A KEY farming organisation has responded after one south west council declared a 'nature emergency'. 

A motion was passed by Dorset Council on July 17 stating the urgent action must be taken to protect nature in the area. They have set clar goals for nature recovery by 2030 - and one of their aims is to work with farmers to improve biodiversity. 

The National Farmers Union (NFU) has written to the council to open up discussions about how farmers and the local authority can work together to protect the environment. 

Wakely Cox, NFU Dorset chair, said: “We have written to the council and are pleased that they want to work with us so we can continue the good work farmers are already doing looking after the environment, enhancing it alongside producing local, traceable, high-quality food for the country.

“We all want to maintain our green and pleasant lands here in Dorset and farmers across the county are doing all they can to care for the environment while doing what we need on farm to keep feeding the nation.

“Dorset farmers are already implementing techniques on their farms to benefit the environment alongside their day-to-day farming, planting hedges and trees, putting in seed mixes for birds and pollinators and doing many other positive things to bolster biodiversity.

“In the Poole Harbour area in particular, farmers have changed what they are doing to enhance the environment and look after the land.

“I’m pleased that the council has retained the use of glyphosate where necessary especially on grass verges as it is the most efficient and cost-effective way of tackling weeds if used in a responsible manner.

“I think the future for the wellbeing of our environment is a positive one – I’m out in the fields every day and the wildlife is abundant without any evidence that nature is depleted.”

George Hosford, who farms near Blandford Forum with his brother and nephew, introduced herbal leys onto the farm five years ago. They also grow six metre wild flower margins around fields, and are rejuvenating and planting new hedges. 

Most of the sowing on the 800 hectare of farmland is no-till meaning the soil is disturbed as little as possible and bare land is minimised by the use of multi-species cover crops at every opportunity. This is to protect soil from harsh weather conditions and to lock up nitrogen in the ground before winter.

“Nature has taken a battering from many historic farming methods, as well as from house and road building, sewage pollution of rivers and the endless stream of delivery vans flying all across the country, but I’m disappointed that there is no mention of farming being part of the answer to the council’s declaration of a ‘nature emergency’," George said.

“Many farmers are doing fantastic work to bring back nature into the countryside – they are re-discovering the value of providing new habitat for the natural predators of crop pests, of growing crops that fix their own fertiliser from the atmosphere and are paying more attention to soil health, and much of this is encouraged by the newly introduced Sustainable Farming Incentives now on offer from DEFRA.”