RSPB to advise farmers on NE land payments?

[pavman]

Not sure if we have discussed this if we have I missed it!

 

Having a conversation this morning and I was told Natural England have engaged the RSPB to advise land owners on land payments and assist with getting them. If this is in fact true I think we can all assume the motive will be to stop all and any forms of shooting they can.

 

Has anyone got any credible info to share and are BASC on the case?

 

Lets hope its a wind up but it came from a good source by way of a club official.........

Edited January 10, 2012 by pavman

[David BASC]

I believe what your club secretary is talking about is a specific local project, centered on the village of Thorney near Peterborough where nature-friendly farmers who manage 3,782 hectares of surrounding farmland have come together with the support of the RSPB.

 

The 14 farmers are selecting key Entry Level and Higher Level Environmental Stewardship Scheme land management options, such as unharvested crops to feed birds over the winter, fallows and skylark plots providing in-field nesting habitat, and nectar rich plots supplying insect rich areas.

 

Entry Level and Higher Level stewardship schemes are available to farmers and have been for ages, and center around maintaining high levels of biodiversity on the farm to encourage habitat development for a range of species.

 

Higher level schemes are targeted at 110 areas in the UK as selected by Natural England where there is the greatest possibility of habitat enhancement.

 

Entry level is available more widely and 60% of farmland is already in Entry Level Stewardship.

 

Basically for doing different environmentally/ biodiversity projects on your land you get points, and get enough points and you get money.

 

Typical example would be:

 

Hedgerow management

Ditch management

Permanent grassland

Management of field corners

Planting strips of wild bird seed mix

Bufer strips near water

Skylark area

 

A 100 hectare farm with 3000 points would get just over £3000 a year in payments.

 

There can often be to the benefits of a shoot, as you can imagine, for increasing habitat and biodiversity with better filed margins, hedges, and there are several cover crop mixes available for example that meet the standards for these schemes.

 

This is at the very heart of the BASC Greenshoots project that has been running for years.

 

David

[Scully]

Edited after reading David BASC's post:thought it may be something aimed at stewardship levels,so my post deleted.

Edited January 10, 2012 by Scully

[pavman]

Thank you David

 

it came to me in the form of NE have engaged RSPB on a nationwide basis and not just a local issue

[David BASC]

Hi,

 

From what I know, the RSPB, as well as others including BASC, have been helping farmers get onto ELS and HLS for decades, certainly the RSPB were encouraging this way back in the days of ADAS.

 

I think this project will get higher profile as the farms are linking together, effectively forming thousands of acres in one place in stewardship rather than loads of little ‘islands’ as it were.

 

Most certainly ELS and HLS is NOT a barrier to shooting, and if any shoot want more guidance on this they just need to have a chat with our bio-diversity / green shoots team or their local BASC office.

 

David

[pavman]

David

 

would it not be the case that RSPB would push farmer/land owner towards "non disturbance means no shooting" for HLS as a default and will be (or is) in a position to influence toward their own cause.

[al4x]

disturbance doesn't come into it pavman, they get the payment for the land management so it can definitely be better for shooting and the RSPB can do nothing about it, even they begrudgingly admit that shooting estates tend to be rather good for other wildlife. I seem to remember there is a bit about it in the last BASC magazine

[scolopax]

I think there is an option under the HLS for wetlands management for wintering birds that does result in shooting being stopped. I think several areas particularly in East Anglia were they shoot over inland 'marshes' (look just like grass fields seperated by ditches to me!) have been aversely affected when the landowner took out this option.

[David BASC]

Interestingly and coincidently there is a feature on HLS in these weeks Shooting Times!

 

This is a good review of the ELS and HLS system and written by the GWCT.

 

David

Edited January 11, 2012 by David BASC

[Scully]

Entry and higher level stewardships have certainly helped us create better habitat for our birds on the few farms we shoot on.One farmer was advised to fence off one of his woods(which sheep foraged through beforehand)and since he's done this we have built a pen in it;something we couldn't have done beforehand.