The Farmers Mart Dec-Jan 2019 - Issue 60 | Page 16

16 FARM NEWS
DEC/JAN 2019 • farmers-mart.co.uk
NFU supports targeted approach to tackling serious waste crime
ment’s approach to tackling se-
rious and organised waste crime
has recommended a Joint Unit for
Waste Crime (JUWC) led by the
Environment Agency with Police,
Crime Commissioners, HMRC and
waste industry representatives, all
working together.
NFU Vice President Stuart Rob-
erts said a new waste crime unit
may be the answer to help protect
the iconic British landscape.
He said: “Crime in the coun-
tryside doesn’t have a simple fix.
What it needs is commitment and
resource from all sides.
“The NFU supports the review
panel’s recommendation of a unit
to look specifically at waste crime
THE NFU is backing a recom-
mendation for the introduction
of a new unit to tackle the most
serious cases of waste crime,
providing it involves farmers and
landowners.
Latest fly-tipping statistics show
that there were 14,430 incidents
involving “significant [or] mul-
ti-loads” of waste in England in
2017-18, a rise of 43 per cent from
10,120 the year before.
The NFU has long called for a
joined-up approach to address
the issues of fly-tipping and the
large scale coordinated dumping
of rubbish. Now, an independent
review to look at the Govern-
but it is imperative that farmers
and landowners are involved at
every stage. Private landowners
are often required to clear up
waste dumped on their land, and
more needs to be done to help
victims clear up this waste. They
are the people at the sharp end of
the scourge of fly-tipping that has
a seriously detrimental effect on
lives and farming businesses.
“Over the past year, the NFU has
been engaging with the Govern-
ment and national police forces
and the seriousness of rural crime
is now beginning to be recog-
nised.”
www.ruralcrimereportingline.uk
Bee-lief’ in wildflowers’ value to courgette pollination
2017 courgette crop, with
pollination services valued
around £3,400 a hectare.
Results showed there was
no significant difference in
crop yield when humans
pollinated each flower by
hand compared to natural
levels of pollination, show-
ing how effective bees are
with zero labour costs.
Wildflowers are essential
for maintaining healthy bee
populations and in cour-
gette field margins, they
were shown to attract bees
into the crop, helping to
provide stable long-term
AN AHDB funded PhD
has revealed the value
of pollination services to
courgettes, finding that
wildflower field margins can
improve bee species’ work,
while aiding their conser-
vation.
The study discovered that
with pollinator insects like
honey bees and buff-tailed
bumblebees present, crop
yields were 39 per cent
higher than when they were
excluded. That addition-
al yield could have been
worth £3.6 million to the
services across growers’
land.
This understanding
enables growers to make
informed planting deci-
sions, which benefit both
crop yield, bee population
levels and the environment,
before the 2019-growing
season begins.
Courgette nectar and
pollen measurements were
taken to simulate bee pop-
ulation dynamics in ‘virtual
landscapes’ with courgette
fields present, using a bum-
blebee population model
called BEE-STEWARD.
Credit John Freddy Jones
Pollination rates and the
abundance and diversity of
pollinators were measured
across 23 different study sites
with most based in Cornwall,
and some in Worcestershire
and Cambridgeshire.
The BEE-STEWARD software
can be downloaded from:
http://beehave-model.net/
Focus on soils now to benefit next spring
FARMERS are being encour-
aged to focus on soils this
autumn, to help maximise grass-
land potential next spring.
Wynnstay’s arable specialist,
Sarah Evans, says farmers should
be looking to improve grassland
quality now because it will have
a direct impact on livestock pro-
duction profitability and feeding
regimes in the spring, and the in-
itial starting point should always
be the soil.
“Ensuring your soil is the cor-
rect pH makes a huge difference
to the productive potential of
grassland and should always
be the starting point,” says Miss
Evans. “Yet, over the last thirty
years, there has been a 50 per-
cent reduction in the number of
farmers liming soils.
“This has led to soils becom-
ing acidic, which significantly
impacts nutrient availability,
reducing both grass yield and
quality as well as the efficiency
of any fertiliser applications.”
She says regular assessment is
key to establish when lime needs
to be applied. “It’s important
to carry out regular pH testing
alongside soil sampling, on a
field–by–field basis, to establish
where any pH imbalances and
nutrient deficiencies may be.
“The target grassland soil pH is
between 6.3 and 6.5 and regular
applications of lime are usually
needed to redress lime losses
and acid build-up.”
In addition to ensuring opti-
mum nutrient availability, Miss
Evans adds other benefits of
achieving target soil pH include
increased organic matter and
earthworm activity, which helps
to improve soil structure.
She also suggests aerating soils
that have become dried out and
compacted over the summer.
Finally, creating a bespoke
fertiliser plan will ensure the cor-
rect type and level of nutrients
are put back into soils.
http://www.wynnstayarable.uk/