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potentially changing landscape? Gill Swanton Over the last few months landowners and farmers have been busy form filling to comply with and sign up to the new Common Agricultural Policy rules. To put it simply, in the past support payments were linked to production and to livestock headage plus additional payments under schemes such as Countryside Stewardship. In the future matters will be very different. At the beginning of 2005 “de-coupling” took place. Now a landowner is supported on the basis of the area of his/her landholding (the Single Farm Payment - SFP) and farm enterprises have to stand on their own two feet economically. To comply with SFP conditions the landowner has to follow Good Farming Practice and to meet certain environmental and animal welfare conditions (cross compliance), for some of which Management Plans have to be provided. Failure to meet the appropriate standards can result in penalties which reduce levels of payment. Registering for SFP and being cross-compliant is a requirement if a landowner is to receive financial support from the EU via The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). At this point the landowner can decide to “leave it at that” – as long as cross-compliance is maintained and any agreements already in place (e.g. Countryside Stewardship, management of Sites of Special Scientific Interest etc), the whole property could become grassed over, for instance, with no arable or livestock operations. In addition to the fundamental SFP, from this spring landowners and farmers can apply to join the new Agri-Environment Schemes. Those who are already in Schemes, such as Countryside Stewardship and management within Environmentally Sensitive Areas, are able to run some side-by-side and gradually switch into the new arrangements. The Entry Level Scheme (ELS) is one which DEFRA hope that most farmers will apply to join. It is open to all and designed to be easy to enter and to manage, at the same time delivering considerable benefits to the Natural and Historic environments. The scheme aims “to improve water quality and reduce soil erosion, improve conditions for farm wildlife, maintain and enhance landscape character, protect the historic environment”. Points are scored for a wide variety of initiatives and the applicant has a large menu from which to select actions most suitable for the property, which of course have to be approved before the payments can be made. Categories range widely and include, for instance, wild bird seed plantings, protection of above ground and below ground archaeology, establishing beetle banks and hedgerow maintenance. Payments are based on achieving 30 points per hectare of eligible land at a rate of £1 per point. A tailored version of ELS is available for organic farms. The next layer “up” in the pyramid is the Higher Level Scheme (HLS), similar to Countryside Stewardship and Environmentally Sensitive Area agreements of the past. Unlike ELS, HLS is ‘competitive’ and areas with special Natural and Historic Environment characteristics will be targeted. A detailed and informed Farm Environment Plan will be required and a high level of management will be expected. It has been confirmed that the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site will be one of the targeted areas for HLS and the plethora of Natural Environment designations and being within the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) should ensure that most landowners in the parishes have an opportunity to apply for the scheme. The primary aims of the Higher Level Scheme are: wildlife conservation, maintenance and enhancement of landscape quality and character, natural resource protection, protection of the historic environment and promotion of public access and understanding of the countryside. There are two secondary objectives: flood management and conservation of genetic resources. Normally an applicant will need to be in Entry Level Stewardship before or as well as applying for the Higher Level Scheme. All that has been written so far may seem rather pedantic but it is impossible to word government rules any other way! So far there has been little change in the landscape and its management as the schemes have only just begun and with the computing problems suffered by Defra recently the ELS has been staggering into existence rather than arriving with a fanfare of trumpets. If the schemes succeed landowners and farmers will be being funded to manage the landscape in an holistic manner, care of the natural and historic environments will be drawn closer together and problems such as erosion and high nitrate levels will be brought under better control. Over time it may mean that although well-cared for, the character of the landscape may change. Individual farming enterprises – sheep for instance – now have to “stack up” on their own so it is up to the sheep owner to make the enterprise profitable without any form of government support. Since Foot and Mouth Disease in 2001 livestock numbers have dropped dramatically and the effect of the new schemes may take this further. The global nature of the food industry may also affect future choices made by British producers. We are at the beginning of a new era of landscape management: it will be interesting to see how it develops in the Kennet Valley. Comments & enquiries about the Landscape Group to: lizneild@amserve.com or write to Liz Neild, 41, Lockeridge, Wiltshire SN8 4EQ.
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