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Ten years of nature-friendly breakfasts helps rare birds, bees and butterflies return

© Fergus Gill/2020VISION

Survey of 27 farms across 14,600 hectares shows increases in rare orchid and red-listed nightingale
Pond restoration, native tree planting and wildflower field margins encourage wildlife back and show food production and nature can go hand-in-hand
Wildlife returns thanks to ten years of “benchmark” Jordans Farm Partnership between The Wildlife Trusts, Jordans Cereals and LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming)

A decade-long nature-friendly farming project has helped to increase the diversity and abundance of wildlife across farmland and prompted the return of rare species such as the butterfly orchid and red-listed birds such as the nightingale.   

The Jordans Farm Partnership between The Wildlife Trusts, Jordans Cereals and LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming), has seen 27 farms across England develop bespoke conservation plans to help improve wildlife habitat on their farm. This includes creating features like hedgerows, field margins and ponds, and improving habitat connectivity with neighbouring landowners. 

Since the partnership began in 2015, over half the participating farmers say they have seen new or returning species, many of which are endangered and of conservation concern, including birds appearing on the UK’s Red List for Birds such as tree sparrow, nightingale and goshawk, and the rare plant meadow clary, which is only found at 26 sites across the UK. Other success stories include the return of breeding stone curlew in Hampshire, scarce emerald damselfly in Suffolk and brown hare in Leicestershire. 

Brown hare Lepus europaeus An adult stretching on fringes of a field of rapeseed.

Andrew Parkinson/2020VISION

Farmland covers more than 70% of the UK’s land area and farmers are therefore critical in helping bring about nature’s recovery. The farmers that grow oats for Jordans Cereals provide an area equivalent to almost 30% of their farmed area for wildlife such as barn owls, brown hares, corn buntings and vital pollinating insects like bees. 

By working with British oat farmers on LEAF Marque certified farms, the Jordans Farm Partnership has seen hedgerow length on the farms that provide food and shelter for wildlife stretch to 621km. If put end to end, this is longer than the distance between London and Edinburgh. 

At Park Farm in Northamptonshire, farmer Roger Forster has planted wildflower meadows and margins as well as introduced wild bird seed plots and supplementary bird feeding. As a result, he said they had seen a noticeable increase in bees and birds. 

A close up of a wildflower meadow, featuring oxeye daisy

Park Farm © Roger Forster 

Roger Forster says: 

“Since joining the Jordans Farm Partnership and creating more space for nature we’ve seen some incredible sights on Park Farm. It’s fantastic to see the tangible benefits of farming for nature and wonderful to see wildlife bouncing back thanks to what we’ve done.” 

Steps taken by farmer Guy Tucker at Greenhall Farm in Hertfordshire included establishing grass margins around fields, restoring hedges, introducing crops to help feed wild birds and sowing pollen and nectar rich areas - providing more than 14 hectares of vital space for wildlife. As a result, he has recorded the largest flock of migrating linnets and bramblings recorded in the county. 

Guy Tucker says: 

“I am a happier person as I see wildlife increasing on the farm.” 

Farmers taking part in the partnership scheme have been supported with nature-friendly farming initiatives through visits and guidance from The Wildlife Trusts’ team of land management advisors. 

Vicki Hird, strategic lead for agriculture for The Wildlife Trusts, says:  

“It’s wonderful to see that wildlife has bounced back as a result of nature-friendly farming across the Jordans Farm Partnership. The variety of wildlife seen by the participating farmers is testament not only to the success of the partnership, but also to the effectiveness of farming with nature in mind. 

“The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. What this partnership has shown is not only that food production can work in tandem with nature, but that when it does so, we see more nature and a greater resilience in production. 

“The partnership with Jordans is a special one for The Wildlife Trusts and it’s a pleasure to be celebrating ten years together. We’re looking forward to the next decade and to seeing how much more wildlife returns and farmers thrive.”   

Since 1985, Jordans has successfully integrated wildlife conservation into farming practices, establishing one of the UK's first biodiversity-focused farming models. 

Laura Melling, sustainability manager for Jordans Cereals, says: 

“It’s great to see the positive impact on farm wildlife that the Jordans Farm Partnership has had over the last 10 years.  The results are testament to the dedication of the growers and their belief in nature-friendly farming.  

“Jordans are proud to have supported nature-positive farming for the last 40 years, both through the Jordans Farm Partnership and by helping to establish the Conservation Grade farm management protocol before it: we have always known that a healthy ecosystem is critical to long term, sustainable food production. 

“Thank you to our partners The Wildlife Trusts and LEAF for their time, expertise and dedication in supporting the Jordans farmers.” 

LEAF is a charity that promotes and supports more sustainable farming to create a resilient food & farming system for future generations. 

Ten years of the Jordans Farm Partnership (https://youtu.be/cT6l0iXdbls)

David Webster, LEAF chief executive, says: 

“Since 1991, LEAF has been at the forefront of fostering partnerships to accelerate regenerative farming and transform food systems at scale. Today, as the urgency to accelerate the shift towards regenerative, climate-resilient farming intensifies, the Jordans Farm Partnership stands as an exemplar of what’s possible when farmers, food brands, and NGOs unite around a shared vision. Jordans founder Bill Jordan shaped that vision, and my own during my time working with him. Jordans were really one of the early pioneers in embedding ethical and environmental values in the heart of their supply chain, notably with the launch of the Conservation Grade scheme in 1985. 

“This partnership is more than delivering nature-friendly farming - it’s about doing so with the ambition, pace, and scale required to meet the critical challenges facing our planet. By aligning ambition, robust evidence, and collaborative action, the Jordans Farm Partnership is setting a benchmark for how we must work together to achieve the urgent transformation our food system demands.” 

Find out more about ten years of the Jordans Farm Partnership here. 

Editor's notes

The Wildlife Trusts will be at Groundswell this year – find out more here 

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/3f08619545fc485789787862e1f654bd 

The Wildlife Trusts 

The Wildlife Trusts are making the world wilder and helping to ensure that nature is part of everyone’s lives. We are a grassroots movement of 46 charities with more than 910,000 members and 35,000 volunteers. No matter where you are in Britain, there is a Wildlife Trust inspiring people and saving, protecting and standing up for the natural world. With the support of our members, we care for and restore over 2,000 special places for nature on land and run marine conservation projects and collect vital data on the state of our seas. Every Wildlife Trust works within its local community to inspire people to create a wilder future – from advising thousands of landowners on how to manage their land to benefit wildlife, to connecting hundreds of thousands of school children with nature every year. www.wildlifetrusts.org 

LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) 

  • LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) was established in 1991. It is a leading global charity that promotes and supports more sustainable farming to create a more resilient food and farming system.  
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  • LEAF promotes Integrated Farm Management (IFM), a whole farm business approach that delivers more sustainable farming.  IFM uses the best of modern technology and traditional methods to deliver prosperous farming that enriches the environment and engages local communities.  
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  • The LEAF Network made up of some of the UK’s leading research centres and demonstration farms, underpins LEAF’s knowledge exchange work.  It connects farmers, innovators, and industry to understand best practice sustainable farm management and how it can be applied most effectively to each farm’s unique situation.    
  • LEAF runs a global environmental assurance system – the LEAF Marque which was launched in 2002.  It is underpinned by the sustainable farming principles of Integrated Farm Management (IFM), covering soil and water management, pollution control, crop health, animal welfare, community engagement, energy efficiency and landscape and nature conservation. LEAF Marque businesses are independently assessed and certified against the principles of IFM.    
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  • LEAF Marque businesses currently operate in 48 countries and most of the UK’s retailers require LEAF Marque certification on their global fresh produce supply chains.   
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  • LEAF’s education and public engagement team works with schools and farmers across the UK to bring sustainable farming to life - on-farm and in the classroom. In 2024, LEAF worked with over 26,000 young people in the UK and supported almost 1 million more through online workshops, activities and education resources.   
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  • LEAF also manages the farming industry’s annual open day Open Farm Sunday which, every year, welcomes nearly 200,000 members of the public onto farms across the UK. 
  • www.leaf.eco 

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