It has been proven that
organically managed arable crops sustain more invertebrates and birds than
conventional intensive management. Intensively managed crops tend to be
sprayed with pesticides which reduces the numbers of invertebrates. Many
arable "weeds", once common, are now very rare. Birds which use
mainly arable fields have suffered the largest declines of any group of
birds in the last 25 years. Skylarks have declined by 58%, grey partridges
by 82%, turtle doves 77%, linnets 52%, song thrushes 73%, and tree
sparrows 89%. Leaving winter stubble which provides seeds and offers
shelter for birds is uncommon today.
Some farms, through the government’s Countryside
Stewardship Scheme, have entered into agreements to provide arable field
margins. These allow grasses and wildflowers to thrive thus encouraging
other wildlife. Olantigh Estate at Wye, Grandacre Farm at Waltham, Preston
Court Farm in Chartham, and Godmersham Estate are managing some of their
land in this positive way.
The move from mixed farms to monocultural farms has
created bleak landscapes both on the downs and in the flood plains.
Lapwing is one species of bird which has suffered as a consequence with
numbers reduced by 62% in the last 25 years. Perry Court Farm at Chartham
maintains a bio-dynamic mixed farm and is thus able to reduce its inputs
from outside the farm - by careful rotations the soil is maintained in
good condition. Perry Court Farm is the only farm in the Stour Valley to
produce organic arable crops.
Hedges provide a valuable contribution to the landscape
of the English countryside and offer food and shelter to much of our
native wildlife. Organic farms usually have more hedgerows because they
use more environmentally sympathetic techniques and they are useful in
protecting the farms from pesticide sprays used on neighbouring farms.
Chalk grassland is one of the most attractive and
wildlife rich landscapes in the Stour Valley. It is grassland which has
not been improved with fertilisers, particularly artificial fertilisers,
and has not had pesticides or other chemicals added to it. It is
especially rich in wildflowers and correspondingly butterflies and other
invertebrates.
Other important types of grassland which offer interest
to wildlife as well as providing diversity in the landscape include acid,
neutral, and wet grasslands. There are few of these types of grassland and
their associated wildlife remaining in the Stour Valley today.
It is likely that organically produced beef and lamb
will have been grazed on wildlife rich grasslands, as more ‘wildlife
friendly’ farming techniques will have been used. Organic meat is
available from Organic Health, Perry Court Farm Shop and Wincheap
Butchers.
