Mr. Louis McAuley:

The principles of optimising soil health, such as reducing the amount of nitrogen on livestock farms, apply to all sectors. Many of our members, even small livestock farmers, are starting to reduce the level of nitrogen they use. Biodiversity can fit into any farm. In some farms on poorer quality land, pushing and pushing to maximise output might not be the answer. Their role might be to provide environmental habitats, which does not mean letting a place go wild but delivering other environmental benefits as part of the farming system. They could grow flowers to provide a source of pollen for bees and rewarding that sort of thing, which is an essential service to the community and the environment, is as justifiable as a payment for a cow. One does not have to be an intensive tillage farmer to buy into this system and to deliver for the wider environment. We can improve things with mob grazing and improving soil health and the quality of the environment for wildlife, humans and everything else.