The draft Lancashire Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) has now been released. 鈥榃hat on earth is that?鈥�, I hear you say!
Please do not dismiss it that easily because this very dry sounding document could have significant impacts - both positive and negative - on your business. All areas of England have had to produce an LNRS. It is not a delivery plan and does not place any specific obligations or restrictions on landowners. Instead, it identifies what it considers the best opportunities and prime locations to undertake actions that support nature recovery.
These areas have been mapped across the county so it is important you study the maps to see if your location has been identified for potential action. This could bring opportunities, such as funding for landowners to undertake nature-related activities on their farms, but we also have concerns that it might affect aspects such as planning, in other words making it more difficult for farms in certain areas to secure planning permission. The documents are available on the Lancashire County Council website. Please contact us if you would like help to check how your land is represented and understand what the proposals mean for your business.
Harvest will likely be ending as you read this, but before the combines started rolling in June, members came together in West Lancashire for our annual Summer Crops event, jointly delivered by NFU and AHDB.
We began the event with an NFU crops policy update, followed by a tour of the AHDB North West Monitor Farm, before moving a few miles down the road for a guided tour of Winter Wheat Recommend List trial plots.
Former NFU Cheshire County Chair Jonny Hewitt joined us with his portable wood-fired oven and treated us to freshly baked pizza. Worth the attendance alone! Many thanks to the Edwards and Webster families for hosting us, to Frontier for running the moisture meter clinic and to all the growers who came along to support the event.
As I write this column I have just returned from the dark side of the Pennines where I have spent several days at the Great Yorkshire Show. It was great to catch-up with those Lancashire members who dropped by the NFU marquee.
Next month sees the Westmorland Show on September 10 and 11. Please call in for a cup of tea and a chat. Our show season finishes with the Hodder Valley Show on Saturday 13 September. This is a delightful event - a true farming show in a beautiful setting supported by and involving the local community. I experienced it for my first time last year and felt I was in a James Herriot novel! If you fancy a lovely family day out, I encourage you to visit. It would be great to see you there.