Forum for Sustainable Farming

Farm Environmental Action Plans

The Sustainable Agriculture Standards for peas require all growers to have a whole farm Environmental Action Plan containing clear targets for improvement.  In order to help growers develop these plans and set

meaningful targets appropriate to the habitats and species in their local farm areas,

the Forum for Sustainable Farming enlisted the help of the Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG). 

 FWAG advisors have been visiting all the farms growing peas for Birds Eye to train farmers to produce  their plans. 

Improving the sustainability skills of farmers

In 2005 the Forum for Sustainable Farming gained a grant from Defra under the Vocational Training Scheme to deliver a programme of participative training with pea growers. The training proved successful so further funding was awarded in 2006/2007 to continue the training. Training specialists were contracted to deliver workshops on subjects such as soil management and water protection, creation and management of grass and wildflower margins, waste management, energy budgets and carbon accounting. 

Help was also given to enable growers to prepare to enter the new Environmental Stewardship Entry Level Scheme.

Improving the breeding success of ground nesting birds in pea crops

Several years work by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) on Birds Eye pea farms showed that pea crops were particularly important habitats for ground nesting birds such as lapwings, yellow wagtails and skylarks.

Since these species are causing concern nationally due to general population declines in recent years, guidelines were developed by the BTO for farmers to follow, enabling crop management practices  

which help these  birds  to breed successully in   pea crops    

Yellow wagtail   

Jill Pakenham    (via BTO)

Barn Owl nest boxes

In association with local conservation groups specialising in owl boxes, the Forum has been encouraging growers to erect nest boxes for barn owls on their farms.

Barn owls: Tommy Holden (via BTO)

These beautiful birds are representative of a healthy landscape with plenty of biodiversity.