The Environmental Farmers Group covering the River Avon catchment in Hampshire is coming towards the end of its first year as an entity, having drawn membership from seven established farmer clusters.
The group’s aims are to deliver cleaner water, increase biodiversity (especially bird species), and achieve net-zero carbon by 2040 – with a view to trading any gains in all three for the benefit of members.
Since Farmers Weekly first visited the Environmental Farmers Group (EFG) last April, numbers have continued to grow, from about 82 “expressions of interest” covering 40,000ha to 130 expressions of interest covering 60,000ha.
Of these, 80 farmers are now fully signed up – paying the £1.25/ha joining fee – with some 38,000ha covered by the scheme.
“This is pretty much where we hoped to be,” says EFG chairman Rob Shepherd.
