LEADING farm organisations have launched a campaign to keep the environmental benefits of set-aside.

They want farmers to adopt voluntary methods rather than having compulsory measures imposed by Government, which could take five per cent of land out of production and cost £40m.

The National Farmers’ Union and Country Land and Business Association (CLA) have published their Campaign for the Farmed Environment.

Henry Aubrey-Fletcher, CLA president, said: “Farmers are the people who know best how to get the balance right between productive farming and sound environmental management, and this campaign puts them in the driving seat.”