Farming by Debs Bull
Severn Trent Catchment Partnership
Worcestershire Wildlife Trust employs three Catchment Partnership Agriculture Advisors. They work alongside their Severn Trent colleagues and advisors from Shropshire Wildlife Trust, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust and Warwickshire Wildlife Trust; as well as others in the Wye and Usk Foundation, the Severn Rivers Trust and Trent Rivers Trust.
The advisors are all working in partnership with Severn Trent to protect our soil, biodiversity, and water environment by providing advice to help farmers and landowners take steps to reduce pollution. In Worcestershire, the agricultural advisors cover the priority catchments of the River Teme and River Severn around Worcester and a few smaller groundwater catchments in the nearby area.
The Severn Trent Environmental Protection Scheme (STEPS)
The Severn Trent Environmental Protection Scheme (STEPS) offers farmers financial and technical support to invest in tailored solutions, ranging from arable grass margins and watercourse fencing to improved troughs and cover crops, with the aim of helping to protect watercourses from pollution. It also offers biodiversity grants including payments for enhancement of existing grassland and creation of wildflower margins. Our agricultural advisors speak to and visit farmers, attend shows, and organise events to share knowledge on relevant techniques. They also help feed into the development of the scheme with the Severn Trent Catchment Team.
Find out more about the STEPS scheme.
Farm to Tap
Farm to Tap is a reward scheme that focuses on managing pesticides and the other sources of diffuse water pollution coming from farms and other land users. Rewards for good practice are based on the results of regular water quality sampling in the relevant catchment. Farm to Tap is currently focusing on metaldehyde, which is found in some slug pellets and is difficult and expensive to remove from drinking water.
Find out more about Farm to Tap.
Funding for Biodiversity Enhancement
Severn Trent offers a range of funding for biodiversity enhancement including a yearly round of ‘Boost for Biodiversity’, a fund to support catchment partnership projects that make a positive difference to the water environment across the Severn Trent Water region. Landowners, farmers, community groups and non-governmental organisations can submit projects that will provide biodiversity benefits that may also improve water quality at the same time. Submissions can cover anything from natural flood management and river restoration to improving river water quality and preserving the region’s biodiversity. Severn Trent occasionally offer additional schemes with separate funding available.
Find out more about Boost for Biodiversity.