Natural England

A new partnership is set to secure the future of an internationally important area of sand dunes on the North Northumberland coast through a special agri-environment partnership.

Farmer John Sutherland’s family has farmed at Ross Links, in the shadow of Holy Island, for more than 70 years and he has grazed sheep and cattle on the gently rolling sand dunes as part of his farming practice.

Ross Links is part of an extensive sand dune system that extends across 285 hectares and forms part of the North Northumberland dunes SAC (Special Area of Conservation), which is of international importance for these habitats.

The dunes form a series of dune ridges of recent marine origin that shelter an ancient beach and glacial sands. The older leached sands support the largest block of dune heath in Northumberland, with heather and bell heather and acid dune grassland in mosaic, which is unique within the North East.

Since the 1940s farmers have responded to the changing national agricultural policies and financial incentives and the management of the dunes has been adjusted accordingly over the years for the production of both beef and lamb.

Keen to preserve and enhance the local landscape, Mr Sutherland first signed up to a management agreement almost 20 years ago. And he has now signed up to Defra’s Environmental Stewardship Higher Level Scheme (HLS), the first time there has been a comprehensive agreement covering the whole farming system.

The HLS agreement includes arable cereal crop rotation to provide alternative grazing elsewhere on the farm and optional permanent grass options and taking archaeological features out of cultivation for the further protection of the medieval village of Outchester in the future.

A new grassland area for wintering wader birds is being created alongside the Newlands Burn, a tributary of the Waren Burn that runs into Budle Bay SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) – also a new permanent pasture for geese.

The farm is run by Christopher and Robert Sutherland together with their father John, who said:

“In the past farmers were encouraged to produce more food and received grants to help improve productivity. Farming methods have changed over the years to suit government priorities and more recently the focus has been on the environment, preserving and enhancing our landscape.

“We’ve had ongoing management agreements here at Ross Links for almost 20 years and have worked hard to maintain the landscape. And this new agreement will help us continue that environmental work across the whole farm.”

Steve Pullan, agri-environment adviser at Natural England, which runs Environmental Stewardship on behalf of Defra, said:

“The Northumberland coast and its network of sand dunes are an important landscape feature and habitat for a wide range of birds, wildlife and plant species and in particular in this case the very rare dune heath found on Ross Links, which was one of the reasons it was designated a SAC.

“We’re delighted to be working with Mr Sutherland and other farmers across the region to develop agreements that enable them to protect and enhance their land in a way that benefits both their businesses and the wider environment.”

To find out more about Environmental Stewardship and HLS call your local Natural England office on 0191 229 5500 or log onto the website at : www.naturalengland.org.uk.

Ends

Notes to editors

1. Environmental Stewardship is an agri-environment scheme that provides funding to farmers and other land managers in England who deliver effective environmental management of their land. The scheme aims to build on the recognised success of the Environmental Sensitive Areas Scheme and Countryside Stewardship Scheme. Its primary objectives are to:

• Conserve wildlife (biodiversity)
• Maintain and enhance landscape quality and character
• Protect the historic environment and natural resources
• Promote public access and understanding of the countryside
• Natural resource protection

2. Within the primary objectives it also has the secondary objectives of:

• Genetic conservation
• Flood management

3. Environmental Stewardship has three elements:

Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) is a 'whole farm' scheme open to all farmers and land managers with conventional land. Farmers with a mix of conventionally and organically farmed land, or all their land is farmed organically, can apply for OELS (see below).

Organic Entry Level Stewardship (OELS) is a 'whole farm' scheme similar to ELS, open to farmers who manage all or part of their land organically and who are not receiving aid under the Organic Aid Scheme (OAS) or the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS).

Higher Level Stewardship (HLS), which is combined with ELS or OELS options, aims to deliver significant environmental benefits in high priority situations and areas. HLS is discretionary and concentrates on the more complex types of management, where land managers need advice and support and where agreements need to be tailored to local circumstances.

Natural England works for people, places and nature to conserve and enhance biodiversity, landscapes and wildlife in rural, urban, coastal and marine areas.

ISSUED ON BEHALF OF NATURAL ENGLAND BY GNN NORTH EAST, TEL: 0191 202 3603; FAX: 0191 202 3599; EMAIL: karen.bell@gnn.gsi.gov.uk