David Bellamy praises farmers

THE beneficial work which many farmers do towards conserving Britain’s natural environment deserves to be better recognised, according to natural historian David Bellamy.

Speaking at Reaseheath College in Nantwich, Cheshire, the botanist and global environmental campaigner emphasised there are a lot of good farmers operating management plans which benefit both their businesses and the wildlife on their farms.

“There are many success stories about people within the agricultural industry who are doing their bit to help Britain’s biodiversity,” he said. “There are certainly farmers who are taking a key role in being part of the solution. It’s time we got this good news out onto a wider stage.”

He said traditional small farm production had ensured wide biodiversity but this was still achievable despite more intensive management.

Reaseheath College had its own superb example in the way its farm manager, Sam Grundy, balanced the needs of wildlife with the requirements of a commercial farm plus the educational demands of a land based college.

This had been done by measures such as the sympathetic planting of wild flowers in field margins, the introduction of hundreds of trees in hedges and copses, the creation of wildlife corridors and by protecting water systems.

Mr Bellamy was at Reaseheath to dedicate a commemorative stone on a £3 million animal management training centre, which will be completed later this summer.

The new building will include specialist rooms for reptiles, amphibians and fish, accommodation for domestic animals, teaching and meeting rooms and an impressive entrance to the college’s zoo.

It is the second phase of a major refurbishment which has already provided the department with a £1.5m dog grooming parlour, laboratories and training facilities.

04 June 2010