CAP reform and environmental stewardship - Sept 15th 2005
Naked acres and degressivity were two of the more unusual phrases heard at Duchy College, Stoke Climsland during the training event on Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform and environmental stewardship (ES). The day-long event was attended by 16 individuals with diverse responsibilities in the natural environment sector in Cornwall – from Cornwall County Council, through the National Trust to the Environment Agency. They gained an understanding of the background to agri-environment schemes and how realities of implementation will affect the rural environment.
Successfully guiding them through the labyrinth that is CAP reform and ES schemes were Alex Lindsay of Duchy’s project team and Stewart Horne of Agri-BIP. As one attendee commented “It was far more interesting than the subject matter suggested.” And that was before we got on to how a pot of white paint, a tractor and a wife could be used to measure a hedge! In the afternoon, the weather relented sufficiently to allow Richard Griffiths to explain on site how the issues discussed influenced his management of Home Farm (below).