Databank. Countryside stewardship

Citation

(2001), "Databank. Countryside stewardship", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 31 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/nfs.2001.01731daf.006

Databank. Countryside stewardship

Databank

Countryside stewardship

More than 3,000 farmers and landowners are to be recruited in the second instalment of the Government's programme for re-directing agricultural subsidies towards the improvement of the environmental and rural development. The number of stewardship agreements has increased from around 6,000 in 1996 to around 13,000 by 2000. The funds available for Countryside Stewardship Schemes has increased from £13 million a year in 1997 to £126 million a year in 2006. Stewardship already provides for over 1,100km of restored dry stone walls, over 10,000km of restored hedgerows and over 700 miles of permissive footpaths. It has also aided the establishment of around 13,000km of grass margins which are a haven for a wide variety of wildlife and plants. The scheme offers payment to farmers and land managers to improve the natural beauty and diversity of the countryside under ten year agreements. The scheme has already succeeded in trebling the number of song thrushes.