The Allerton Project, The Game Conservancy Trust’s demonstration farm, at Loddington in Leicestershire has added a new modular environmental training scheme to its existing training programme. Specifically designed for BASIS trained agronomists, the scheme aims to promote the protection and enhancement of farmland biodiversity.
The new course - Biodiversity and Environmental Training for Advisers (BETA) - has been devised in collaboration with the Crop Protection Association and forms part of the Voluntary Initiative package of measures which was presented to government as a practical alternative to the introduction of a pesticide tax.
Alastair Leake, Project Manager at Loddington has organised the course syllabus to encompass much of the ground-breaking research carried out at Loddington over the past ten years. He said, “The use of pesticides in arable crops can substantially affect the ecosystem and availability of food and nesting sites for farmland birds. BETA aims to give advisers a greater understanding of the interactions that occur between the crop and wildlife.”
The course syllabus has four main component parts including:
Biodiversity and agri-environment schemes
Crop Protection Management Plans
Environmental Information Sheets
Integrated Crop Management
As the new Government agri-environment schemes are introduced, it is proposed that BETA trained agronomists will play a pivotal role in the decision making process, ensuring that both farmers and the environment benefit from these schemes. In addition, with their extensive knowledge of the farmland landscape, they could also make an important contribution to the identification and management of rare arable flowers. The BETA training course will ensure that they have the right skills to take on these expanding roles.
BETA is open to all BASIS trained agronomists, either independent crop consultants or in-house teams. The modular-type course is designed to be completely flexible and can be adapted to suit individual needs. BETA training is available either at The Game Conservancy Trust’s headquarters in Fordingbridge or at the Allerton Trust’s farm at Loddington. The course concludes with an optional exam if required.