Otley College in Ipswich has joined forces with the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust to offer a ground-breaking three-day Conservation Management course which will help equip farmers and their advisers with the wide range of environmental know-how needed to ensure the success of the recently launched Campaign for the Farmed Environment.

This short training programme, developed by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, leads to a professional BASIS qualification in Conservation Management, and is being held at Otley College, Ipswich on the 7th, 8th and 9th December 2009.

The Campaign for the Farmed Environment, which was recently launched by DEFRA Minister of State, Hilary Benn, is an industry-backed voluntary measure that aims to encourage farmers to retain the environmental benefits formerly provided by set-aside in three key areas – resource protection, farmland birds and wildlife. A key part of the campaign is to ensure that advisers and agronomists understand the environmental challenges presented to farming by this new initiative.

Dr Alastair Leake from the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust has been the driving force behind this qualification and said, “With the new Campaign for the Farmed Environment now coming on stream, the magnitude of change facing British farmers is huge, particularly the move away from production subsidy payments to rewarding farms for conserving and enhancing our wildlife and landscapes. It is therefore important to get any environmental schemes right first time to ensure that farm productivity as well as wildlife benefit. This new qualification ensures that conservation measures carried out on a farm are targeted and effective and will help wildlife to thrive.”

Tuition to achieve the Conservation Management certificate is over two and half days with a two-hour examination by BASIS in the afternoon of the third day. The certificate covers four separate modules including: Soil and Air Protection, Protection of surface and ground water, biodiversity, and care of the environment.

Neil Ridley, from Otley College says, “We feel that this course is of huge value to local farmers, professional agronomists and land agents wishing to improve and update their conservation skills and are very pleased to include it in our programme for the first time. We are also delighted that we have been able to attract Government funding to cover the cost of tuition. It is therefore extremely good value and we hope to attract a wide cross-section of delegates.”

The course is supported with grant funding from Landskills East and costs £270 including exam fees per delegate.

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