WildCare Farm Scheme

WildCare is designed to focus on what the Waitrose dairy farmers are doing on their farms to develop and protect areas that enhance wildlife. The hedge, for example, is a key feature. It has the purpose of providing shelter and containing livestock in fields - yet it also provides shelter, food and resting sites for wildlife.

Under the WildCare Scheme all the essential Waitrose dairy farmers have a Farm Wildlife Action Plan (FWAP) produced for them by a wildlife adviser. The adviser's role is to walk all the fields associated with the dairy operation and measure the wildlife space. The minimum level is 10% dedicated wildlife habitat. This compares to an estimated average UK farm area for wildlife habitat of 5%. Records are made during the farm walks of the wildlife species seen and known to be present on the farm. Where appropriate the Plan will include short, medium and long term action points for the farm to work on. These could be filling gaps in hedges, planting trees, putting up nest boxes, etc.

The Scheme has been developed in conjunction with The Wildlife Trusts and is linked to the relevant county Biodiversity Action Plans (BAPs).

The Farm Wildlife Action Plan (FWAP)

The FWAP provides environmental management advice on the following farm habitat and farm management procedures:

• Management of farm woodland and hedgerow trees
• Creation and ongoing management of field margins
• Creation of ponds and the maintenance of existing ones
• Restriction of grazing from edges of watercourses
• Management of wetland areas
• Restoration and ongoing management of hedgerows
• Management of meadows
• Protection of the nest sites of ground-nesting birds through farm operations and implementing bird friendly silage making practices
• Reduction of potential pollution, by avoiding the application and run off of slurry and fertilisers into adjacent managed habits.

Under the WildCare Scheme a detailed assessment is carried out annually on each farm, followed by a six monthly review session.

The Scheme incorporates its own set of WildCare Standards to ensure good farming practice.

WildCare Standards

Hedgerows can provide a vital space for wildlife and are a key element of the WildCare Standards. The Scheme concentrates on hedgerows, in order to increase the numbers of species that occupy them. With this in mind the following standards have been adopted:

Hedges should be cut on a 2-3 year rotational basis; in year 2 and 3 most hedges will be rich with berries and fruit for the winter-feeding of birds. A hedge cut every year will hardly produce any winter feed, as it is the second years' growth that produces the fruit. Hedges should be cut during January or February in any year, thus allowing birds to remove the hedgerow food.

It is necessary to cut roadside hedges on an annual basis for road safety reasons.

Internal farmland hedges should have some key characteristics. An "A" shaped hedge with a thick bottom will encourage smaller species of birds and is critical to bring back the Yellowhammer - which has declined dramatically over recent years.

Other key standards include:

1. 1. Ensuring water quality in watercourses or ditches is maintained - by having "buffer zones" where no fertiliser, organic or otherwise, is spread within a minimum of 10 metres.
2. When cutting and rolling silage fields, always take care to avoid nests, fledglings and hares.
3. Manage conservation headlands around arable fields.
4. Leave fallen dead wood and, if safe, standing dead trees as wildlife habitats.
5. Leave ivy on trees as it provides flowers for insects, berries for birds and shelter for a host of wildlife.
6. Avoid 'over tidying' as, for example, clumps of nettles and brambles on borders and corners of fields are valuable wildlife sanctuaries.
7. Maintain, enhance and preserve all existing wildlife habitats - wetlands, water margins, 'species rich' areas, hedges, and woodlands.

The essential Waitrose dairy farmers who all participate in the WildCare Scheme have a key species indicator list produced by The Wildlife Trusts.

There are 60 nominated species and each species is colour coded red, green or amber. These species can be seen in the Wildlife Library section.

In summary, the WildCare Scheme:

• Highlights the positive wildlife impact made by Waitrose dairy farmers involved in the Scheme.
• Demonstrates that farmers and conservationists can work together.
• Improves the conservation management on the farms.
• Enables production of food in an environmentally sensitive manner.
• Provides Waitrose and Waitrose dairy farmers with meaningful 'green credentials'.

The output from the completed Farm Wildlife Action Plans clearly demonstrates that Waitrose dairy farmers have a keen interest in encouraging wildlife on their farms and the environment in which they live and work.