Ian Margetts, Farm Manager at Summerdown, grows around 100 acres of Black Mitcham peppermint which is transformed into their peppermint oil, which they use in their peppermint tea, as well as in their chocolates and other products.

The farm has been a member of RSPB Fair to Nature since 2004. The team at Summerdown sees value in the Fair to Nature Farm Plan, drawn up with support from our farmland conservation advisors, and covering ways to manage existing habitats and create new ones, allowing nature to thrive. 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.

Benefits to nature

Ian shares the visible signs of nature being restored since adopting a nature-friendly farming approach:

“There are a lot of small changes that have had a big impact on the amount of wildlife we see on the farm.  We are seeing more bird life, more insects and more pollinators.

We’ve got birds here that we’ve never had before, including Stone-curlews, and a lot more Lapwings and Skylarks. We have Barn Owls and the habitats that support them. If we have Barn Owls on the farm, then it means everything beneath it is working perfectly. The environment is in a good place to support those top predators”.

Stone-curlew at Summerdown

There have been two nesting pairs of Stone-curlew at Summerdown, and Ian and the team are hopeful that this is the start of a population increase.

Summerdown Farm 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.

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.

Photographer: Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)

Hainey Farm

Hainey Farm in Cambridgeshire is a founder farm member of G’s Growers, (G’s is one of the UK’s largest salad growing businesses). Today at Hainey Farm (494ha) they grow Iceberg, Little Gem and Romaine lettuce, celery, onions, beetroot and winter wheat amongst other crops, some grown conventionally as well as organically.

The farm became RSPB Fair to Nature certified in 2017, which the farm team sees as the gold standard for wildlife enhancement.

“At G’s Norfolk Farms, we have created a unique habitat combining large-scale salad and vegetable production while allowing wildlife to flourish. We have worked with RSPB Fair to Nature since 2016 and have received valuable guidance from their advisers in helping to identify habitats to incorporate into our farm.  

Across our 1,400ha farm, we have c.10% of our total farm in uncropped areas, with 70 miles of native Fen species, Willow and Alder hedgerows and 80 miles of interconnected watercourses and ditches which and provide a natural habitat for biodiversity and Fenland birds to thrive.

We have been able to monitor good populations of farmland specialist indicator species of Grey Partridge, Corn Bunting, Yellow Wagtail, Whitethroat, Lapwing and Skylark across the farm as well as breeding Barn Owls, Kestrels and Marsh Harriers. We are proud to host one of the UK’s largest populations of breeding Nightingales that return not only to the farm but the same bush year after year.” 

 

Benefits of RSPB Fair to Nature for Farmers

Working with RSPB Fair to Nature means support from an experienced conservation advisor who works with the farmer to identify the types of changes that can be made on farm to support nature, including improving the management of existing habitats and interventions that support new habitats.  Andrew Holland, (RSPB Agricultural Advisor) said, “Already, bird numbers are increasing, with Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer numbers rising dramatically and a population of Tree Sparrows, not only feeding, but breeding on the farm has now been recorded, which is fantastic,”.

Benefits to wildlife

Since entering into the scheme, a wide range of options have been applied to enhance all flora and fauna. Nearly 12ha of bird seed mix has been sown specifically to provide food during the winter, for farmland birds. Over 20ha of flowers have been sown across the farmed landscape, including ox-eye daisy, bird’s foot-trefoil, red clover and musk mallow. These will provide butterflies, hoverflies, moths and bees with a much-needed nectar and pollen resource throughout the year. Tussock grass margins and grassland fields extend over 28ha of the farm. Margins are placed strategically alongside watercourses and hedgerows to protect existing habitats. 11 miles of joined up habitat snake across the farm. Charles Shropshire says:

“The strategy we have implemented is already showing benefits, which is very rewarding”.