Sitting up and listening: why the State of Nature report is an urgent call for the food industry to act on nature’s decline before it’s too late  

 Mark Varney, Head of Fair to Nature at the RSPB 

“The UK’s wildlife is better studied than in any other country in the world and what the data tells us should make us sit up and listen” were the words of the RSPB’s chief executive, Beccy Speight, as the landmark State of Nature report was launched recently. As the best available snapshot of how UK wildlife is faring, the report makes for sobering reading.

Using over 50 years’ worth of data, away from the startling headlines that one in six species are at now risk of being lost from Great Britain, the report unavoidably brings home the urgency for us all to act; food brands, retailers, farmers, shoppers and governments.

The evidence shows that the intensive way in which we manage our land for farming and the continuing effects of climate change, are the two biggest drivers of nature loss. Yet with nature underpinning our ability to produce food, and its loss one of the biggest threats to long term food security here in the UK, we cannot afford to push our wildlife to the brink any further.

There is no denying that pollinating insects, for instance, play a critical role in food production, yet they have decreased by 18% on average since 1970. The study found that alongside pollinator numbers falling, species providing pest control, such as the 2-spot Ladybird, have dropped by more than a third (34%) during the same time frame. With pollination services alone worth millions of pounds to UK agriculture, it simply does not make business sense to leave nature in freefall.

Thankfully, there are solutions, and many brilliant and tenacious nature-friendly farmers are already leading the charge without losing out on profits. At the RSPB’s Hope Farm for instance, nature is a much welcome by-product of a resilient profit-making farm. Demonstrating the art of what is possible, food production here functions alongside measures to benefit wildlife, and the results amongst breeding bird populations alone have been astonishing; increasing by 177% since the farm has been managed with wildlife in mind.

Nature simply can’t wait, and with 71% of the UK’s land managed by farmers and other land managers, we have both the largest opportunity to turn the state of UK nature around, but also stand to lose the most if we fail to act.

That’s why the RSPB, through its Fair to Nature scheme, is providing food businesses with the means to act on wildlife declines, empowering and supporting farmers with a viable way of bringing nature back while marketing their products to consumers who care.

As the UK’s only certification scheme with a focus on biodiversity and a proven approach to restoring the balance of nature in farming, Fair to Nature farms across the UK are committing to protecting and restoring biodiversity with the help of dedicated advice and support from the RSPB.

By signing up, brands commit to sourcing ingredients from Fair to Nature certified farms, where farmers dedicate at least 10% of their farmed land to a range of habitats that have been proven to reverse wildlife declines, such as wildflowers for pollinators and beneficial predators, seed-rich crops to feed farmland birds, and field boundaries and margins providing ‘wildlife corridors’ around the countryside.

With two thirds (67%) of adults concerned with the decline in the variety of UK wildlife in the last 50 years, shoppers are increasingly looking for proven ways to help turn the tide for nature. This growing desire to tackle nature loss has never been more prevalent than following the worrying declines highlighted by the State of Nature report, and now is the time to answer the calls of both our precious wildlife and the nation’s nature-lovers.

The food and farming system here in the UK stands to fail if we do not redress the balance with nature, and Fair to Nature is a clear solution for UK food businesses who want to offer that choice to customers, many of which are hungry for change.

A version of this opinion piece was published in The Grocer Magazine on 28th October and on their website

Image credits: (1) Peter Dean (Agripicture Images), (2) Shelley Abbott (RSPB), (3) Brin Hughes

For the Nov/Dec issue of Ethical Consumer Magazine, columnist Simon Birch interviewed our very own Mark Varney about how we are tackling the declines in farmland biodiversity here in the UK with our RSPB Fair to Nature farm and food certification scheme.

Mark highlighted the loss of biodiversity with some of the statistics around the declines in the population of Tree Sparrows and other farmland birds, and added that ‘without nature, there is no food.’

He then went on to explain how our RSPB Fair to Nature certified farmers manage as least 10% of their farmland for wildlife and are provided with advice on how to work more closely with nature for the benefit of all.

Food brands who sign up to the scheme buy from the certified farms and can display the RSPB Fair to Nature logo on the packaging of certified products, helping consumers make positive choices to support our farmland wildlife.

You can read the whole article here.

Reproduced with thanks to Ethical Consumer Magazine and Simon Birch (@SimonBirchSays).

Summerdown are the Peppermint People. They grow, harvest and distil their signature Black Mitcham peppermint on their Hampshire farm – and have been doing so for over 25 years.

Black Mitcham is an extraordinary peppermint prized for its pure, bright character and it’s a taste that had been all but lost to England. Alongside other arable crops and herbs such as camomile and lavender, the Summerdown team now grow around 100 acres of Black Mitcham, transforming it into their own single-estate peppermint oil, which they use in their peppermint mint tea as well as in their chocolates and other products.

But what has that got to do with Stone-curlews?

Well, the farm at Summerdown has been a Fair to Nature certified farm since 2004, so it’s fair to say the Summerdown team is passionate about sustainable farming. Sustainability has always been a way of life at Summerdown. They believe in farming for the future, always thinking about their impact on the environment and how they can maintain a thriving, sustainable ecosystem.

Biodiversity is crucial to the business and is championed by the peppermint. The team shares a holistic approach to the farm – every area of the farm is connected. The health of the peppermint crop, for example, is dependent on hedgerows and the wildlife found within them and this is why encouraging birds to nest on the farm is so vital.

Master of Mint and Farm Manager, Ian, has turned Summerdown into a peppermint playground for wildlife, insects and flowers. There are bees galore in the mint fields, barn owls in farm buildings and every year special feed crops for birds are planted and wildflower seeds are sown, encouraging creatures to make themselves at home around the fields and woodlands.

There have been two nesting pairs of Stone-curlew this year (2023) so Ian and the team are hopeful that this is the start of a population increase. Summerdown Farms is a member of the RSPB’s Wessex Stone-curlew project and for a number of years the birds have only visited, so it is hugely exciting for the farm to have breeding pairs once more!

Stone-curlews are creatures of habit and often return to their site of birth so we hope this is the start of a thriving population.

Essential oil crops such as peppermint and lavender are ideal for ground nesting birds because the ground is not disturbed – the crops are perennial so remain in the soil throughout the winter.

Stone-curlews prefer to nest on high ground, with good 360 degree views and few trees, and will often lay eggs within metres of the spot used in previous years. The Summerdown birds are the same, and with arable crops in adjoining fields and no footpaths nearby they also remain undisturbed by dog walkers.

The stone-curlews are monitored by a licensed expert, an RSPB volunteer, and his advice is followed to the letter to protect these birds. Nests are marked with canes so they can be left undisturbed by farm machinery, helping ensure their success.

As many readers will be aware, there has been a nationwide decline in farmland birds due to factors such as the loss of suitable habitats and changes in farming in the drive for ever cheaper food, so it is great to see the return of Stone-curlews at Summerdown. They join other farmland birds including Lapwing, Skylark, Yellowhammer and a wide variety of other wildlife, which call the farm home. Long may they keep their googly eyes on Summerdown’s Fair to Nature farming.

We can all help Stone-curlews and many other farmland birds by ensuring that the ingredients in the foods we buy are sourced from nature-friendly farms and the RSPB’s Fair to Nature Mark makes these products easily recognisable. The Fair to Nature team work with farms and food businesses, like Summerdown, to increase the amount of nesting and foraging habitats available to farmland wildlife. Summerdown’s range of herbal teas will soon be some of the first products to carry the new RSPB Fair to Nature Mark.

Fair to Nature Conservation Advisor, Kevin Rylands, looks at how Countryside Stewardship options can fit well with Fair to Nature habitat requirements.

In England, the application window for 2024 Countryside Stewardship (CS) Mid-Tier and Wildlife Offer agreements, opened on 21 March and remains open until 18 Aug 2023.  

Each agreement offers farms a five-year grant for management, providing a guaranteed financial return for delivering benefits for biodiversity and the ‘public good’, such as soil, pollution, and flood management.

For wildlife to thrive a minimum of 10% of the farmed area needs to provide the six key FarmWildlife actions, and therefore be Fair to Nature. These areas can be funded through Mid-tier, and carefully deciding what options, and where to site them, will allow you to maximise the biodiversity and financial benefits.

In addition to boosting wildlife, entering Mid-tier can help make financial savings, siting options on unproductive or low yielding areas, improving soil condition and water quality, and boosting populations of beneficial invertebrates can all make a difference to the bottom line. An application can contribute to an integrated pest management approach, enhancing wildlife whilst reducing the use and cost of inorganic fertilisers and pesticides whilst still achieving your yields.  Fair to Nature farms manage and maintain their areas of priority habitat in good ecological condition, supported by Mid-tier options such as Management of species-rich grassland (GS6) or Ditches of high environmental value (WT3). These are often used alongside the Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife Package (WPFWP) to deliver the various Fair to Nature habitats as well boosting the score/value of applications for this competitive scheme. Agreements are awarded to those planning to make the biggest environmental improvements in their local area and demonstrate the best value for money.

Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife Package

There are three packages for arable, mixed and pastoral farms, these can all be combined with other options to complete your Mid-tier application.

Wildlife Offers

In addition to the competitive scheme Mid-tier also includes four Wildlife Offers, agreements are guaranteed providing minimum thresholds are met. By selecting the right options all farms and farming types can be Fair to Nature. As befits the range of farming, a range of different options work best in each offer.

Photo credits: Landscape – Gethin Davies/RSPB; Bumblebee – Kevin Rylands/RSPB; Corn Bunting – Simon Tonkin

…AS survey finds two thirds of adults are concerned with wildlife decline in the UK

• New research reveals two thirds (67%) of adults are concerned with the decline in the variety of UK wildlife in the last 50 years, demonstrating to farmers, food brands and supermarkets that shoppers want to see action
• Shoppers have more choice than ever, and 55% of people surveyed regularly use certification labels to help them choose what food and drink to buy
• New on-pack RSPB branding for Fair to Nature – a ground-breaking initiative that is scientifically proven to reverse wildlife declines and deliver the highest level of biodiversity – gives environmentally-conscious consumers the answer they’re looking for
• The UK’s food and farming system is a key ally in the face of the Nature and Climate Emergency. Many much-loved species are in decline:
  • 41% of farmland bird species in the UK have decreased since 1970
  • 97% of herb-rich meadows have been lost since the 1930s
  • Ten of the 19 ‘indicator’ species of farmland bird are red listed.

New research commissioned by the ground-breaking food and farming certification scheme Fair to Nature highlights the growing concern about nature loss and a desire to halt its decline, with 67% of UK adults found to be concerned with the decline in the variety of UK wildlife compared to 50 years ago.

The results of the Ipsos UK survey provide a “wake-up call” to farmers, food and drink brands and supermarkets, with 50% of those surveyed saying protecting wildlife habitats should be an environmental priority in the UK.

In fact, with more choice than ever, 55% of people surveyed use certification labels to help them choose what food and drink to buy. With the newly launched on-pack RSPB branding for Fair to Nature certification, consumers are now provided with the reassurance they need that their choices are scientifically proven to reverse wildlife declines and deliver the highest level of biodiversity.

Managed by the RSPB, the UK’s largest wildlife and conservation charity, Fair to Nature is the only UK certification scheme with a focus on biodiversity and reversing the loss of nature that threatens our long-term food supply. With research showing that UK wildlife decline is a key concern of consumers, the certification scheme not only boosts biodiversity, but consumer confidence too.

Talking of the significance of the scheme, Mark Varney, head of Fair to Nature said: “These results are a wake-up call to farmers, food brands and supermarkets that their shoppers want to see action in helping reverse the terrifying loss of biodiversity that is taking place. Over recent years in the UK we’ve seen the disappearance of half of our native farmland wildlife and witnessed the ecosystems we all depend on for our food come under threat. Put simply, without nature there is no food, and in the fight against the Nature and Climate Emergency, the UK’s food and farming system is a key ally.

“Not only this, but as the results show, ethical consumerism is on the rise, especially when it comes to food and drink. Shoppers are looking for messaging that’s easy to recognise, connect with and understand. Fair to Nature does exactly what it says on the label and keeps consumers coming back, safe in the knowledge that they can trust a standard guaranteed by science and certified by the RSPB.”

Food brands and supermarkets who support Fair to Nature agree to buy from certified farms and can display the new Fair to Nature logo on the packaging of certified products, ensuring consumers are able to make positive choices to spend their money in support of restoring critical farm ecosystems and wildlife habitats.

The ground-breaking Fair to Nature initiative has already achieved incredible results: one farm has seen a 226% increase in breeding birds, a 213% increase in farmland butterflies, almost double the floral diversity and up to 19 times more bees than typical farms.

By restoring the balance of nature in farming and increasing biodiversity, farmers also reap the on-farm benefits of the standard. Increased pollinator numbers, improvements in soil quality and a reduction in the volume of chemicals required can save money and helps to bolster the long-term security of food production.

The Fair to Nature certification standard, now with consumer friendly on-pack branding, is available to dairy, livestock, horticultural and wine producers. Fair to Nature farmers make at least 10% of their farmed land, including areas difficult to farm productively, available to a range of high-quality nature habitats, whilst managing their soils and inputs in more sustainable ways that are supportive and work alongside nature.

Survey technical note

On behalf of the RSPB, Ipsos interviewed a representative quota sample of 1,128 adults aged 16-75 in the UK. Interviews took place on the online Omnibus between 17^th-20^th March 2023. Data for all adults 16+ interviewed have been weighted to the known offline population proportions for adults aged 16+ in the UK.

The 2nd of February is Time to Talk Day. Time to Talk Day is all about creating supportive communities by having conversations with friends, family and colleagues about mental health. We’ve invited Alex Phillimore from the Farming Community Network to tell us about the support the Network provides for people in the farming sector. 

The Farming Community Network (FCN) is a voluntary organisation and charity that aims to improve the health and wellbeing of people in farming and provide support at times of difficulty and change.

Founded in 1995, FCN supports approximately 6,000 people each year with a wide variety of issues, from family relationship challenges and financial concerns to animal welfare issues and mental ill-health.

Volunteers are at the heart of FCN. The charity has 30 county groups of volunteers covering 35 counties across England and Wales. The charity’s volunteers live and work within farming communities, have close links with agriculture and therefore have a great understanding of the issues farmers and farming families regularly face. They provide a vital listening ear, support and ‘walk with’ people, helping them find a positive way forward.

As well as providing local support, the charity also operates a helpline (03000 111 999) and e-helpline (help@fcn.org.uk), open 7am-11pm, 365 days of the year.

FCN also works closely with other charities, including local support organisations, ensuring help is available to those who need it. FCN is part of the Farming Help alliance – which also includes charities the Addington Fund and Forage Aid, and the charities work together to provide support to the farming community.

FCN engages in a wide variety of proactive work to support people in agriculture. From organising national campaigns to developing research projects and publications, FCN helps to promote a positive attitude towards change and build strong and resilient communities.

The charity’s FarmWell website (farmwell.org.uk) contains information around a wide variety of topics to support farmers and their businesses – including mental and physical health support, contingency planning, family mediation and succession planning, to name a few.

The charity has recently published research with the University of Exeter’s Centre for Rural Policy Research that explores some of the primary causes of loneliness and isolation in farming communities. One common thread that emerged in the interviews conducted was a need for more social opportunities for farmers that fit within their busy schedules: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/soru.12399

With this in mind, FCN has recently launched an initiative called Yarn in a Barn, which hopes to bring together people within farming and rural communities, providing social opportunities and a chance to discuss topical agricultural issues.

Yarn in a Barn will help to address the issue of loneliness in farming by providing a range of opportunities to bring farmers together. Importantly, the project also encourages discussions and conversations around topical issues or challenges in farming, including changing policy, new schemes or animal disease. The hope is to encourage a positive approach to change, create local support networks and highlight help and information that may be available. Yarns will be taking place throughout 2023, with FCN volunteer groups currently in the process of planning out what will be most relevant for farmers at a local level. FCN works to create a resilient and healthy farming future that can thrive now and in the years to come.

Find out more by visiting the website fcn.org.uk.

All images are credited to the Farming Community Network.