The Bodmin Moor Hill Farming Project
About
This project is farmer-led, with activities and outcomes shaped by your needs and feedback.
Aim
Inspired by the successful Dartmoor Hill Farm Project, we aim to create a similar support structure tailored to Bodmin Moor, focusing on resilience, collaboration, and practical solutions.
Why This Project?
Bodmin Moor farmers are facing particular challenges which have the potential to affect the viability of some moorland farms if farmers aren’t well supported – including the phasing out of the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), the transition to new forms of funding support and the increasing demands on farmers to deliver environmentally sustainable farming whilst still producing food. Inspired by the successful Dartmoor Hill Farm Project, we aim to create a similar support structure tailored to Bodmin Moor, focusing on resilience, collaboration, and practical solutions.
What we Aim to Achieve
Our overall aim is to create a support network for farmers on Bodmin Moor where they can come together to share ideas, develop solutions to location specific problems and learn from one another and develop a resilient farming business.
Stronger Relationships
The project seeks to build better relationships within and between Bodmin Moor farming stakeholder groups, listening to the challenges and needs of these groups and providing support where requested.
Support for Farmers
We will offer advice, training, and resources via workshops to help you manage your land and maintain a viable farming business.
Practical Projects
The project will deliver some practical outcomes including; ecological surveys, heritage conservation, and trials of innovative technologies like virtual fencing. These efforts will aim to deliver environmental and heritage outcomes which could inform future grant scheme delivery.
In order to achieve our goals of building stronger relationships, supporting farmers and running practical projects we have broken this down into 5 distinct and measurable activities. As part of the project we will develop;
Facilitator Role: A dedicated facilitator will be appointed to support the Commoners’ Associations and farmers. Their role is to listen to farmers and landowners to understand their ideas, concerns and future hopes; ensuring that the voices of farmers are central to decision-making processes. Meet your facilitator below.
Workshops and Training: We will organise workshops on topics that matter to you, such as farm profitability and diversification, moorland ecology and purple moor grass management and; the delivery of SFI moorland options. These sessions will provide practical knowledge and tools to enhance your farming operations.
Ecological and Heritage Surveys: The project will conduct ecological surveys of two commons which have been grazed in different ways to understand the impact of the management and consider future funding options
Innovation Trials: We will explore the use of virtual fencing technology, which can improve grazing management and reduce conflicts between farming and conservation objectives.
Archaeology: There will be delivery of some archaeological conservation work on one or more commons following an overall appraisal and finding suitable sites.
Our current facilitator has unfortunately had to stand down from the Bodmin Moor Hill Farming Project due to other unforeseen work commitments. We endeavour to recruit a new facilitator as soon as we can. If you’d be interested in facilitating the Bodmin Moor Hill Farming Project please do let us know by emailing BodminMoorHFP@cornwall.gov.uk
Land and Heritage will soon be commencing ecological surveys on Blissland Common and East Moor. These surveys aim to assess the habitat conditions, biodiversity and opportunities for ecological enhancement.
The PAL review is soon to be underway. Working with Heritage and Landscape Colleagues, the project team are pleased to have recently appointed Pete Herring, David Atwell and Dan Ratcliffe to lead on this.
The project aims to enhance habitat restoration through targeted grazing. The project is looking to run a trial of virtual fencing collars in order to assess their effectiveness in livestock management and managed grazing.
At one of our opening meetings held at Trethorne, a vote was held to find out what events, training and workshops would be of most interest. Click on the button to find out more about what we’ve got lined up!
Email us
We encourage you to participate in our surveys when published, attend workshops, and share your ideas on how we can best support you. Together, we can ensure that the Bodmin Moor Hill Farming Project delivers real benefits for the farming community and the landscape we all care about. If you would like to email the project team, please do so by following the link below. Or complete the form the sign up to our mailing list.
Benefits
Our Primary Purpose is to conserve and enhance Natural Beauty.
Our priority is to lead and support projects which deliver under these four key categories.
People
The project facilitates workshops, site visits, and stakeholder engagements to enhance community understanding of Bodmin Moor’s landscapes and how significant the farming community is for nature conservation and sustainable land management.
Place
By collaborating with farmers and landowners, the project supports the preservation of Bodmin Moor’s cultural heritage, fostering a sense of ‘place’ within the National Landscape to ensure that the landscape’s unique identity is maintained. The heritage and archaeological works within the project are intended to increase the awareness and importance of the archaeology and heritage of the Bodmin Moor section of Cornwall National Landscape.
Nature
Through ecological surveys, the promotion of sustainable land management practices and managed grazing the project aims to increase the area of wildlife-rich habitats, enhance habitat connectivity, and improve biodiversity across Bodmin Moor.
Climate
The project contributes to climate resilience by implementing peatland restoration efforts, promoting carbon sequestration through habitat restoration and fostering better understanding among stakeholders about the role of different land uses have in carbon storage and emissions reduction on Bodmin Moor.
The Bodmin Moor Hill Farming Project is supported by Cornwall Council’s Nature Recovery team. You can find out more about some of their other great work by visiting their webpage.