Following discussions with farmers, advisers, industry organisations and Defra, independent awarding body, BASIS, has set out plans to support the agricultural industry in transitioning to Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes.

Teresa Meadows, BASIS head of environment and public affairs, explains that in line with expected policy changes, the organisation will deliver a suite of environmental training courses tailored to farmers, land managers and advisers.

Principles of Sustainable Land Management course

“Due to launch in early 2022, the first in our suite of new environmental training courses will provide candidates with knowledge on how to maximise on-farm environmental potential, through the use of environmental management alongside sustainable farming practices,” she says.

“We plan for the Principles of Sustainable Land Management course to be delivered both online and in-person, making it accessible to all. Candidates should come away from the training armed with the technical and practical farm-based knowledge to successfully deliver the Sustainable Farming Incentive standards.

Conservation Management qualification

For those interested in a more in-depth understanding of environmental land management or those who will be advising on future agri-environment applications, a revised and updated syllabus for the highly successful BETA Conservation Management course is planned to launch in autumn 2022.

Miss Meadows explains that the syllabus will be updated to meet the requirements of the ELM schemes, whilst also covering wider environmental topics and technical skills.

Environmental Advisers Register

“Complementing the new courses, will be the creation of a new BASIS Environmental Advisers Register. This will act as an assured national database of qualified individuals offering advice to farmers and land managers,” she says.

“Members will be required to collect Continued Professional Development (CPD) points annually through further learning and training to ensure their knowledge is up to date.”

Advanced courses

BASIS’ suite of environmental training will be further developed in the future, bringing more advanced courses looking at topics such as carbon, air quality and regenerative farming.

Miss Meadows explains that these will be aimed at advisers already practicing conservation and environmental management, to develop and specialise their skills in a new area or for those in the wider industry wanting to take the next step in their education.

“BASIS is already widely respected in the industry for delivering environmental training, such as the BETA Conservation Management and Soil and Water Management courses. These course updates and additions will further support the industry with the knowledge required to meet the new scheme opportunities and address the carbon and biodiversity crises,” she says.

More details on course dates and locations will be available in the New Year, to register your interest, please contact training.courses@basis-reg.co.uk or for further information, please visitwww.basis-reg.co.uk/.