Empowering the little platoons
- Conservative Environment Network
- 8 hours ago
- 6 min read
Sundey Hill Farm is a 100 acre grassland farm in North Wiltshire that has been my home for the past 30 years, when I first moved here with my late husband, Roger Scruton. Back then, it was unusual for conservatives to be keen environmentalists, but, as you take care of the land and form strong relationships with your neighbours, the idea, as set out by Edmund Burke, of stewardship for both the living and the unborn, becomes an invitation to environmental action. For Roger, that led him to research and publish ‘Green Philosophy – How to think seriously about the planet’ in which he argues that the real custodians of the environment are to be found in the Burkean ‘little platoons’ that through local action and public spirit, work to protect their surroundings.
In 2020 I threw myself into taking full responsibility for the farm and also started reading more about how farmers can protect the environment. The new farming biographies of Isabella Tree and James Rebanks, which told the story of habitat loss from the dire farming practices of the 70s, 80s and 90s, made me keen to speak up for my farming neighbours who have farmed in a relatively sympathetic way for the environment. As a result our area has a distinct character with extensive hedges and oak trees characteristic of the former Braydon Forest. With ancient hedgerows still in place and much of the land grassland pasture, the farms in the Braydon Forest have a good level of biodiversity and support some rare species.
A friend (who has since become chair of the Parish Council) and I distributed a survey to gather evidence from our farming neighbours about their farming practice and values. The response was fascinating. It showed that farmers like the chance to be heard, that they have deep knowledge, and that they would like to farm in a nature friendly way. As one farmer said, “I want to do my bit, and leave the farm better than it was before.”
Their comments were inspiring and we were determined to find a way to encourage and protect our farmers as the new subsidy system came into effect. The seeds were sown to begin a bottom–up approach to environmental action where the conservative instincts of personal responsibility and the wisdom of the past were central.
Following the survey we began meeting to discuss the shared interest in ‘doing our bit’. One landowner, interested in preserving the last few curlew breeding sites in the area, introduced us to the biologist Jonny Cooper who worked for the Swindon Biological Records Office and Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. Jonny was able to link us to people who could help give us a more scientific understanding of our environment. He also started to inspire us to do more to preserve habitat for wildlife.
The way in which our group was working showed that environmental activism, that starts with a small local group with a shared interest, is a fantastic way to do something for the environment, and in our case to try to protect key species, from curlew to the marsh fritillary butterfly, and many less rare species benefit as well.
Our next step was to understand the new government policies known as environmental land management schemes (ELMs). These new post–Brexit subsidies arising from the Agriculture Act identified the environment as a ‘public good’ and the catch phrase ‘public money for public goods’ went into circulation.
The change away from EU funding based on the amount of land farmed, to a system that encourages nature–friendly farming is a good legacy of the Conservative government (when Lord Gove led the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)). ELMs reflected the general public’s interest in conservation and provided farmers with opportunities to learn, conserve and restore their farms and thereby deliver nature as a public good.
Our challenge has been to keep our environmentally friendly farmers on board with the funding prescriptions, when others might be trying to undermine the new policies by criticising them as paying farmers to grow wildflowers. In fact, subsidising the preservation of nature is exactly what the subsidy system should be for, to compensate farmers for delivering something that prevents them from achieving the highest price for their asset, which is their land. It is also now known that a benefit of providing woody shelter on farms, and taking care of the soil, leads to better livestock performance for dairy, beef, and lamb production, and on arable land, protects the soil and can also provide shelter and stimulants for crops.
As a group of farmers, led by Jonny, myself, and a farming consultancy called Just Farm, we applied for the Countryside Stewardship Facilitation Fund to be recognised as a farm cluster known as the Braydon Forest Farmers. We have met regularly, often inviting expert speakers. Some of our meetings have maintained an informal roundtable style from which we have learnt from each other and started to think about our area rather than just our individual farms.
We have also invited people from other local groups, such as the local Natural History Society and volunteers for the RSPB, to mix with us and to combine forces. This has led to farmers and volunteers working together to survey farms for rare species and increase our scientific benchmarking of habitats and nature. The ‘little platoons’ have stepped into action, and the grassroots approach means that people feel this is their initiative rather than one imposed from above.
Another challenge for the Braydon Forest Farmers is to explore ways to get their produce in front of consumers who are seeking food that is British, fresh, and meets high animal welfare standards. Our area was once known for its dairy farms, and although many have closed there are still around seven in the Braydon Forest. Interestingly many that survived are organic, and those farmers who made the switch to organic dairy farming about 25 years ago have found it easier to stay in business. This is partly because they broke the crippling cycle of spending money on fertiliser and sprays to make their pasture more productive.
It took a few years for the land to adapt to this low–input farming, but soon it recovered and yields were similar to previous levels. The new movement towards regenerative farming and grass–fed beef is another way in which farmers can increase their margins and meet consumer demand.
However, very few farmers have tried to sell directly to the consumer or to market their produce as special (with the notable exception cheese made at Brinkworth Dairy). From our survey work, we learnt that few farmers want to sell direct to customers. It would require new skills in terms of finishing the product and its distribution and marketing. Not many farmers are able to take this extra step. Some supermarkets however are working with farmers to ensure animals stay on the same farm throughout the whole production process, which is a welcome business model that offers the public an easy way to buy food produced to a high welfare and environmental standard. New policy and business support needs to encourage more of this.
Connecting farmers with the general public requires mutual respect and interest. Open Farm Sunday is a positive experience. We have opened up Sundey Hill Farm for the last eight years and three of our neighbouring farmers have also helped host the day and are on hand to talk to visitors about their own farms. We have all been inspired by the conversations with visitors, who are all ‘on our side’. Farmers who take part in Open Farm Sunday are rewarded with the public’s enthusiasm for farming. This is encouraging and offers a sense of value in farming and stewarding the land.
In stark contrast to the grassroots cohesion generated by the work of farm clusters is the local antipathy to new solar farms. These go against the ethos of farming as a type of stewardship, severing the ties between a farmer, their land, and the wider community. The Conservative Party response must be to ensure that local democracy and local knowledge has a role to play in the decision–making process and to consider other business and subsidy models to deliver green energy in a way that does not industrialise the countryside.
In conclusion, a conservative approach to environmental action, that is from the bottom up, enables many people to get on board and work together in a way that is rewarding both emotionally and financially. It is in keeping with the conservative instincts of community and with a system of local democracy that starts at Parish Council level. We have to remember that independent–minded farmers also possess the local knowledge that can help protect the environment and nature, and the subsidy system should support them in their stewardship role and help them achieve conservation goals that are shared with the wider public.
Views expressed in this chapter are those of the author, not necessarily those of the Conservative Environment Network.
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