98 per cent of farmers say that protecting farm wildlife is important, and the video celebrates the work that has been done on farmland to ensure environmentally friendly habitats are created or preserved.

Farms in England grow 8000 hectares of flowers for pollinators, and farmers grow 12,274 hectares of food for farmland birds. 7,387 kilometres of watercourses travelling through farmland have been fenced to keep the water clean, under the industry-led Campaign for the Farmed Environment (CFE).

CFE co-ordinator Sam Durham said: ”This new video demonstrates that UK farmers care about the environment they work in.

It is important that the public sees how much farmers are already doing voluntarily to maintain habitats for wildlife, wild flowers and plants for pollinators, and protect water courses. Farms are businesses that need to be profitable and productive, but as this video shows, many farmers also care for the environment, and provide a positive image of modern farming too.”

The video includes several farmers who are keen to share their good practice. Ally Hunter Blair, one of Channel 4’s First Time Farmers manages his field margins to protect hedgerows and watercourses.

NFU county vice chair Leicestershire, Northamptonshire & Rutland Phil Jarvis and other members of the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust’s Allerton Project are enhancing field corners for pollinators and birds. Fraser Hugill, CFE’s Yorkshire Coordinator, has fenced all his watercourses to keep his shorthorn cows out of the water.

“Back British Farming: How Farmers Protect the Environment” can be viewed on YouTube from Thursday 16 October.

Further Reading

You can view the video on YouTube by clicking here.