In many ways the bumblebee is the 21st century canary in the coalmine and it is giving out warning signs. As wildflowers have disappeared, so have bumblebees – two UK species are already extinct and others are under threat.
Conservation Grade is working with farmers and food manufacturers to return wildflowers, bees and other creatures that depend on them. It is an accreditation scheme that encourages farmers to sign up to wildlife-friendly food production. It is also a way that food producers and brand owners can demonstrate their commitment to sustainable farming. Leading brands like Jordans and Allinson, support farmers who adopt this way of farming and as a result can place the "fair to nature" logo featuring a bumblebee on their packaging.
Consumers can see clearly which foods are produced on accredited farms. To gain Conservation Grade status, farmers must plant a range of wildlife habitats in return for a contracted premium price for their crop. At least 10% of their farmed area must be devoted to habitats for wildlife and they must follow sustainability criteria.
The criteria include setting aside at least 4% of land for pollen and nectar by planting wildflowers and clover, for example on the margins of field. Another is to encourage birds by planting quinoa and fodder radish for them. Tussocky and fine grasses provide shelter for spiders, beetles and small mammals which, in turn, become food for predators including barn owls.
Farmers are encouraged to devote 2% of their land to developing their own ideas for promoting wildlife. For example, hedges, ditches, ponds or woodland.
The Conservation Grade criteria are based on applied science designed to arrest and reverse the decline in farmland biodiversity. In trials where Conservation Grade farms have turned 10% of land over to specific wildlife habitats, results include up to 40% more birds, 18 times more butterflies, 30 times more small mammals such as water voles and 40 times more bumblebees.
Approximately 100,000 acres is farmed under Conservation Grade protocols, by over 80 farmers. The scheme provides economic stability by offering contractual premiums for participants' produce, complementing the government's subsidy-linked payments for environmental farm management. The scheme has the potential to plug the funding gap that has arisen from the recent Common Agricultural Policy reforms which will see a shrinkage in environmental subsidies from the European Union.
The scheme adds to the beauty of the countryside through the planting of wildflower meadows and gives consumers the chance to make a choice to support nature by choosing brands bearing the Conservation Grade logo.
Nicolette Fox is part of the wordworks network
The Guardian Sustainable Business Sustainability Case Studies contain articles on all the initiatives that met the criteria for the GSB Awards.
