Natural England under fire for stocking rate policy

Natural England’s approach to reducing stocking rates in upland areas has come under attack, with several stakeholders describing its policy advice as blinkered and lacking due diligence.

Addressing a meeting of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) committee on Thursday (10 September), Baroness Julia Aglionby, executive director at the Foundation for Common Land, said stocking rate cuts failed to recognise the bigger picture.

See also: In conversation with Natural England chair Tony Juniper

“If you’re only looking for particular ecological outcomes, then you rarely get them if you are stocking above 0.6 livestock units a hectare,” she said.

“But we are looking to conserve and sustain a system of farming – the cultural heritage, the natural heritage – and it is attention to the whole [that matters].”

Adam Day, managing director at the Farmer Network agreed a much less blinkered approach was needed, challenging the targeted stocking rate of just 0.5lu/ha.

“In some of the most challenging areas of the Lake District that might be right,” he told the meeting being held at the Westmorland County Show.

“But there are other higher, drier fell areas where the farmers believe that land can carry far more stock, and they’re not getting that message through.

“At what point does somebody somewhere say, actually on this common or in that area enough sheep have gone. There are no red lines and it’s a huge concern to farmers.”

Wider impact 

Mr Day also pointed to the impact on the wider community.

“Behind every farmer you can count 40 other businesses that support that farm business, to a greater or lesser extent.

“Of the money farmers will reinvest in their businesses when they’ve sold their lambs this autumn, probably 80% will be spent within 20 miles of that farm.

“That is the ethos of the local circular economy. I don’t think the due diligence has been done to work out what is the effect if we take 50% of the sheep off the fell.”

Independent body 

Efra committee member Charlie Dewhirst MP questioned whether those giving evidence felt things would be better if Natural England was taken back in house in Defra.

Baroness Julia Aglionby said her personal preference was for a single, statutory conservation agency.

“I think nature is really important and having that independence is important, but at the same time, we’re not seeing delivery on the ground.”

While staffing at Defra had increased almost fourfold in the past decade, Natural England still suffered from a lack of resources, while pay rates in the lower echelons were “shockingly poor”.

She cited the example of a recent Natural England visit to her mother’s farm which is involved in a stewardship scheme worth £21,000 a year.

“The inspector never left the kitchen to look at the fields,” she said. “They said they did not have time.

“Think what more could be done if they had the staff on the ground.”