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Farmers are urging the government to include hedge creation in its nature-friendly farming subsidy scheme in an effort to boost biodiversity.
Details about the post-Brexit replacement for the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy are scarce, with land managers saying only that they will receive payments for providing “public goods” such as nature protection.
More than 1,100 farmers were surveyed by Farmers Weekly on behalf of CPRE, a rural charity, which found that lack of funding was the biggest barrier to planting and maintaining hedgerows.
Wildlife and nature corridors are seen as the biggest benefit of hedgerows by almost nine out of 10 farmers. Other perceived benefits include shelter or shade for crops or livestock and a home for pollinators and pest predators.
About 70% of farmers said they would plant more hedgerows if they were given the right incentives by the government, while 82% supported the idea of government-funded nature-friendly farming focusing on hedgerows to increase their quality and abundance. was
CPRE is calling on the government to adopt a target of 40% more hedgerows by 2050 to enhance nature in rural areas and to use a new payment system, the Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELM), to encourage farmers to plant.
CPRE interim chief executive Tom Fiennes said: “Farmers couldn’t be more clear about the value they place on hedgerows – they really care about supporting wildlife and nature on their land. The government needs to tap into their enthusiasm for using ELM to provide simple, accessible schemes that help farmers look after their hedgerows for everyone’s benefit.”
A report on hedgerows written by the charity and published on Tuesday suggests that farmers could be encouraged to work together to create hedge mosaics spanning multiple fields, providing valuable wildlife corridors. It found that 94% of farmers found barriers to planting hedgerows, such as time and money involved, while 59% had created some in the past 10 years and intended to create more in the next five.
Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones MBE, a farmer on the Devon-Cornwall border, said: “Historically, hedgerows were planted as a barrier or to mark the boundary between parcels of land or neighboring properties, but they are much more.
“Sensitively managed, they are multi-functional and, to me, add to the beauty of the countryside. We all need to find ways to protect nature and the environment in the face of the effects of climate change, and if a 40% increase in the amount of UK hedgerows by 2050 can be part of that change, it certainly has my vote and support.”
Agriculture has historically been one of the biggest drivers of biodiversity loss, with rivers polluted by slurry, forests cut down to graze livestock and produce animal feed, and their vegetation stripped by sheep.
Landowners told the environment secretary, Therese Coffin, last week that they were “losing patience” over delays in the funding scheme, which could take years before details of what farmers can do to boost their incomes emerge.
Ministers said more information about the plans would be released in the new year.
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