The Grazing, Landscape and Food project
East of England

Breadcrumbs

The Grazing, Landscape and Food project

The East of England has seen a continued decline in livestock numbers over recent years. This is having a negative effect on how grassland, heaths, commons, and marshes are managed. These areas support habitats of high environmental importance; many are SSSIs and BAP priorities.

Grazing sheep. Copyright Natural England/Victoria Perry

They are also an important asset to the economic and social sustainability of the region by providing highlights of landscape quality and accessible green space which are used by local communities and visitors to the region.

Therefore it is very important that remaining areas are safeguarded. However they exist mostly as small and scattered remnants of formerly more extensive habitats in a region which is now dominated by arable cropping. Many are divorced from mainstream agricultural management on surrounding arable land, are low in agricultural productivity and with difficult terrain.

The cost of management to achieve optimal environmental condition can be high. The declining profitability of livestock farming also increases the difficulty of maintaining appropriate management.

Project objectives

Natural England is working with the East of England Grazing Forum and other partners to address these issues through its Grazing, Landscape and Food Project.

The project's objectives are to :

  • Support the development of sustainable, market-driven solutions to the issue of under grazing
  • Promote appropriate grazing management of sites of high environmental value in the Eastern Region.
  • Lead the establishment of a project to promote the role of extensive red meat sector in managing the environment and in sustainable food production.
  • Find innovative ways to engage with the public to enable them to understand the link between the grazing landscapes, the livestock needed to graze it and the red meat and dairy products produced from them.
  • Work with farmers and the food industry to promote the connections between sustainable food production and the natural environment.

Amazing Grazing

East of England Grazing Forum

Events

Competition results


Published reports

A study of the economic, environmental and social impacts of a loss of grazing livestock in the East of England PDF [2.5 MB]


For more information about the project please contact:
Victoria Perry
Project manager
Tel: 01223 533423
Email: victoria.k.perry@naturalengland.org.uk