UK POTATO growers who signed up for herbal leys as one of the 23 options from the 2023 Sustainable Farming Initiative programme should seek competent advice on the suitability of mixtures being sold as ‘SAM3 compatible’ as seed decisions loom, it has been claimed.
UK grass-seed breeder Barenberg points out that while Defra has issued guidelines as to what will properly constitute a ‘herbal ley’ under the scheme, those guidelines are not yet mandatory.
Barenbrug’s Agriculture Product Manager Janet Montgomery said: “A seed mixture that has been constituted only to tick boxes against the SAM3 guidelines is perhaps not the best approach. While it may serve to meet the bare minimum required by the guidelines, it risks doing little or nothing to achieve the full intention of a herbal ley, environmentally or agronomically.”
Herbal leys deliver improvements in soil health, structure and fertility, and increased biodiversity but some mixtures labelled ‘SAM3’ might be little more than a standard mix with a ‘top-up’ of legumes and herbs, Janet said.
A below-par seed blend is likely to result not just in a poor herbal ley, but unsatisfactory agronomic performance to boot, she warns.
“A herbal ley is a really approachable, accessible way to enter SFI. Done well, it will deliver – and will demonstrate that SFI doesn’t have to be difficult, or result in lower productivity, if the right agronomic decisions are made. Yet if someone’s had a bad experience as a result of a sub-standard mixture, who’ll want to come back to the idea of a herbal ley?”
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