Affinity and Cambridge to extend cover crops scheme

Affinity Water and Cambridge Water are to extend and expand their joint activities through the EnTrade platform to fund farmers in North Hertfordshire and South Cambridgeshire to grow cover crops to provide environmental benefits.

The companies plan to repeat the scheme for a third year following success in 2019/20 and 2020/21. Last summer’s initiative captured 40 tonnes of nitrogen over 800 hectares of land. There are also plans to expand the scheme into the upper parts of the Ivel, Hiz and Mimram catchments between Hitchin and Luton.

Agricultural advisor to Affinity Water, Shaun Dowman, said: “All farmers involved in our 2020/21 cover crop scheme have successfully grown their cover crops which have done a great job at protecting soils from erosion, reducing nitrate leaching and capturing carbon. This follows on from the success of the 2019 cover crop scheme.” As well as the water quality and carbon benefits, he said the crops added colour and interest to the fields as well as benefiting wildlife over winter.

There has been an increase in nitrate concentrations in several North Hertfordshire and South Cambridgeshire groundwater catchments. Cover crops can help mitigate this. Catchment advisor for Cambridge Water, Jennifer Thomas, explained: “Cover crops play an important role in improving farm productivity and enhancing the natural environment. These crops, grown in the autumn/winter months between cash crops, are an excellent way to capture excess nitrate left in the soil. Without a cover crop this nitrate has the potential to leach into the aquifer or into nearby rivers, increasing the nitrate concentration which would then require water treatment.”