Useful Information
For many farms entering the Limestone Country Project, the farming of hardy upland cattle breeds is a new venture. Similar initiatives to the Limestone Country Project are occurring throughout the UK and many of these projects are producing useful information which may help farmers select appropriate breeds and farming systems for their land.
Mainstream agriculture is also going through a period of major change with the
reform of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) and the introduction of a new agri-environment
scheme – Environmental Stewardship. These developments are bringing a range of
new obligations with them.
What is Environmental Stewardship?
Environmental Stewardship is a new agri-environment scheme which provides funding
to farmers and other land managers in England who deliver effective environmental
management on their land.
The scheme is intended to build on the recognised success of the Environmental
Sensitive Areas scheme and the countryside Stewardship Scheme. Its primary objectives
are to:
- Conserve wildlife (biodiversity)
- Maintain and enhance landscape quality and character
- Protect the historic environment and natural resources
- Promote public access and understanding of the countryside
- Natural resource protection.
Within the primary objectives it also has the secondary objectives of:
- Genetic conservation
- Flood management
Environmental stewardship has three elements (click on the titles to visit the
Defra website for each element):
- Open to all farmers and landowners.
- Simple and effective land management.
- Organic strand of ELS.
- Open to all farmers not receiving Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) aid.
- Targeted environmental management.
- Capital work plans.
For more information regarding Environmental Stewardship please visit:
Cattle grazing options available under Higher Level Environmental Stewardship
Scheme:
- Supplement for cattle grazing, HR01
Aim: This supplement promotes grazing by cattle where this is likely to be beneficial
in delivering environmental outcomes. Cattle-grazing normally produces a more
varied sward structure than sheep-grazing and is often better for diversity of
plants, invertebrates and birds. Mature cattle are also often more suitable for
grazing fibrous herbage of low digestibility, trampling bracken, controlling scrub
and grazing wet habitats. Cattle-treading creates patches of bare soil where new
plants can establish, but can damage the soil or historic features unless it is
well managed.
- Native breeds at risk supplement, HR02
Aim: This supplement aims to encourage the use of appropriate native breeds of livestock
(from the approved list and with reference to the guidance) for conservation grazing.
Evidence suggests that native livestock breeds may have attributes that are better
suited to harsh climatic conditions, to difficult terrain, to grazing semi-natural
vegetation and to achieving conservation objectives. This supplement is also aimed
at contributing towards the genetic conservation of native breeds at risk, when
linked with ES scheme primary objectives.
For further information on cattle grazing supplements and prescriptions under
the new Environmental Stewardship scheme, please visit:
