Partnership protecting nature
OVER 4,000 hectares of wildlife habitat have been created and protected in our farmed landscape over the last five years thanks to a pioneering scheme.
Since founding the Jordans Farm Partnership (JFP) in 2016, Jordans Cereals has succeeded in preserving an area the size of Oxford to benefit British wildlife, including farmland birds and owls, brown hares, dormice, freshwater fish and butterflies.
It comes as an impact report released this week by The Wildlife Trusts reveals that a staggering 692 hectares of woodland, almost double the size of Sherwood Forest, has been protected, along with 717km of hedgerows, the equivalent distance from Aberdeen to Bournemouth. The scheme has also conserved 475km of field margins and 136km of waterways.
The JFP is a partnership between Jordans Cereals, The Wildlife Trusts, LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) and the Prince’s Countryside Fund, in which Jordans provides financial incentives for their British farmers to manage at least 10% of the land they farm as wildlife habitats.
Over the last half-decade, Jordans has invested nearly £2.4 million in the scheme and currently works with 31 farmers across 33 nature-friendly farms which use regenerative farming practices to provide food, shelter and breeding sites for endangered species such as dormice, turtle doves and woodlark.
Mia Hartwell, sustainability manager at Jordans Cereals, said the partnership’s fifth anniversary comes at a “significant time for UK farming”, as 2021 marks the start of the Government’s seven-year agricultural transition period away from subsidy payments as issued by the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and towards a new Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme. Under this system, farmers and land managers will be rewarded in the future with public money for ‘public goods’ – such as better air and water quality, thriving wildlife, soil health, or measures to reduce flooding and tackle the effects of climate change.
The national pilot for the ELM scheme is expected to be open for participants by the end of 2021, with the scheme fully operational in 2024.
But the scheme has been “widely criticised” for failing to provide sufficient detail on how this new model will be executed, Ms Hartwell added. The JFP, however, provides a “valuable, real-world example of how change can be delivered on the ground, proving that it is possible to make significant gains for nature without negatively affecting profits”.
She continued: “We created the Jordans Farm Partnership because it’s always been our mission to produce products that are not only delicious and nutritious, but also help to protect nature in a proactive and tangible way. We’re really proud to have been able to help protect such a large area over the last five years. The figures quoted in the latest JFP report exemplify the commitment our farmers have to protecting nature on
their farms, and the value of their partnerships with local Wildlife Trusts.
“They are also proof of the positive impact that naturefriendly farming could have on the UK if it was encouraged at a national level. 70% of the UK’s land is farmed – so how this land is managed has a significant impact on wildlife. The JFP requires farmers to set aside a minimum of 10% of their land for nature. In practice, the average is 17%.
“The latest figures are a huge motivator for all involved with the JFP. They are proof that the scheme makes a tangible difference to wildlife. This knowledge will spur us on in our continuing work to protect nature, and we hope it will encourage others to follow in our footsteps.”
The annual impact report has been produced by The Wildlife Trusts, who survey the wildlife on farms signed up to the JFP, in addition to regular independent assessments. Every Jordans farmer works with an expert wildlife advisor from their local Wildlife Trust alongside LEAF to develop and deliver a longterm and holistic conservation plan including soil health, species management and flora and fauna assessment. Over the past five years, these plans have ensured that species such as barn owls, brown hares, turtle doves, lapwings and a number of vital pollinating insects have been common sights on Jordans farms.
Craig Bennett, chief executive officer of The Wildlife Trusts, said: “We are very proud of our relationship with Jordans and their farmers, and it is encouraging to see the collective impact we are having in creating and maintaining habitat for wildlife in what can often be an inhospitable environment. Given that large swathes of the UK’s land is used for agriculture, farmers have a vital role to play in nature’s recovery.
“That said, we still have a long way to go. We’re living amidst a nature and climate crisis, and know that to turn things around we need to see at least 30% of our land managed for nature’s recovery. The JFP showcases what can be achieved if we choose to farm in a sustainable way – something that would have a huge impact if adopted more widely – and we hope others will take note.”
Caroline Drummond MBE, chief executive of LEAF, described the Jordans Farm Partnership as an “excellent example of different sectors working together to achieve shared outcomes for wildlife and biodiversity and pushing forward more regenerative, agroecological farming approaches”.
Mrs Drummond, who lives on a dairy farm near Liskeard in Cornwall, added: “There is no magic bullet to optimising more sustainable food and farming systems. It requires the collective efforts of farmers, food brands, government, retailers, NGO’s, scientists and citizens.
“Over the last five years, we have worked at an invidual farmer level with Jordans growers, providing ongoing training and supporting them to achieving LEAF Marque certification, which as well as meeting key targets around landscape and nature conservation, is also focused on wider environmental improvements including more productive soils, cleaner water and air, efficient energy use and improved connections with people, farming and the natural world.”
Keith Halstead, executive director of the Prince’s Countryside Fund, concluded: “We are proud to be part of the JFP through the Prince’s Countryside Fund and Jordans Sustainable Agriculture Bursary which is available for undergraduate students at the Royal Agricultural University and the University of Reading.
“Encouraging productive agriculture that delivers with nature is at the heart of the JFP, which is why our industry-leading partnership is so important because it equips the next generation of farmers with the necessary skills to achieve what all of us want - a sustainable future for farming.”