Isle of Wight AONB Partnership Environmental Farmers Group IOW Visit

Our steering group partner, IOW AONB, invite you to a meeting, which is being held at Harvey Browns at 5pm on Tuesday 13th June 2023.

You are invited to discuss how setting up an Isle of Wight Environmental Farmers Group could be to the benefit of Island farmers and landowners.

You might be aware of the existing and founding Environmental Farmers Group (EFG) through press coverage for its farmer-led approach to the natural capital market, including articles such as this (FWi link). You can find more information on their website: www.environmentalfarmersgroup.co.uk.

The EFG is essentially a farmer cooperative, which aims to deliver environmental gain over a landscape scale and achieve a fair, profitable income for its Members for delivering this (with decision making led by farmers, and participation at the discretion of the Member). The group is particularly focused on delivering trading opportunities for its Members to replace (at least to some degree) the loss in BPS over the coming years.

The group initially set up in the Hampshire Avon river catchment, led by a number of farmers together with support from the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), who had worked for many years in the area supporting a number of cluster groups. A new subsidiary of GWCT, Natural Capital Advisory, was also established to support the EFG.

To date EFG has over 100 paying Members covering 43,000ha and earlier this year completed their first natural capital trade. The EFG has also been replicated in the Peak District as the Peak District EFG, with the support of the existing team, demonstrating its ability to be rolled out to other areas or catchments. Having paid close attention to the EFG, a small group of Island farmers and stakeholders have been speaking to them about whether it would be workable to set up an Isle of Wight Environmental Farmers Group.

Rob Shepherd (Farmer and Chairman of the EFG) and Teresa Dent (Chief Executive of the GWCT) have been invited to come and speak to farmers on the Island about the EFG and their journey so far. It is thought that this model might be of interest and want to get feedback on whether there is interest to set up and run an Island ‘cell’ within the Environmental Farmers Group.

Please confirm by e-mailing richard.grogan@iow.gov.uk if you are able to attend and if you have any further questions.