Conservation Grade Farming

Background

The incredibly biodiverse British countryside was created over several thousand years by the actions of countless generations of farmers, recent generations have needed to react to economic forces, with the effect that this biodiversity is being lost extremely fast. Against this backdrop it is therefore clear any environmentally sensitive farming system must be conscious of both economics and ecology if it is going to have any long-lasting positive impact.

In response to a series of food, health and environmental issues, numerous assurance schemes have been introduced in recent years, notably the Assured Food Standards (i.e. the Little Red Tractor scheme). However, many of these schemes have failed to address the very real concerns consumers have about the wellbeing of wildlife and the wider environment.

Although addressing such issues has always been the particular focus of Conservation Grade (www.conservation-grade.co.uk), in late 2003 a comprehensive review of the Conservation Grade's standards and protocols was undertaken, together with an assessment of their position in the market - a market that has changed radically since it was formed in 1989. As a consequence the protocols have been revised to concentrate further on answering consumers' growing concerns on the environmental provenance of the home-grown food they are eating and hence the development of the concept of farming for wildlife.

The Guild of Conservation Grade Producers intends that Conservation Grade is the leading farming and environment standard, and is based on the best practically achievable outcomes. Conservation Grade is designed to consistently evolve over time, and to encompass an increasing range of crop and livestock enterprises. To maintain its leading position and to provide consumers with outstanding quality food requires that Conservation Grade sets and maintains higher standards than other farming and environment protocols.

Conservation Grade Rules

Conservation Grade farmers and growers have to satisfy seven essential requirements, namely:

1. Committing at least 10% of the farmed area to a range of managed wildlife habitats as specified in Conservation Grade's Habitat Protocol;
2. Full membership of those Assured Food Standards farm assurance schemes deemed by Conservation Grade to be relevant to the farm's enterprises;
3. Drawing up an Environmental Statement to comply with Conservation Grade protocols;
4. Participating in the Conservation Grade's training programme;
5. Complying with the Conservation Grade's production standards;
6. Passing an annual verification of the Conservation Grade protocol by a Conservation Grade and UKAS approved verifier. Compliance with the habitat requirements (above) will also be assessed annually, and
7. Membership of the Guild of Conservation Grade Producers.

The role of the PCT

The farmland at Pensthorpe has been developed in accordance with these standards and is a Conservation Grade cereals supplier. It's also more than this, it's a test bed for some of the latest techniques designed to bring biodiversity back into British farming. The PCT is dedicated to ensuring that the ongoing decline in the biodiversity of the British countryside is halted and is working closely with Conservation Grade to ensure that its protocols deliver this on as many hectares of the UK as possible.

The role of the PCT is to oversee the delivery of wildlife friendly farming at Pensthorpe and to work with Conservation Grade to constantly improve its techniques and protocols. Ensuring that these practical outcomes are communicated effectively to consumers will ensure that more and more farmers can be drawn into Conservation Grade and substantial areas of the British countryside are put back into ecological working order.

One area that the PCT is hoping to develop is putting biodiversity back into livestock farming; adding value to traditional breeds of cattle and sheep, such as Longhorns and Norfolk Horns, by using them to manage both newly-established and centuries old meadows, rich in flowering plants and invertebrates.

The following are some of the most frequent questions we are asked about Conservation Grade:

Is Conservation Grade similar to Organic farming?

Not really, Conservation Grade uses some conventional agricultural fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, but it ensures that they are applied in such a way as to ensure that they do not have an adverse effect on the health of the wildlife on farms.

If Conservation Grade allows agrochemicals surely this will affect wildlife?

Independently monitored research has identified that following the Conservation Grade farming protocols can achieve whole farm increases of 41% in bird numbers (including a 1400% increase in tree sparrows on one farm); 13.5% increase in bird species; 22% increase in butterfly species; and an overall 25% increase in total species on farm. The key thing is to ensure chemicals are used safely and wisely and not in ways that can adversely affect biodiversity.

Doesn't there come a point where conservation and commerce collide?

In order to avoid a conflict between economics and ecology, it is critically important that consumers understand that by turning food into a commodity, at the cheapest possible price, then there is no room for wildlife. What Conservation Grade seeks to do is to strike a balance - in effect farming for food and for wildlife side by side, the consumer then has a choice - food from an ecological desert or from Conservation Grade farms buzzing with biodiversity.

What's the key to Conservation Grade's 'miracle cure' for ecological impoverishment?

Over 90% of the decline in farmland wildlife is due to loss of habitat.  The answer to this is the provision of agro-ecological habitats that provide the ultimate fuel for the wildlife food chain - pollen and nectar and winter food. Conservation Grade has developed seed mixes in easy to understand 'recipes' that farmers are required to farm in much the same way as they do with their crops. In other words: 'farming for wildlife'.

What's the role of the PCT in Conservation Grade?

The PCT is able to input first hand and practical experience of ecological decline and to help Conservation Grade to develop farming techniques that work practically within the EU and British government's stewardship schemes to deliver cost-effective on-farm enhancements, well in advance of standard prescriptions. The PCT is therefore at the forefront of applied research designed to halt ecological impoverishment on farms and replace it with proven (but simple to implement) farming techniques that restore biodiversity.

Can I see Conservation Grade farming in action at Pensthorpe?

Yes, you can join the farm tour, which runs several times a day in the summer, where you will be given an introduction to Conservation Grade farming.