Comment

MEETING the world's growing demand for food and protecting the UK's environment must go hand in hand. This is one of the challenges laid down in the NFU's submission to the Environment Audit Committee.

The committee, which is assessing the Government's target to halt the loss of UK biodiversity by 2010, heard the NFU make the case for a new balance between productive agriculture and wildlife protection, as well as farmers' concern about climate change and invasive non-native species.

Speaking after the session NFU vice-president Paul Temple said: "The farming community takes its stewardship role very seriously. For the past 21 years agri-environment schemes have involved farmers in protecting and enhancing biodiversity. We are now entering a period of real challenge with growing demand for food but also clear environmental limits. With access to science and technology and comprehensive coverage of agri-environment schemes, we can meet these demands.

"However, I am very concerned that conclusions are being drawn on Environmental Stewardship's effectiveness too early and with too limited a vision. We pointed out to the committee that Defra ministers and Natural England ought to be celebrating the achievement of 60 per cent of farmland in agri-environment schemes and recognise that biodiversity takes time to respond to farmers' land management".

The NFU's evidence also questioned the view that there is too little money aimed at biodiversity conservation.

"There is £397 million of public sector funding going into biodiversity alone," said Mr Temple. "This spending has increased in real terms by more than 60 per cent, from 2001 to 2005, and £3bn is currently available from now until 2013 as part of the Rural Development Programme for England. However the current budget remains under-spent.

"We believe this money would be best spent in Entry Level Schemes adopted across the whole of the countryside. ELS is the framework on which the Government's environmental goals can be hung."

The NFU also commented on the woeful inadequacy of the Government's farmland biodiversity indicator. "This seems to exclusively focus on farmland birds, when the range of bird species and other wildlife found on farms is far wider ranging and more often expanding in range and population," said Mr Temple.

The NFU called for a more comprehensive approach reflecting the state of the farm environment as well as the wider range of goals set for Environmental Stewardship.

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