The Avon DTC hosted a policy meeting to showcase the Demonstration Test Catchments (DTC) to Defra, Environment Agency, Natural England and Welsh Assembly Government staff.
The day started with a presentation from Dan McGonigle outlining the DTC project followed by Adrian Collins introducing the Hampshire Avon DTC, followed by a trip out into the target sub-catchments being monitored in the Hampshire Avon.
The first target sub-catchment visited was in Kingston Deverill, Wiltshire, with a visit to a mixed arable farm. The farmer gave a talk on ways in which he maximises profitability on the farm whilst maintaining ecological sensitivity. Followed by a visit to one of the DTC high spec monitoring kiosks for an equipment demonstration.
The second visit was to a dairy farm in the Priors Farm target sub-catchment in Dorset. Here the farmer again outlined ways in which he maximises profitability on a dairy farm whilst minimising ecological impact.
The third and final visit of the day was to a neighbouring lowland grazing farm in the Priors Farm sub-catchment, where the DTC biological monitoring programme was demonstrated with some kick sampling.
Please click here to read the full agenda from the day.
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Opening presentations about the
DTC project hosted at a local farm
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Talk by a mixed arable farmer on how he maximises yield whilst
minimising environmental impact
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Monitoring equipment in one of the high spec kiosks
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Farm walk on a dairy farm looking at some mitigation measures
that will be implemented at part of the DTC project
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Demonstration of the biological
monitoring strategy
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