Landlords urged to back tenants interested in supporting CFE

Following on from the success of the NFU Tenants conference, Campaign for the Farmed Environment (CFE) partners are urging farm landlords to support their tenant farmers interested in taking part in the campaign.

According to a Defra survey carried out earlier this year, many tenant farmers felt that they were unable to support the CFE because of restrictions placed upon them by their landlords.

During the conference, a panel of industry representatives questioned by National CFE Campaign coordinator Victoria Hicks, reinforced the message that everyone has a part to play in ensuring the Campaign is a success.

Speaking at the conference, Agriculture Minister Jim Paice said: "The Campaign for the Farmed Environment is a great opportunity for farmers to show they care about the environment. The bottom line is that the campaign demonstrates what farmers can achieve without regulation."

And NFU President Peter Kendall stressed the urgency for clarity on CAP greening to the Minister before describing the CFE as a great story: "farmers need to brag more about what we do for the environment."

Julian Sayers, Chairman of the Tenancy Reform Industry Group (TRIG) focused on the importance of communication between landlords and tenants: "Tenants need to explain effectively what the Campaign is and how it can benefit the landlord by supporting it. Landlords should refer to Defra’s Code of good practice for agri-environment schemes and diversification projects within agricultural tenancies,’ he said. More information on how you can support the Campaign can be found on the CFE’s website.