Showing MEPs how farming and nature conservation can go hand in hand

Over the summer months, the RSPB has met with many MEPs (Members of the European Parliament) to discuss topics as varied as seabird by-catch from fishing fleets to biodiversity in the UK’s overseas territories.

For two MEPs in July, the focus of our meetings was to demonstrate how farming and wildlife can go hand in hand and how critically important continued public investment in wildlife-friendly farming is.

In early July, the RSPB’s Hope Farm played host to Richard Ashworth, a Conservative MEP representing the South East of England. Richard sits on the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee and comes from a farming background so was more than familiar with the day to day challenges of running a commercial arable enterprise. What came as something of a surprise was how well Hope Farm has combined a profitable and high yielding business with the turnaround in farmland birds’ fortunes, all through the sensitive deployment of ELS agri-environment options which are available to all farmers in England.

In late July, we took Chris Davies, a Liberal Democrat MEP representing the North West of England, to Claremont Farm in Bebington. Run by the enterprising and energetic Andrew Pimbley, Claremont Farm combines conventional farming operations with targeted conservation work through England’s Higher Level Stewardship scheme, all while successfully getting members of the public onto the farm, whether through its ‘pick your own’ plots, its educational ‘welly walks’ or its successful Wirral Food Festival (which runs over the August Bank holiday weekend)[1].

Hope Farm and Claremont Farm are both great examples of what agri-environment can deliver - not just for wildlife but for farm businesses too. Agri-environment schemes have to make economic sense in order to be attractive to farmers and in many cases their options can be located on less productive land – such as next to hedgerows or awkward corners – meaning they can provide a good economic return to the farmer which would often not be possible through production. As Claremont Farm is also demonstrating, entry into an agri-environment scheme can be used as another tool to encourage people onto the farm and demonstrate what it is doing for the wider environment.

However, the current round of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform may make it harder to properly fund agri-environment schemes in the future. The European Commission’s proposals, expected in October, are likely to suggest that Member States no longer have to spend a minimum amount on agri-environment schemes and will expect the CAP’s ‘Pillar 2’, where agri-environment schemes sit, to fund more measures (such as competiveness and innovation schemes) with less money.

This is where the European Parliament and MEPs such as Richard Ashworth and Chris Davies come in. Once the Commission launches it proposals, agreement will be thrashed out between the European Parliament and the EU’s Member States. It will be vitally important that MEPs make the case for well funded agri-environment schemes as part of the next CAP and that Member States are able to generate extra funding for them if required (through, for example the shift of money from the CAP’s direct payment Pillar into Pillar 2). For Richard Ashworth, who sits on the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee, and for Chris Davies sitting on the Environment Committee, the message must be that agri-environment schemes make sense for the environment, for farming business and for the taxpayers who ultimately fund this important work. They must be protected!

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[1] http://www.wirralfoodfestival.co.uk/