FARMING AND WILDLIFE ADVISORY GROUP

Mission Statement

FWAG exist to provide farmers, landowners and our other clients with the best opportunity for environmental gain through cost effective quality solutions. FWAG are the leading provider of farm conservation advice to farmers and landowners and undertake approximately 200 farm visits per year in Cheshire. FWAG considers conservation in the widest sense and encourages farmers to take a whole farm approach. Topics covered include wildlife, landscape, archaeology, public access and resource management (soils, water, etc.)

Cheshire FWAG give guidance on conservation practices which benefit the farm environment without compromising economic performance or productivity. Issues covered include:

• Hedgerow management, creation and restoration
  
• Watercourses and rivers
  
• Field margins and buffer strips
  
• Trees and woodland
  
• Ponds and wetlands
  
• Grassland including old pastures
  
• Resource management including Nitrate Vulnerable Zone legislation
  
• Grant schemes including the Environmental Stewardship Scheme and English Woodland Grant Schemes. These are how Cheshire FWAG delivers many of the BAP objectives as farmers are helped and persuaded to apply for such schemes.

In Cheshire there are several projects focusing on target areas:

• Water vole project - working with the EA to provide habitat for water voles across Cheshire's watercourses.
  
• Barn Owl Project - working with landowners in the River Dee catchment to improve habitat and nesting sites for Cheshire's barn owls.
  
• Cheshire Farm Stay - completing biodiversity audits for farms offering B&B accommodation.
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheshire FWAG work closely with partner organisations including the Biodiversity Action Plan Process. We are closely involved with:

• Ancient semi-natural broadleaved woodland
  
• Lowland wood, parks and pastures
  
• Brown hare

 

 

 

 

 

 

FWAG are helping deliver actions by encouraging farmers and landowners to undertake appropriate action in many of the BAPs including:

• Ancient hedgerows - hedges restored and planted within the Environmental Stewardship Scheme
  
• Corn bunting
  
• Ancient semi-natural woodland - Ancient woodland extended in the Jigsaw project by farmers
• Linnet
  
• Cereal field margins - created in the Environmental Stewardship Scheme
  
• Reed bunting
  
• Lowland woods, parks and pastures
• Skylark
  
• Meres - buffered through the Environmental Stewardship  Scheme.
  
• Tree sparrow
  
• Ponds - created and restored through the Environmental Stewardship Scheme
  
• Bats
  
• Unimproved grassland - bought into sensitive management by the Environmental Stewardship Scheme
• Brown hare
  
• Great crested newt
• Water vole
  
• Barn owl
• Black poplar
  
• Bullfinch