Set-aside land was originally introduced in the 1980s as part of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to reduce over-production of food in the EU. Fifteen years later, the half a million hectares of set-aside land is often considered one of the most attractive areas for wildlife on modern farms. However, new moves to further reform CAP could threaten this significant and widespread haven for wildlife.
Addressing MPs and Peers at a reception in Westminster this week, two leading conservation organisations; The Game Conservancy Trust (a leading game and wildlife research charity) and The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), urged Parliamentarians and policy-makers to ensure that the conservation benefits of set-aside were not lost but built into new agri-environment schemes.
Dr Stephen Tapper, director of policy and public affairs with the Trust said, "CAP is under review, with the possibility of removing Pillar 1. But attached to this is set-aside land, which represents 482,000 hectares or 5% of all agricultural land. Although not originally designed as a conservation measure, The Game Conservancy Trust has been busy turning it into one by developing measures such as special wild bird seed mixtures and it has become a superb refuge for creatures such as brown hares, field mice, bats, and songbirds as well as grasshoppers and bumble bees."
The Trust is concerned that farmers will have little incentive to retain set-aside in the face of improved grain prices and an anticipated demand for oilseed rape as a biofuel. The Trust would, therefore, like to see a substitute set-aside - not just a few token hectares but the bulk of it developed as field scale conservation land.
It would also be most effective if linked to the Entry Level Environmental Stewardship scheme to ensure that it remains widespread.
Mr Tom Oliver, head of rural policy at CPRE summarised the threat about the potential loss of set-aside, saying, "Set-aside is the prodigal son of agricultural policy, but it has, in the end, shown its value and we would be mistaken to lose this value in the next round of CAP reform. We need to resist the short-term attraction of releasing land solely for bio-energy production at the expense of other important eco-systems."
In addition, keeping the benefits of set-aside will help the Government to meet its obligations to reverse the decline in the number of farmland birds by 2020. Dr Tapper said, "Transforming set-aside into conservation land is the best way of making sure this happens."
