
EU LIFE+ farmland bird project
This project was completed in September 2013. However, as well as having a major impact in its own right, it enabled us to develop our current way of working with farmers.

Objectives
Our advice and support for farmers, funded by EU LIFE+, had these overarching project objectives to be achieved by December 2012:
- To support at least 3,540 farmers through free bird surveys, farm events and The Nature of Farming Award scheme.
- To raise awareness of at least 7,040 members of the general public in wildlife-friendly farming through voting for the Nature of Farming Award winners and participating in the Volunteer & Farmer Alliance.
- To inform and empower more than 120,000 farmers and crofters annually through articles in the farming, national and regional press.
- To engage with more than 3 million members of the general public annually through press coverage.
Planned Work
Volunteer & Farmer Alliance
The Nature of Farming Award
Events
Materials
Results
Volunteer & Farmer Alliance
The Nature of Farming Award
Events
Project communications and media coverage
New pilot projects
- Provide direct advice and monitoring in core areas for farm wildlife across the UK
As a result, the Volunteer & Farmer Alliance did not run in 2013, but during the the life of the project, 2,183 surveys were delivered through this activity. In 2013, we launched our new areas of focused advice across the UK, where we continue to offer farmland bird surveys only in a more targeted way.
- Produce a pilot toolkit of environmental advice and support for English arable farmers with a view to developing similar resources across the UK
Funding
- This work was funded by the EU LIFE+ Programme.
A celebration of wildlife-friendly farmers
Nature of farming award winners Gethin Owen, Andrew Jackson, Colin Strang Steel and Jack Kelly discuss why they are passionate about helping nature.
Farmers' role as ‘custodians of the countryside’ is more important than ever. Four previous winners of ‘The Nature of Farming Awards’ talk about their passion for nature and why wildlife-friendly farming can also make commercial sense

Download
An assessment of the EU LIFE+ Farmland Bird Project and the impacts it has had. PDF, 995Kb. 21 February 2014
Supporting wildlife-friendly farmers and delivering the Birds DirectiveA report on project activities running from 01/01/2010 to 30/09/2013. PDF, 1.18Mb. 21 February 2014
Final report: Promoting the importance of the EU Birds Directive in conservation management on farmlandCovering the project activities from 01/10/2011 to 31/12/2012. PDF, 168Kb. 3 January 2014
Progress report: Promoting the importance of the EU Birds Directive in conservation management on farmlandCovering the project activities from 01/01/2010 to 30/06/2011. PDF, 222Kb. 19 March 2012
Mid-term report: Promoting the importance of the EU Birds Directive in conservation management on farmlandCovering the project activities from 01/01/2010 to 31/08/2010. PDF, 153Kb. 19 March 2012
Inception report: Promoting the importance of the EU Birds Directive in conservation management on farmlandContacts
