Farmland Wildlife: The Movie
12 February 2010
A new DVD by Natural England shows farmers how they can encourage wildlife on their land.
It may not be in the running for the Oscars, but a new movie directed at arable farmers in the North East puts the spotlight on how they can host a cast of colourful wildlife characters on their land, best take action for wildlife and be rewarded for their work. The new information film - Growing Farmland Wildlife - has been released on DVD by Natural England in association with Defra and gives practical advice and guidance on getting the most out of wildlife habitats on the farm.
It’s been produced for arable farmers and advisers including those who already have an Environmental Stewardship agreement, those planning to renew their agreement in 2010 or 2011 and those thinking of joining the scheme. Environmental Stewardship offers many options for creating wildlife habitats on the farm which can help provide homes for an amazing variety of birds and animals, and all without affecting farm profitability. By using field edges, corners, watercourse edges and in-field areas and sowing a variety of plants, land managers can significantly improve local biodiversity on farmed land.
The film gives practical advice and shows actual examples on the choice of location, scale, seed mixture and rotation. Help is also given to farmers who already have wildbird seed and nectar flower options on their farms but who need some extra advice on how to provide the feeding and overwintering habitats that birds and insects need. Some arable farmers may be put off including in their agreements because they think they are difficult to manage and will affect their business performance. This shouldn’t be the case, and the film demonstrates how to get the most out of farm wildlife habitats.
The “Growing Farmland Wildlife” movie runs for 31 minutes and has been produced by Natural England in association with Defra and the Wildlife Farming Company and is sponsored by Syngenta and the RSPB. The free DVD will be available at events that Natural England is attending this year and from Natural England’s North East regional office. ends
