TOMORROW IS GROWN
FROM OUR COLLABORATION TODAY
The loss of biodiversity in the UK is placing increasing pressure on the UK farming industry, threatening the health of the land, the longevity of farming businesses and the stability of supply chains that need nature to thrive.
Join the growing number of farmers and producers working to address the biodiversity and climate crises. Fair to Nature is the only UK certification scheme with a focus on biodiversity and a proven agriculture centred approach to restoring the balance of nature in farming. Our aim is to build lasting partnerships with farmers and cultivate solutions, support, and opportunities that help you protect and restore nature on your land so we can sow the seeds of a more prosperous tomorrow.
The most precious part of Fair to Nature is being able to enjoy the bees, birds, butterflies and mammals that will share your farm with you!
BURGEONING NATURE
Thriving ecosystems and farms rich in bees, birds & butterflies
MARKET CONTRACTS
Do business with companies who value nature
SUSTAINABILITY
Demostrate your commitment to nature and other key environmental impacts
How does Fair to Nature work?
The Fair to Nature Standard is designed to deliver the highest level of biodiversity. Fair to Nature farmers dedicate at least 10% of their farmed land, including areas difficult to farm productively, to a range of high-quality habitats, which have been scientifically proven to reverse wildlife declines, whilst managing their soils and inputs in more sustainable ways that are supportive of nature.
By supporting nature and increasing biodiversity on your farm, reap the benefits of the scheme, with increased pollinator numbers, reduced need for chemicals and improvements in the quality of your soil.
What are the Fair to Nature habitat requirements?
The type and number of habitats required by Fair to Nature to make up the 10% area are based on scientific research and the six key elements advocated by the Farm Wildlife partnership:
- Semi-natural habitats in good ecological order (no minimum percentage but counts towards the 10%)
- Flower-rich habitats (minimum of 4%)
- Seed-rich habitats (minimum of 2%, unless farm has less than 10& cropped land)
- Wildlife-rich field boundaries and margins (minimum of 1%)
- Wet features (1 per 100 ha, with an average size of 25 m2)
- Other in-field habitats (no minimum)
Now applicable across the UK farming sector
Working with the Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN), our partners at Farm Wildlife and with farmers like you, the Fair to Nature Standard has been updated and extended. Fair to Nature began as an arable initiative but can now be used across the wider UK farming sector. It covers conventional and organic systems and can be applied on all farm types: livestock, dairy, cereals, mixed cropping, horticultural and many more.
The nature crisis is serious, but farmers like you can make a difference. If all UK farms turned 10% of their farmed land into managed ecosystems, we WOULD reverse biodiversity loss and ensure our land is fit for future generations.
How is Fair to Nature valuable for farmers?
- We help nature thrive on your farm while you receive recognition for doing this.
- We help you unlock new opportunities and routes to market.
- We help you improve efficiency and reduce the hidden cost of biodiversity loss.
- We are the only UK certification scheme focussed on farmland biodiversity offering ongoing on-the-ground support.
- We are owned and operated by the RSPB, backed by robust science and are an organisation your customers trust.
THRIFT FARM
Case Study
Thrift Farm in Hertfordshire has been in the Fair to Nature scheme since it started in the mid 1980’s. Robert Law is a first-generation farmer and when he took over the farm a lot of the hedgerows had been removed over the years to make way for larger machinery and more food production areas. Gradually he has been putting those hedgerows back, and much more besides.