Around 30 farmers and industry representatives were at Rob Kynaston’s business at Halfway House to look at efforts being made to reduce ammonia emissions and conserve nitrogen.
The North Shropshire Farmers Group (NSF) event, supported by the NFU, was held on 9 November and the group were shown around Great Wollaston Farm.
The 242-acre mixed family business is a Leaf Demonstration Farm, one of around 40 being used to show best practice in terms of integrated food production and environmental protection.
The business has a focus on sustainable food production, environmental stewardship and has previously won an English Nature award and the NFU President’s Award for Biodiversity.
NFU spokesman Henry Blatchford said: “There was much interest from local members in relation to slurry management, which is currently very topical.
“We saw reedbeds at the business that are used for managing dirty water as they strip out nutrients, retain water and are a great on farm resource for boosting habitat and species.
“Members then attended presentations by industry experts on the importance of reducing ammonia emissions and conserving nitrogen.”
The group heard from Richard Wordsworth, NFU senior adviser Basic Payment Scheme, and Alastair Heinrich, NFU environment adviser (Water and Air Quality) on funding for the slurry infrastructure grant.
They discussed how farmers can access and take advantage of the grants that are currently available. While independent consultant Jane James addressed the challenge of conserving nitrogen to reduce emissions and Ceri Meehan, Catchment Sensitive Farming adviser, discussed their work, funding and the Shared Nitrogen Action Plan (SNAP).
The plan brings together Natural England, partners and stakeholders to discuss ways to monitor and reduce ammonia emissions near sensitive habitats and take action to safeguard the environment.
“Following the speakers, we then had a working lunch and farmers asked an array of questions to clarify the rules around each available grant,” Henry added.
“This event gave those who attended insight into funding and how it could enhance their own respective farms and businesses alongside sustainable environmental management.
“I’m sure those who attended found it highly informative and took away innovative methods and practices that they could implement at home.”
Oswestry NFU member Kate Mayne said the NSF group was helping to bring people together to champion farmer-driven solutions for the environment.
“I hope the visit to Halfway House was well received and I would like to thank Rob for his time with the group,” she said.
“This meeting was important as it showed farmers how to work with the available grant schemes to deliver farm-based interventions for managing ammonia and that delivers a win-win for farm business and the environment.”