SFI Environmental Scheme

Let’s Save the Planet, but Don’t Forget to Feed It
At Lower Blakemere, we love nature. We’re all for wildlife and protecting the environment, but let’s get one thing straight: we’re farmers, not zookeepers. Our primary purpose isn’t to grow wildflowers or make homes for squirrels—it’s to produce food. It’s been that way for generations, and it’s that very purpose that shaped the British countryside you see today.

You know the hedgerows everyone’s so keen to protect? They didn’t pop up for fun—they’re there to keep our livestock from wandering off. The fields you see rolling across the landscape? They exist to grow crops and feed the nation. The beautiful patchwork of fields, hedges, and woodland that people love to take photos of? That’s the direct result of centuries of farming, not some accident of nature.

Now, with schemes like the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), we’re being told to prioritise biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and wildlife corridors. And while we’re all for doing our bit, we need to remember that the main reason this farm exists is to put food on tables. The reality is, if we’re forced to choose between growing crops and planting wildflower meadows, it won’t be long before you’re eating a whole lot more imported food from halfway around the world. Exporting the problem means higher food miles, higher transportation emissions, and a larger carbon footprint. You’ll end up with out-of-season, lower-quality produce that’s been shipped in from countries with fewer environmental regulations and questionable land-use practices. Essentially, we’ll be patting ourselves on the back for going green while making the problem worse globally. We have to wake up.

The Disappearance of British Family Farms
This isn’t just theoretical—it’s happening right now. In the last 10 years alone, the UK has lost a significant number of family farms, with estimates suggesting that around 20% of farms in England have disappeared. Smaller farms, the backbone of British agriculture, have been hit hardest. Many farms under 100 hectares have had to sell up due to financial pressures, industrialised farming taking over, and land being gobbled up for development. The rise of mega-farms and industrial agriculture is squeezing out smaller family-run farms, the very farms that have created and maintained the countryside we all love. This shift means fewer sustainable, regenerative farms like ours and more large-scale operations that prioritise volume over sustainability. If this trend continues, we’ll lose not just the ability to produce food locally, but ironically also the rich diversity of farming landscapes that define rural Britain.

Regenerative Farming: Our Way of Striking a Balance
Here at Lower Blakemere our answer is to embrace regenerative farming practices in an effort to strike a real balance between food production and environmental stewardship. There are many critics of this type of enterprise but for us regenerative farming is about more than just ticking boxes on an environmental checklist—it’s about working with nature to create a sustainable, resilient farming system that can produce food for the long term.

We’ve implemented practices such as reduced tillage, cover cropping, and rotational grazing to improve soil health, increase biodiversity, and capture more carbon in the soil. These practices not only help us meet environmental goals, but they also make our farm more productive and sustainable. Healthy soil is the foundation of a productive farm—it retains water better, supports healthier crops, and requires fewer chemical inputs, which help reduce costs.

Our use of cover crops protects the soil between harvests, helps prevent erosion, improves soil structure, and provides habitats for beneficial insects and wildlife. This reduces the need for pesticides and fertilisers while promoting biodiversity. Likewise, our rotational grazing system allows us to raise livestock in a way that mimics natural processes, restoring soil health, improving pasture quality, and sequestering more carbon.

Regenerative farming is helping us strike that elusive balance between food production and environmental responsibility, but it’s not a silver bullet. Without adequate financial support, many farms will struggle to implement these practices on a large enough scale to make a real difference.

What You Can Do to Help
As consumers, you have an important role to play in supporting a balanced approach to farming—one that ensures both food production and environmental sustainability. Here’s how you can make a real difference:
1.  Order Direct from British Farmers: Reduce your reliance on supermarkets and where possible buy direct from farmers. That way, you know exactly how the food was grown, how the animals were treated, and that you’re supporting UK agriculture. Plus, you can ask us all the awkward questions about our fields and hedges!
2.  Support Regenerative Farming: If you care about both food security and the environment, consider supporting farms practising regenerative agriculture. At Lower Blakemere, we reckon we’ve got the balance just right—feeding people and keeping the land healthy.
3.  Reduce Your Reliance on Supermarkets: Supermarkets are convenient, but they often source food from all over the world. Cut down on supermarket shopping where you can and support local markets or farm shops. The food will be fresher, and you’ll be supporting British farmers rather than faceless corporations.
4.  Join a Veg Box Scheme: If convenience is a big deal for you, consider signing up for a veg box scheme from a local farm. Seasonal, fresh produce delivered to your door—it’s a great way to eat healthily, support local farming, and reduce food miles.
5.  Buy from Lower Blakemere: You can always come to us! We’ve got a range of products straight from our farm, and you can be sure it’s grown sustainably and with care. Every purchase helps us keep farming the right way—producing food while looking after the land.
6.  Meat Myths: Get the Facts: Don’t buy the anti-meat hype. Properly managed, grass-fed livestock stores carbon, balancing out methane emissions, not adding to them. And when it comes to health, high-quality meat is packed with essential nutrients like iron, omega-3s, and vitamins. Forget the plant-based propaganda—real, sustainably farmed meat is good for you and the planet. Take a little time and do your homework.

By supporting British farmers, reducing your reliance on imported food, and choosing to back regenerative farming, you can help ensure that the UK remains capable of feeding itself while caring for the environment. It’s not just about saving the planet. It’s about feeding it too.