Dartmoor Hill Farm Project
High Moorland Business Centre Old Duchy Hotel Princetown, Yelverton, Devon PL20 6QF Ph. 01626 836013, Fax. 01626 836001 Email: hillfarmproject@dartmoor-npa.gov.uk Website: www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/hillfarmproject
Hill Farm Project Newsletter, Spring 2009
New advisory service at Princetown
In response to landowners’, farmers’ and commoners’ feedback, and to increase communication and understanding, it has been arranged to have a member of staff from the Natural England Dartmoor Team and a member of staff from Dartmoor National Park Authority available between 9.30am and 4.30pm at the High Moorland Business Centre in Princetown. The dates for this experimental arrangement are 7 May, 4 June, 18 June, 2 July, 16 July, and 30 July. Andy Guy, Natural England Dartmoor Team Advisor, will operate a surgery on an appointments-based system. If you wish to make an appointment, Andy is contactable on 07771 505928. The surgeries will provide an advisory service on UELS/ELS/HLS/ESA Schemes and all other Natural England initiatives.
Contact details reminder: Please let the Hill Farm Project know of any changes to your contact details so we can continue to send you postal and electronic updates and newsletters. The HFP’s office is staffed from 9.30am - 3pm, Monday – Thursday.
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Hill Farm Project Training First Aid Course Wednesday 13 May, 6pm – 10pm, Postbridge Village Hall Trainer is Jan Piper from Ellendill Training. Cost, based on 16 people attending will be £20 (could go up or down a bit depending on numbers), including certificate. Please let HFP know by 2pm on Monday 11 May if you wish to attend. Payment, cheque or cash on the night. Trailer Training (for B & E licences), initial assessment lessons in May Taylor Made Driving in Exeter allocated a number of dates for us in May for initial assessment lessons, and are happy to set up additional dates if these are not suitable. It would be helpful to have some feedback about why people who expressed interest haven’t followed up and enrolled for this course to date. If you do want to book, please phone Jill Taylor of Taylor Made Driving asap on 0800 652 6669. A £50 deposit is payable before the first lesson. Dartmoor Farmers’ Association Training CIEH Level 2 Award in Food Safety 9am – 4.30pm, Wednesday 13 May, High Moorland Business Centre, Princetown (lunch is not provided) Course covers: legislation; food safety hazards; temperature control; refrigeration, chilling and cold handling; cooking, hot holding and reheating; food handling; principles of safe food storage; cleaning and food premises and equipment. This is a fully certificated course (Chartered Institute in Environmental Health), provided by Lynher Training and is free of charge to farmers on Dartmoor. As there is a limited number of places available, please contact George Swayne asap to make a booking – ph. 01822 810567, email george@lowercreason.fsnet.co.uk. News from Dartmoor Wool Producers’ Association With our aim being to pay farmers more for their wool, we have looked at various uses for wool and decided to go with one product, meat box liners. In a pilot project we have tested the product for suitability and insulation properties, with excellent results. We have also sounded out the Wool Marketing Board, who are supportive, and are in further consultation with Buckfast Spinners. So much to do yet , but with a fair wind we will have our product up and running this summer, when we will be looking to all you Dartmoor Sheep farmers for your poorer quality fleeces to turn into liners. This is an exciting adventure so watch this space! Contact Clare Butcher 01647 221251 or email butcher@beckaford.wanadoo.co.uk
Dartmoor Farms’ Carbon Reduction Project A new project funded by the Dartmoor Sustainable Development Fund and the Duchy of Cornwall Estate to undertake a carbon audit of 35 Dartmoor farms is being launched at Corringdon Farm, South Brent, courtesy of Mr Philip French and family, on Wednesday 3 June 2009, 10.30am to 2.30pm (lunch provided). Dartmoor National Park Authority and the Dartmoor Hill Farm Project are also partners in this project. FWAG will offer a subsidised half-day visit to undertake a carbon audit of the farm enterprise and to look for opportunities for cost savings through improved nutrient management or energy generation while also helping the environment. Farmers only need to contribute £100 towards the £450 cost of the visit. Another half day follow-up visit will take forward the audit results and offer free soil sampling and nutrient planning advice, or renewable energy feasibility advice by the Devon Association for Renewable Energy. Whilst on the farm, FWAG can also discuss possibilities for the Environmental Stewardship Scheme. Annabel Martin of FWAG, who will be carrying out the audits, said, “Dartmoor farmers are uniquely positioned to help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture. Whilst upland farmers’ extensive systems are already less reliant on artificial inputs, Dartmoor’s high rainfall and windspeeds offer opportunities for both hydro electricity generation, and farm-scale wind turbines to produce viable power generation. The woods around the edges of the moor also offer options for converting to woodfuel boiler systems. In addition, well managed peat soils are a sink for atmospheric CO2”. Please ring Devon FWAG on 01392 364392 if you would like to attend. Directions can be provided over the phone or e-mail.
Moorland Management Forum Dartmoor National Park Authority, in partnership with the Dartmoor Commoners’ Council, is reviving the Moorland Management Forum meetings. All commoners are invited to attend the first event, focusing on how the Moorland Vision is being implemented, which will be held at Haytor by kind invitation of the Haytor Commoners’ Association, on Thursday 11 June at 11am, meeting at the top car park. Representatives from partner organisations have also been invited to attend. A sandwich lunch (not including drinks), will be provided afterwards courtesy of the National Park Authority. Further information can be obtained from either Maurice Retallick, Chairman of Haytor Commoners’ Association (tel: 01364 661269) or Sue Halse (details below). Please RSVP by 4 June (to advise numbers for refreshments) to: Sue Halse, Land Management Officer, Dartmoor National Park Authority, Parke, Bovey Tracey TQ13 9JQ. Tel: 01626 831014 or email: landman@dartmoor-npa.gov.uk
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Dartmoor Livestock Initiative A funding bid has been submitted by Dartmoor National Park Authority on behalf of key stakeholders representing the farming community on Dartmoor: namely, Dartmoor Commoners’ Council, Dartmoor Farmers’ Association and key landowners such as the Duchy of Cornwall. The application has been formulated in response to the South West Regional Development Agency’s announcement of a £3 million boost for upland farmers on Bodmin, Dartmoor and Exmoor. The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the viability of farm businesses on Dartmoor in ways that help sustain the special qualities of the National Park. This objective will be achieved through: • Provision of information and advice (for example, on RDPE commissioned projects such as South West Healthy Livestock Initiative, SWARM, etc. so that Dartmoor farmers are well positioned to benefit from relevant parts of these projects); Support for the development of ideas into project proposals which can be submitted for funding; Promotion and support for collaboration between farmers; and Co-ordination and development of joint working with other sectors (eg tourism and catering) and key stakeholders.
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The project will employ a full-time project officer and a part time administrator. The team will be hosted by Dartmoor National Park Authority and a steering group established comprising representatives of key stakeholders to provide strategic direction. The project team will be responsible for supporting the farming sector to identify, develop and secure funding for a range of projects under five themes: • • • • • ‘Moor’ Knowledge ‘Moor Resources ‘Moor’ Value ‘Moor’ Skills ‘Moor’ Health
These themes were developed from a workshop involving key stakeholders held in September 2008 and discussion at a Dartmoor Farmers’ Forum. The project will build upon the successful Dartmoor Hill Farm Project. The emphasis will still be very much on helping farmers identify and develop ideas that will benefit them but also fit the RDA criteria. The bid has been submitted to the South West Regional Development Agency and a decision is expected by the end of May. If successful the project will be rolled out from then starting with the appointment of the steering group and the project team. For further information or if you have any good ideas, please contact: the HFP or Ally Kohler (01626 831011 or email:akohler@dartmoor-npa.gov.uk). 4
Joint working between DFA and Dartmoor Partnership During the spring there has been continued joint working between the Dartmoor Partnership and the DFA to encourage potential visitors to Dartmoor to buy local meat and to encourage people buying meat to consider holidaying on Dartmoor. The Dartmoor Partnership have included an insert with their promotional Holiday Guide for Dartmoor about the Dartmoor Farmers Association and this is complemented by a two-page advert in the Dartmoor Partnership’s Food and Drink guide. These free adverts have promoted the message that Dartmoor’s special landscape is brought to you by careful management and stewardship of the land by Dartmoor Hill farmers. The DFA and the Dartmoor Partnership have also come together for a promotional competition to “'Win a Holiday On Dartmoor'. This is being promoted at all festivals, events and visitor centres. See http://www.dartmoor.co.uk/site/win-adartmoor-holiday/ for details. A meat box has been donated as a prize for the competition. The competition has already been promoted at the Explore the Outdoors Show (Plymouth Pavilions) and will be promoted at the Bovey Tracey Food and Drink festival in the summer. The DFA include the Dartmoor Partnership Holiday guide inside every meat box delivered. The Partnership has also organised two “Dartmoor on your Doorstep” events at Haytor and Meavy where Dartmoor tourism representatives watched the DFA film, ate DFA meat for lunch and had a representative on hand to present the importance of farming to the Dartmoor landscape as well as answer any questions about the DFA. The aim of these events was to inform local tourism businesses about upland farming and promote the use of local food (particularly meat). EID – from the NFU website ‘Defra's consultation on proposals for the individual movement recording and electronic identification of sheep gives farmers a chance to have their views heard as well as giving the industry the opportunity to look at the finer details of how Government propose the regulation will be implemented, the NFU has said. Alistair Mackintosh, chairman of the NFU's livestock board, said it was important sheep farmers fed their views into the consultation. He said: "While we remain fundamentally opposed to the individual movement recording of sheep we have to accept that the Commission is determined to begin implementing this regulation from the end of the year. "This consultation will give us a chance to find out from members how they feel this regulation will affect their businesses and to look more closely at the detail of the regulation and try to find ways to minimise its impact.” Submissions to the EID consultation have to be made by June 23.’
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Chagford’s Change Your Footprint Week, 8 – 17 May Friday 8 May, 6pm – 7.30pm Grow It Locally – local producers of quality food and goods will be showing and selling their wares in Jubilee Hall, followed by a film screening at 8pm of ‘Dartmoor Farmers’ by Chris Chapman and Kate King. Saturday 16 May, 4pm – 6pm No Dig Growing, demonstration by author Charles Dowding, Pound Meadow, Meldon Road. Sunday 17 May, 2pm – 5pm, Open Day at Chagford Allotments with composting talk at 3pm by Nicky Scott. More information: Claire Ash Wheeler 01647 432273, Nicky Scott 01647 433148. Foodie Devon Visit Devon is a not-for-profit private/public partnership promoting tourism in the county, and is one of nine similar organisations govering the whole South West. One section of their website is Foodie Devon, which carries information for the public as well as for local food producers. There’s information about ICT training and software of particular relevance to food producers, and local events of interest such as food and drink fairs, conferences and talks. Either of these links takes you to this website: www.visitdevon.co.uk/food/producers-area or www.foodiedevon.com/producers. A Devon Farming Lobby Information Pack is also available to download from the site. Film and discussion event: ‘Farming Beyond Oil Peak’’ As a follow up to Rebecca Hosking's film, ‘The Future of Farming’ on the BBC earlier this spring, South Devon Green Party is hosting an event in Totnes Civic Hall on Tuesday 2 June at 7.30pm : ‘Farming Beyond Oil Peak’. Following a screening of Rebecca's film, on the links between farming and oil, and investigating possible future farming methods, there will be a panel presentation by farmers and farming experts about the importance of grazing in future scenarios, and time for questions and discussion. Speakers include Rebecca Hosking and Tim Green( film makers and local farmers), Graham Harvey (agricultural story editor for R4's The Archers, and author of The Carbon Fields), Roger Creagh-Osbourne, Number 2 on the Green Party's list of candidates for the European Parliamentary election (special subject farming and fishing), and Geoff Sayers (local organic diary farmer), with Robert Somerville, of South Devon Green Party in the chair.
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