FARMERS in the River Kennet catchment area are being encouraged to follow the example of the green-conscious Temple Farming Estate at Rockley and take greater care of the environment.
More than 50 farmers, landowners and people with an interest in the River Kennet, including fishing clubs and the water keepers, were invited to Temple Farm on Wednesday last week to see some of the improvement work carried out over the last 16 years since Count Konrad Goess-Sarau bought the 4,500 acre estate.
They were shown some of the plantations where more than a million new trees and 23 miles of hedgerow have been planted, and were invited by the Wiltshire Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group to the official launch of the new Upper Kennet Landwise Project.
The Kennet project is jointly funded by the Environment Agency and English Nature.
Andrew Bolton and FWAG co-ordinator Lisa Coward will oversee it.
Mr Bolton's role will be to offer practical advice to farmers and landowners within the river's catchment area to help increase water quality by lowering levels of fertilisers applied to the land.
Rockley estate manager Chris Musgrave said despite all the environmental improvements the estate had remained profitable. "The effect on the diversity of the downs has been fantastic.
"There has been a huge increase in the wildlife attracted to the estate," he said.
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