Your Gloucestershire county NFU update

On Tuesday 20th October, representatives from Defra, APHA, Forestry England, AHDB, the National Pig Association, Natural England and farming organisations met to discuss wild boar management and African Swine Fever (ASF) preparedness across the UK.

Discussion focused on improving farmer awareness of ASF, improving data collection on wild boar populations, and creating a local strategy for potential outbreak management. There was also support for greater local coordination between farmers, government agencies and industry representatives to improve preparedness and communication.

Forest of Dean Farmer Meeting

Prior to the meeting, members raised concerns about the ongoing challenges farmers face with wild boar on the Forest of Dean, having financial implications on their businesses as well as concern around disease control. With this in mind, we would like to set up a meeting for farmers within the Forest of Dean and surrounding areas, to provide an update on wild boar management, ASF preparedness and related policy developments, while also giving farmers an opportunity to share experiences and concerns.

If you would be interested in attending future meetings, please register your interest by emailing me at [email protected]. This will help me understand demand for future discussions and help organise representation from interested groups. 

The Common Connections project has initial National Lottery Heritage Fund support for the planning of a major bid to the Heritage Fund. The project aims to create a flourishing, connected landscape across the Cotswold hills, from Cleeve Common to Stinchcombe, where nature and people can thrive. Find out more, including the project area, here: Common Connections

Cotswolds National Landscape, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and the National Trust would love you to help create a shared project vision for nature, people and heritage, to identify key audiences, opportunities and possible activities - all potentially supported by the Heritage Fund's Landscape Connections programme and possible funding of up to £8 Million running to 2038.

They will be hosting an event on Friday 4 December from 10.00-15.00 at The Painswick Centre, Bisley Street, Painswick, Stroud, GL6 6QQ. Lunch and refreshments provided.

If you have any questions, please contact the Project Manager, Ben Spencer: [email protected]

 To register, click here: 

 Buy Common Connections Visioning Workshop Tickets online - National Trust

Severn Rivers Ecology has secured funding through Natural England’s District Level Licensing (DLL) scheme, to create and restore ponds that will provide valuable habitat for Great Crested Newts.
 

They are looking to hear from landowners and farmers within South Gloucestershire and North Somerset who may have suitable land where new ponds could be created, or an existing pond could be restored or improved.
 

Ponds are an important part of the landscape for Great Crested Newts, providing breeding habitat and supporting wider biodiversity. Through this project, Severn Rivers Ecology can provide support to identify suitable sites in low-lying or naturally wet areas and deliver pond creation or restoration works. All works would be fully funded, with Severn Rivers Ecology arranging and managing the work, so there would be no cost to the landowner.
 

If you are interested in finding out more or think you may have a suitable site, please get in touch with [email protected] or 07754 897224 to discuss the opportunity.

GRIP: the conversations farm families keep putting off

The hardest part of farming is rarely the work. It's the conversations: who's in charge of what, whether to spend money, a change one generation wants and another won't hear of, or who takes over. It's so common for the same argument to go round for years, and it's not because anyone's being awkward.

GRIP is a one-day practical workshop run by Amy Hughes of EmpowerAg, who grew up on a beef and sheep farm in North Yorkshire and is a qualified mediator. In a small group of no more than 20, you'll look at why people dig their heels in, how to have difficult conversations without them blowing up, and how to get everyone pulling the same way. You'll leave with a workbook and your first steps written down, plus an optional follow-up session.

The nearest workshop is on Thursday 5 November at the Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester, 9.30am to 4.30pm. There are nine more dates across England.

Places are subsidised by AHDB Beef & Lamb, with priority for English beef and sheep farmers (a CPH number is needed to book). Bring a friend or a neighbour along. It's always easier with someone you know in the room. Book at tickets.empowerag.co.uk/events/empowerag

This autumn, we have been meeting with local MPs to ensure Gloucestershire farmers' voices are heard in Westminster. These discussions provide an opportunity to raise local issues affecting your business, as well as share the NFU's priorities ahead of the Autumn Budget.

We have a number of MP meetings planned over the coming months. If you would be interested in attending, please email me at [email protected].

These meetings are a valuable opportunity to share your views directly with your MP, ask questions, and help ensure the needs and concerns of Gloucestershire farming are represented in Parliament.

Meeting with Roz Savage MP, South Cotswolds - Friday 30 Octover, 2pm

Meeting with Cameron Thomas MP, Tewkesbury - Thursday 5 November, 2pm

Meeting with Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, North Cotswolds - 6 November 2026, 12.30pm-2pm

FIPL: Can we help you fund your project?

The Cotswolds National Landscape’s Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) programme still has plenty of funds left to allocate this financial year. If you have a project in the Cotswolds which can be delivered before the end of March 2027, we are particularly keen to hear from you. You could be awarded up to £250,000 of funding to deliver your project! 

FiPL is very flexible in what projects we can support from fencing for mob grazing or habitat restoration, food processing equipment and improvements to public access to spring capture, horticulture and farm diversification. For inspiration have a look at the list of projects supported so far and the five minute FiPL film.

For more information on the FiPL Programme and what it can support, please take a look at our webpage or get in touch with the team; [email protected].

Hartpury University and Hartpury College have a range of upcoming events that can be found in the Digital Innovation Farm Event Brochure. They have a great programme of events coming up over the next few months, and it would be fantastic if you could share these with your NFU members.

The brochure can be found here: Autumn/Winter Events Brochure 2026 | PDF to Flipbook

STEPS (Severn Trent's Environmental Protection Scheme) is part of Severn Trent Water's Farming for Water catchment management programme. STEPS provides practical funding and expert advice to help farmers make improvements that work for their farms and support local water quality. STEPS is designed to help farmers identify the right action for the right farm. Like STEPS 2025, STEPS 2026 is based around 6 core objectives, all of which are designed to support the farm and benefit water quality. 

The deadline for applications is 11 December 2026.

You can find out more here.

The Environment Agency has released a video for farmers and contractors on slurry store construction and SSAFO regulations. It explains slurry and silage storage management, the benefits of getting it right, and how to stay compliant. Please click below to watch the video.

For more information: 

Farming Rules for Water: Guidance on Farming Rules for Water – NFUonline

SSAFO Regulations: Silage, Slurry and Agricultural Fuel Oil storage – what you need to know – NFUonline

As you are hopefully now aware, the rules for using rodenticides are changing and unless you have taken the Rodent Management Course and have the certificate from an approved provider, you will no longer be able to purchase rodenticides from 1 January 2026.

NFU has worked with Lantra so that we can provide this exam to our members at a discounted price of £95 + VAT.

If you would like to take this exam with NFU, please register your interest and we will look to run another session soon.

The CPRE are currently in the process of looking for land for hedgerow laying and planting and individuals who would be happy to host their sessions.

For planting, they would be looking for land that is clear and accessible (mowed or unplanted) that they can plant a new hedge into, or gaps within existing hedges that they can fill. They generally aim to do approximately 100m in a planting day, but this is  dependent of the number of volunteers present. If you have more than 100m, then CPRE could organise multiple days throughout the season to continue the work.

For laying, the land criteria has a few more requirements. In specific, it requires an existing hedge that has at least 2 plant species present and, is less than 14ft tall with stems that are not too thick, so that they can be easily moved by the volunteers.

If you have any questions or would like to get in touch about participating in the project, please contact Eve from CPRE at [email protected].