Calon Gwenyn (‘Bee Heart’)

Credit: Photo: Jade Oliver

This project is rolling out measures identified in the Pasture for Pollinators project, and will involve our Project Officer working with all Calon Wen farms to implement pollinator friendly measures. By the end of the project, we aim to have identified areas around farms in the co-operative where a farm ‘cluster’ approach could be taken if a future project was successful. This would enable habitat management measures for pollinators to be undertaken on farms at a landscape scale.

The decline in bumblebees is due to many factors, but principally the loss of lowland meadow to intensive agriculture and urban development. In the UK, 90% of wildflowers and 74% of crop species are dependent on insect pollination, with bumblebees and other pollinators carrying out 66% of crop pollination. Working with farmers in Wales will help to provide a new way to manage land.

The Trust will work with the Calon Wen organic dairy cooperative farmers, providing each farm with advisory visits, habitat management advice, reviewing habitat management options and collecting data on pollinators found on the farm. The ambition is for the farmers to be managing at least 10% of their farms for pollinators. This will include habitats such as permanent flower-rich grassland and pasture, hedgerow and field margins, tracksides, ditches, wetland, and will also include agricultural land such as herbal leys and other legume-rich leys and crops. Advice and support on creation and management of other resources vital for pollinators such as shelter, nesting and over-wintering habitat will also be provided.