Farmers along rare chalk streams join large-scale environmental initiative

The group’s expansion will make restoration of rare chalk stream habitats a key component of the EFG’s three principle aims of biodiversity and species recovery, clean water and net carbon zero farming by 2040.

The EFG is the largest environmental initiative of its kind, presently counting 178 farms and expanding over 81,344 hectares.

It was originally set up to help farmers navigate the carbon, phosphate and biodiversity offset markets, offering an opportunity to generate additional income streams by implementing conservation measures.

Welcoming the news, Simon Packer, director of regional planning consultancy Turley, was pleased to hear of farmers along the Test and Itchen joining the cooperative.

“There was an increase in nutrient mitigation schemes in the area a couple of years ago, but the credits available are rapidly being consumed and I’m not convinced there is sufficient alternative capacity coming through. I can also see strong evidence of increased demand for off-site biodiversity offset solutions.”

Many of the farmers involved already have a proven track record of delivering measurable improvements on the ground. Joe Edwards, who manages the Middleton Estate, has helped make dramatic improvements to water quality along the farm’s three-mile stretch of the Test.

“We set out to recover the river combining a wide range of measures, including bringing back ranunculus and other habitats that the insects will naturally thrive in and encouraging wild brown trout reproduction,” he said.

“The result was when we tested the water for 300 chemicals, it showed that the water’s cleaner when it leaves Middleton than when it entered.”

While improving water quality is a central aim of the initiative, the two catchments are also home to some spectacular natural habitats and species which are in need of protection and enhancement, including rare chalk downland wildflowers.

James Hewetson-Brown, who runs Ashe Warren Farm near the source of the Test, is committed to encouraging the return of native plants to the area through managing field margins.

“Farmers are in so many ways best placed to deliver really good biodiversity because they have the equipment and practical understanding to make it work and by joining together, they can achieve it on a scale that will make a real difference,” he remarked.

A vision backed by science and funding

As well as meeting the challenges of nature recovery and climate change on a landscape-scale, the EFG will support farmers to deliver increased food security through a blend of public and private funding, which would otherwise be difficult for individual farm businesses to access.

The farmer-led cooperative is convened by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), hose scientific research is used by the government to develop forward-thinking agri-environment schemes.

GWCT Chief Exec Teresa Dent said while the government has rightly set out ambitious environmental targets at the end of last year, such as reversing the decline of species abundance by 2030, it is going to need the help of farmers and land managers to meet these goals.

“The addition of the farmers of the Test and Itchen to the EFG is an important step on the way to achieving this. We just need every farmer to improve on their previous best and the combined effect of them working together could be significant,” she said.

The environmental auditing and monitoring of EFG projects will be carried out by Natural Capital Advisory (NCA). Funding will be a combination of public money in the form of Environmental Land Management Schemes and private finance from sponsorship, green investments and offset markets.

NCA chief exec Christopher Sparrow said: “In an often confusing and uncertain emerging market, which requires long-term commitments, landowners and investors can be reassured that NCA has the right professional experience to deliver the highest quality advice and ongoing monitoring service.

“Our partnership with EFG will appeal to investors who want to see tangible guaranteed environmental outcomes and contribute to the restoration of some of our most iconic landscapes, places they can visit to see the improvements for themselves.”