THE Northern Farming Conference held at Newcastle Racecourse recently was a welcome opportunity to bring together a wide range of interests to discuss some of the future challenges to the industry.

It was especially encouraging to hear constructive discussions about how important it is for farmers to recognise that becoming greener can help boost their farm’s productivity and profitability, as well as the region’s biodiversity.

In northern England there are more than 17,000 agri-environment scheme agreements covering in excess of 2.1 million hectares – about 81 per cent of the total agricultural area. Natural England invests about £114m into the economy of northern England each year through agri-environment schemes.

This investment provides a valuable additional income stream that supports farm businesses and delivers important measures to encourage wildlife and protect water and soil quality; for example, through the planting of new hedgerows, creation of new wetlands, sowing wild bird seed mix, and creating skylark plots.

There will be many challenges for the industry, but we look forward to working with farmers to develop ways to support everything that the countryside has to offer and to help land managers achieve the balance between agricultural production and environmental enhancement that is necessary for all our futures.

Adrian Vass, Area Manager, Natural England North-East, Newcastle.