The Environment Agency (EA) has launched a campaign to prevent soil erosion and runoff from ‘high-risk’ crops in Devon and Cornwall.
The campaign warns against growing maize, fodder beet and potatoes on high-risk sites such as light, sandy soils that are vulnerable to erosion, and slowly draining soils that lie wet for prolonged periods, such heavy clay soils. Of particular concern are those defined by Defra, such as those which are on slopes or close to water courses. According to the EA, ‘The light soils of the sandstone hills around Exeter, South Hams and Crediton are most prone to capping. The light soils associated with granite in Cornwall and in the Blackdown Hills are also areas of concern as they are at risk of erosion.’
The EA added, ‘Growing high-risk crops can cause soil erosion and runoff on high-risk soils. This can lead to flooding and pollution. We strongly recommend that these crops are not grown in high-risk locations. If you still wish to grow maize in high-risk locations, you will need effective measures that can cope with storm events and prolonged wet weather to reduce the risk of flooding and pollution. If you cannot achieve this then you should not grow high-risk crops such as maize, fodder beet and potatoes.
‘The farming industry has made good progress towards reducing runoff problems from fields left bare, following the maize harvest. However, climate change means we are now seeing problems both with intense rainfall in the spring and summer months, and with wetter autumn months. This can make agricultural land on certain soil types difficult to manage.’
As well as beet and maize, the list of high-risk crops and land uses include potatoes, and field vegetables such as swedes and parsnips, and other land uses that leave the soil bare (which could include cultivation prior to other vegetable crops).
The NFU is backing the campaign, and a spokesperson said, “Investing in and protecting soil health is crucial to the nation’s farming systems and is essential to British food production. Healthy soil delivers in reducing flood risk, supporting wildlife habitats and biodiversity, and the sequestration and storage of carbon. Any proactive advice that can support farmers and land managers in delivering these objectives is welcomed while also enabling farmers to produce the crops the market requires. This should be about an enabling, supportive approach recognising the challenges of producing food alongside farmers protecting their crucial asset, soil.”