Farmers in Wiltshire are working together to keep a rare chalk stream crystal clear.

Described as a ‘globally rare’ habitat, the River Ebble flows for 12 miles through the farmland, villages and downland of the Chalke Valley before joining the River Avon near Salisbury.

Farmers Andrew Reis, Matthew Pickford and Ben Jeans are working together with the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) on the Ebble, calling it “the life of this valley”.

“Apart from its own ecology, it supports a myriad of other wildlife species which we wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for the river,” says Andrew, who is lead farmer for the Chalke Valley Farmer Cluster.

The farmer cluster is part of the Environmental Farmers Group (EFG) which, supported by the GWCT, facilitates access to environmental schemes and aims, through natural capital trading, to deliver better water quality and wildlife habitat across the Hampshire Avon catchment.

The Chalke Valley farmers’ conservation projects have included the installation of cross-drains to combat the sediment-rich run-off caused by farm tracks, and planting Italian ryegrass after the maize crop to keep the soil in the fields. The farmers hope that their efforts will inspire others in the catchment and beyond.

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“If we lead, by keeping it clean and looking after it,” said Matthew, “others who have use of the river will see what we’re doing and hopefully follow.”

The farmers are working with a range of partners including the Wessex Rivers Trust, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, FWAG SW and Cranborne Chase AONB on a project called the Crystal Clear Ebble.

Alex Deacon, Catchment Partnerships Manager for the Wessex Rivers Trust, said: “The farmers are in a fortunate position in that they can work together and deliver things at scale, which is a real benefit to biodiversity. We are working with the farmer cluster to plan and look at the opportunities to enhance things on a joined-up basis.”

Alex believes that the Chalke Valley Farmer Cluster’s actions are replicable along the course of the river, and that “the EFG has real potential to bring a lot of benefits for the health of our rivers in the Avon catchment”.