ENVIRONMENTAL Championing the Farmed Environment (CFE) T: 024 7685 85255 E: cfe@nfu.org.uk www.cfeonline.org.uk CFE promotes good environment management through productive farming practices. The farming and environmental partnership encourages farmers to incorporate more environmental measures into the everyday farming practices in a way that supports their business and the environment on which it relies. A combination of funded activity through Stewardship schemes and voluntary measures which sit alongside productive farming practices offers the best options for the farm business and the wider environment. Choosing the right measures, putting them in the right place and carrying out the right management will reap the greatest rewards. Maintaining and improving what you already have and setting aside less productive areas of land for wildlife or other environmental benefits is often the most efficient way to do this. If you have an existing Stewardship agreement it is probably worth retaining the options as they are established and may already be on less productive areas of the farm. Retaining buffer strips will benefit wildlife and reduce the risk of water pollution and soil loss. Awkward corners, wet area and small fields can be used for Ecological Focus Area fallow options, making field work easier and delivering substantial benefit for wildlife and the environment when managed well. 04 Basic Guide to EFA’s with Mixture Options EFA Buffer Strips and Field Margins Buffer Strips must be next to or run parallel with a water course or on a slope leading to a water course. In addition to buffer strips you can now claim field margins towards your EFA (beyond strips adjacent or parallel to water courses). Minimum width of 1 metre. The same buffer strips can be used to meet both greening and cross compliance rules. EFA Fallow Land Fallow Period 1st January to 30th June. Minimum width 2m wide with a minimum area of 0.01ha. Wild Bird Mixtures & Nectar Rich Mixtures encouraged. Temporary grass & buffer strips can be managed as fallow. Grass can be sown during the fallow period as long as there is no production during the fallow period. Fallow land can be mown as long as the cuttings are left on the land. Can utilise grass after fallow period. EFA Catch crops / Cover crops Catch crops established by 20th August and retained until at least 14th October. Cover crops established by 1st October and retained until 15th January. Must consist of a sown mix of at least 2 different cover types (1 cereal & 1 non-cereal) that establishes quickly, achieves good ground cover and has different root depths. Crops to choose from are rye, oats, barley, phacelia, mustard, vetch, radish and Lucerne. The list does not include crops that would usually be grazed. Minimum area 0.01ha. Grass can also be used, but it must be undersown in the previous crop and established. EFA Nitrogen Fixing Crops Mixture An eligible list of leguminous crops has been published. In addition to pure stands of nitrogen fixing crop you will be allowed to sow a mixture of different nitrogen fixing crop species or mixtures of nitrogen fixing crops and other crops, as long as 50%+ is nitrogen fixing crops. Must be in the ground 1st May-30th June. Minimum plot size 0.01 ha. EFA Hedges Hedges need to be next to arable land. Minimum length 20 metres, with no minimum height or width. Newly planted hedges eligible. 1m Length = 9m2 (1112m = 1ha) 1m2 (1ha = 1ha) BGM 1 & BGM 1 RC BGM 2 & BGM 2 RC BGM 3 BGM 4 & BGM 5 Legume & Herb Rich Mixture Herbal Meadow Species Rich Grass Mixture Flower Rich Margin Nectar Rich Gold or Bronze Pollen & Nectar with Grass BGM 1 & BGM 1 RC BGM 2 & BGM 2 RC BGM 3 BGM 4 & BGM 5 Flower Rich Margin Pollen & Nectar with Grass Annual Nectar Mixture ForageMax® Grass Mixtures WBS 1 WBS 2 WBS 3 WBS 4 Decoy Mixture & Broadshot Mixture Feed & Cover Mixture Partridge Mixture Northern WBS 1 & WBS 2 Traditional Game Cover Nectar Rich Gold Nectar Rich Bronze 0.3m2 (3.3ha = 1ha) Revival Cover Mixture N-Rich Cover Mixture N-Hance Cover Mixture 0.7m2 (1.4ha = 1ha) EFA Nitrogen Rich Mixture EFA Nitrogen Fixing Ley Nectar Rich Bronze & Gold Lucerne & Sainfoin Red & White Clover Vetch & Black Medick Peas & Beans Alsike & Crimson Clover Yellow Blossom Clover Birdsfoot Trefoil 1m Length = 10m2 (1km = 1ha) EFA Plant Protection Products Ban – A complete ban of use on: · EFA Fallow Land – 1/1 to 30/6 six month period only · EFA Catch and Cover Crops – 8 or 13 week period only · EFA Nitrogen-fixing Crops – entire crop cycle
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