The Role Of Sustainable Farming In Conserving Welsh Uplands
Introduction
One of the biggest threats towards upland conservation is depopulation and land abandonment due to increased market pressures on land managers. The abandonment of the landscape and significant reduction of the resident population would facilitate in the natural restoration of ecosystem processes. The reduction of direct human influence on the landscapes would decrease the need for payment support. Benefits of such abandonment would increase wildlife populations, however, could result in an unkempt or even a nondiverse, monoculture landscape. To maintain the benefits of preserved cultural landscape, habitats and biodiversity land managers should be given incentives.
Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)
The Common Agricultural Policy is an agricultural policy first introduced in 1962. By implementing subsidies calculated by payment per hectare for land ownership, the policy is designed to ensure that EU farmers can make a reasonable living while increasing agricultural productivity, so that consumers have a stable supply of food. Since 2014, Wales receives £225million per year through EU support payments to farmers in wales. From 2014 until 2020 farmers also access EU funds of £302 million which are topped by the Welsh Government up to up to £900 million. Following 2020, the CAP support will no longer benefit welsh land owners due to the Brexit transition, however adherence to sustainable development will still come under two pieces of Welsh legislation being, The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 and Environment (Wales) Act 2016.
The future of policies is uncertain, the Brexit transition would cause for the designing of a British Agricultural policy which could mimic the current policy in place or could work to move payments away from ownership of land towards environmental benefit. Other options also consider a complete altering of policy towards which provides public monies for public goods.
Economical issues
Farming and Agriculture
Current markets for agricultural products are an issue for land managers who depend on export markets face extra tariffs. Other external financial costs and considerations include inputs such as fuel, wages and insurance, loan and banking costs will also continue to be a challenge. Income on lowland farms, on average, have been consistently higher than for highland farms, this is mainly because of the uplands having a larger quantity of extensive grazing livestock. These extensive farming methods tend to have lower incomes than more intensive farm types which occur more commonly in the lowlands, such as dairy farms. Most agricultural sectors and important farmland habitats in wales rely on the voluntary action of land managers and through provision and funding of Agri-environment schemes. Upland farms have the potential to draw a variety of other income sources, including renewable or low carbon energy development, rural tourism, and recreational opportunities.
Profitability
Upland farms cover 50% of the U. K’s agricultural land and contained 60% of ewes and sucker cows. Previous gross margin forecasts being £10/ acre for spring calving suckers and £69/ acre for hill sheep, with fixed costs standing at £190/ acre, that means a deficit of £120/ acre. Due to this increased financial pressure, cattle would be removed from mixed grazing systems resulting in sheep only grazing of the uplands, which would have a negative effect vegetation and habitats.
Social Issues
Farming and Agriculture
Upland areas provide a range of environmental goods and services. In recent years, society has become more aware of the importance of uplands, and their role of providing environmental goods and services, also known as ecosystem services. Sustainable land management could provide a solution to environmental issues by using “green” low carbon solutions, which would make good use of natural land resources.
Tourism
The welsh uplands are a common tourist destination, and home to many culturally historic sites and national parks. Welsh countryside, managed by farmers, attracts millions of tourists every year. Over 9. 6 million domestic and overseas tourists came to Wales to enjoy 33, 000km of public rights of way, 507km permissive footpaths and access to over 280, 000 hectares of open land between 2009 and 2010. Although there is the possibility of economic benefits from tourism, upland communities can find it particularly difficult to manage the pressures of tourism and are usually left vulnerable, therefore it highlights the need for a better partnership between the agricultural industry and tourism industry.
Environmental Issues
Farming and Agriculture
Environmental issues related to upland farming include high stock levels, and increased grassland production. Emphasis placed on sheep-only systems, or sheep and beef systems where beef are a minority stock which in turn relies on annual use of Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K) fertilisers for grazing and forage. Environmental impacts of fertilizers can cause the depletion of soil quality and increase acidity levels which lead to negative impacts on native flora and the production of carbon dioxide.
Damage to Habitat
Habitats most affected by sheep rearing are common lands composed mainly of upland heath. Moorlands have retained close links with agriculture up until the mid-18th century, this is where sheep-rearing became more common. Upland heath is a UKBAP priority habitat and halting its decline is a policy objective. Understanding the important role different herbivores have on habitat condition and the consequences for biodiversity is essential if we are to find a balance between public and private objectives for the management of the uplands.
The effect of a more sheep-only approach as opposed to rotational mixed grazing within enclosed land has been seriously detrimental to biodiversity and the environment; many habitats and species have been lost through overgrazing. This over-management of upland lead to the common struggling we see with increasing pressures on farmers in resorting to sheep intensification. However, Semi-natural habitats such as heathlands depend much on human intervention to stop them developing into woodland, therefore there needs to be a balance of heathland management.
Effect on Wildlife
Because of increased pressure, land managers have resulted in overstocking, this has led to the deterioration and maintenance neglect of important farmland habitats such as stone walls and hedgerows. This is due to demands of livestock husbandry, in which farm labour is in short supply. The deterioration of these habitats has had an impact on wildlife in which they support, causing a reduction in wildlife numbers. Nevertheless, reduction in stock would therefore lessen the impact on such habitats and further loss of upland wildlife could be prevented with sustainable management. According to a recent field experiment, the incorporation of mixed grazing cattle improved livestock productivity and reduced methane emissions relative to sheep only systems. Systems that also incorporated semi-natural grazing constantly supported more species of birds, without compromising cattle performance. The conclusion of the study demonstrated that mixed upland grazing systems benefited biodiversity, resulting in a solution to conservationists and farmers.
Conclusion
Once farmers maintain the land with effective methods such as extensive mixed cattle grazing systems, this will allow time for the habitat to recover and regenerate naturally. Regeneration of important species will bring further fruition and diversity to the habitat and ecosystem. Mixed cattle grazing comes with benefits of needing and maintaining diverse vegetation rather than dependency on one source. Cattle breeds often chosen by upland farmers are less selective grazers and are more efficient at converting low quality forage into high protein human food. The way in which these cattle breeds graze allows them to process and digest diverse foliage. Because of this ability to eat a wide range of semi natural vegetation they can aid in the reduction of dominant invasive plant species such as bracken and purple-moor grass which would otherwise take over heather moorland. The way in which these breeds of cattle graze involves the removal of tufts, leaving behind base and leaf, this forms a micro-environment in which favours many invertebrates and small plant species. Nevertheless, it is often the case that due to economical constraints, farmers do not utilise these methods for farming. Further actions are required to provide additional support to communities in the upland in order to maintain the Welsh uplands sustainably. This could be in the form of improved monetary incentives and increasing awareness through sustainable tourism schemes such as via the Tourism Product Innovation Fund (TPIF) which is supported by the Welsh government and funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).
However, with intricacy of the developments surrounding Brexit negotiations, there will be much to examine on depending on the outcome. According to the BBC (2018) The EU’s Common Agricultural Policy currently funds approximately £300m to Welsh farms every year. They also have greater dependency on the payments when compared to farms in England. The subsidies can account for up to 80% of the income for a farm in Wales.
