Grange Farm, at Knapwell Cambridgeshire, bought recently by the Royal Society
for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), will be partly managed under a Ministry of
Agriculture Fisheries and Food Countryside Stewardship agreement to help
demonstrate how wildlife friendly farming techniques can stem the wider decline
in farmland birds like skylarks, corn buntings, and yellow hammers.
Countryside Stewardship is a MAFF scheme which makes payments to farmers and
land managers in England to improve the natural beauty and diversity of the
countryside. Payments range from £4 to £280 per hectare.
Visiting the farm yesterday, Countryside Minister Elliot Morley said: "
I am delighted that we are contributing to this worthwhile project to
help show how arable farming can deliver wildlife benefits."
Countryside Stewardship has six main objectives:
improve and extend wildlife habitats
create new habitats and landscapes
sustain beauty and diversity of the landscape
restore neglected land or features
conserve archaeological sites and historic features
improve opportunities for countryside enjoyment.
MAFF took over the scheme from the Countryside Commission in April 1996
when the number of agreements stood at 5,284 covering 91,111 hectares.
Since then the total number of agreements has risen to more than 10,000
covering around 180,000 hectares.
This year with the expanded budget for MAFF's countryside schemes under
the English Rural Development Programme we hope to accept around 2,600
new agreements in England - double the number in previous years.
