to the Sea…

NEWS

Scots farmers condemn delays to sea eagle management aid

Scottish sheep farmers and crofters have criticised delays in essential funding for mitigation measures against white-tailed eagle predation. The Scottish government is so far refusing to allow NatureScot to release…

WILDLIFE

Scots fear government plans for deer culling

Landowners and farmers may be forced to pay for controls to wild deer numbers in Scotland, if Holyrood decides to implement some of the proposals set out in a recent…

WILDLIFE

Beaver reintroduction in Essex helping to alleviate flooding

The introduction of beavers to a 4ha site in Essex has been found to reduce the impact of flooding and drought in the wider area. A family of 11 beavers…

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Video

ARABLE

Video: Why cows and trees are part of Essex arable business

George Young is making big changes to his arable business with nature at its heart. Read the full report and watch the videos for more detail on his tree planting…

ARABLE

Video: Grower reacts to planned ban for chlorothalonil

As a conventional farmer, David Butler is trying to find the right balance between productive agriculture and looking after wildlife on his farm. A fourth-generation farmer, Mr Butler farms East…

SHEEP

Row erupts over calls for raven cull to protect sheep

An online petition launched by farmers calling for greater control of ravens on farmland to protect newborn lambs and calves is gaining momentum. Britain’s largest species of crow has been…

Video: Birds found nesting in tractor engine

Grass-cutting at a nature reserve has been put on hold after birds were found nesting in the engine of a tractor. A pair of pied wagtails and their four chicks…

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