Meet Rory, our Principle Land Manager | Environment Bank

Growing up on a family farm in the Lake District, our Principal Land Manager Rory always knew he wanted to work in partnership with farmers. Having joined Environment Bank in 2023, Rory now helps co-ordinate a national team of land managers who are supporting rural landowners across England.

Rory reflects on the current challenges facing England’s farmers, explores his role at Environment Bank and what first drew him to land management, and shares his thoughts on why many farmers are now choosing to get involved in Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG).

What big challenges do you see currently facing farmers in England?

“You don’t have to be a farmer to know that the cost of everything is going up. Whether that be electricity for grain dryers or the cost of fertiliser, those input costs have been on a massive increase over the last few years and, at the same time, the commodity prices for grains and livestock are constantly fluctuating.

The thing with farming is that you invest in a crop or livestock often years in advance before you see the return. So, when farmers are trying to plan for levels of income, it’s very difficult with input costs fluctuating and outputs uncertain.

And the other thing that ties into farm incomes is the basic payment scheme which was due to be phased out until 2028 but, in the autumn budget, it was announced that instead of being phased out, it was going to end quite abruptly.

Landowners had been expecting to receive that income over the next few years but, essentially overnight, they’ve gone from potentially earning tens of thousands each year to absolutely nothing. That’s hitting cash flows quite hard for a lot of landowners.

In the news a lot recently are the changes in inheritance tax. Previously agricultural property received 100% relief from inheritance tax on its agricultural value, so landowners could pass their land and farms onto the next generation without having to pay an inheritance tax bill.

But that’s changed now with a limit on agricultural property relief set at £1,000,000. For a lot of farmers that we work with, the value of their farms exceeds that threshold so their families could face a high level of inheritance tax which they hadn’t had to consider previously.

On a more positive note, while the overall relief limit increased, the budget gave us confirmation that natural capital schemes like BNG are eligible for agricultural property relief where it had previously been unconfirmed.”

Rory, a man in his early thirties with short brown hair, wearing a blue Environment Bank raincoat, carrying a clipboard, walking towards a herd of sheep at a Habitat Bank — Rory on-site at one of our Habitat Banks

How did you first become interested in farming and land management?

“I’ve always had a real interest in rural life. I grew up on a farm in the Lake District, and I’ve been either working or living on farms ever since.

When I finished school, I worked for a few years at home but also travelled to work on farms abroad. I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do, but I knew it would involve farming.

I studied land management at university which interested me because I got to really understand not just farming but also land and property ownership, and I discovered all the various ways I could support rural landowners.

After university, I worked for a land agency in North Yorkshire where I helped rural estates manage their property portfolios and undertook rural professional work including tenancy advice, stewardship schemes, basic payment scheme applications, and farm lettings.

While there, I took my professional qualifications and became a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and a Fellow of the Association of Agricultural Valuers.

I was looking to specialise a bit more just as BNG was being introduced and I wanted to get involved, so I joined Environment Bank.”

Four members of the Environment Bank team at a Habitat Bank, two wearing waxed country jackets and two wearing blue zip-up jackets, gathered around a clipboard - two are men in their thirties and two are women in their twenties — Rory with some of his Environment Bank teammates: Elizabeth, Jonathan, and Catherine

Why is BNG becoming such a popular option for farmers and landowners?

“BNG Habitat Banks are an increasingly popular diversification option because farmers can bank a parcel of land and know that at least some of their income is guaranteed and unaffected by fluctuating input costs.

It can be a bit of a lifeline for those that are struggling financially as well as a great opportunity for those that are simply looking for those additional revenue streams.

Many farmers are looking to recuperate income that’s been lost because of changes to things like the basic payment scheme as well as the increasing cost of farming inputs.

Habitat Banks are good for farmers because it gives you the option to continue managing the land but perhaps in a slightly less intensive way by potentially using traditional livestock grazing and hay cuts.

This approach is key for Environment Bank because ensuring the focus remains on agriculture means that BNG can fit into the wider land business while providing a guaranteed income stream for thirty years.

From multi-generational family farmers to large rural estate owners, no landowner is the same and they all have different reasons and motivation for going into BNG. But almost all we work with have a keen interest in biodiversity and really want to see wildlife and nature recover and thrive on their land.

If they can go into a scheme that pays them well, offers them support, and has real expertise in how to achieve biodiversity uplift and provide guaranteed revenue – which Environment Bank is able to offer through BNG – I think it’s a fantastic diversification option for landowners.”

Four of the Environment Bank team visiting a Habitat Bank, two men in their thirties and two women in their twenties, two wearing waxed countryside jackets, two wearing blue windbreakers. — Elizabeth, Rory, Jonathan, and Catherine visiting a pond at one of our Habitat Banks

How does a Habitat Bank support a land and farm business?

“Alongside the financial benefits, I think if you look at the current trends in farming, you’ll see a real push towards regenerative agriculture – looking at your land and business as if it’s an ecosystem, an intertwined web of life – and BNG really supports that.

Rather than just wanting to grow a certain amount of wheat, for example, regenerative agriculture involves looking at everything that goes into and comes out of the land – including things like soil health, air quality, and water quality – and managing the impact of farming on all these things to find a more sustainable approach.

Creating a BNG Habitat Bank takes a parcel land where the soil is initially poor in terms of nutrients and introduces things like wildflower grassland, woodland, and scrub which improve the health of the soil and promote biodiversity, wildlife, and pollinators.

These benefits are great for agriculture. If you set up a Habitat Bank next to an area of arable land, for example, the increasing number of pollinators will really help create a sort of symbiosis between the two areas.”

Environment Bank's Chief Land & Nature Officer, Emma, a woman in her forties with long curly brown hair, wearing a blue outdoor coat, stood on-site at a Habitat Bank with a landowner - a woman in her sixties with curly grey hair, wearing a hat, green fleece and blue jeans - and her herd of sheep — Our Blackboys Habitat Bank landowner with her herd of sheep, alongside Emma from Environment Bank

How does Environment Bank work with rural landowners?

“When a suitable parcel of land is registered with us, we work together with the landowner to build a close partnership where we set up a Habitat Bank on their land.

We take out a long-term lease on the land parcel, pay the landowner an annual rent and, in most circumstances, also pay them an annual fee to help manage that land following a tailored management plan that we create together.

The design for each Habitat Bank is led primarily by ecology, but it also incorporates the landowner’s perspective. We always listen to them to understand which habitats they think could be beneficial because they know the land better than anyone.

After planning the site together, we cover the cost of establishing all the new or enhanced habitats and then continue to provide ongoing support for the Habitat Bank’s full 30-year lifetime.

Most of our Habitat Banks incorporate grazing livestock or hay cuts directly into the management plan so the farmer can continue to generate income from their land through the traditional means and receive management payments from us for doing so.

They have the agricultural expertise, so we’re never going to come along and tell them how to farm, but we can suggest effective ways to tweak farming practices – such as reducing grazing livestock density – to benefit the new habitats and encourage more wildlife.”

Two Environment Bank land managers at a Habitat Bank, stood beside a farm gate with cattle grazing behind, wearing wellies and blue zip-up jackets, a man in his thirties with short brown hair and a woman in her twenties with long brown hair — Rory and Elizabeth from the national land team at Environment Bank

What is the role of Environment Bank’s land team?

“When landowners reach out to work with us, we support them throughout the entire process, answering their questions and building a positive, collaborative relationship.

Our work involves arranging visits from our ecologists, helping plan the site design, managing the legal agreements, and being the main point of contact between the landowner and the wider team at Environment Bank.

As Principal Land Manager & National Land Acquisition Lead, I support our whole national land team and oversee the pipeline of sites that we have coming forward.

This involves expanding our network of Habitat Banks, targeting any keys areas where we’d really like to set up a site, and continually refining our offering to landowners so they can get the most out of BNG and really want to work with us.”

Richard Pendlebury with Rob Wregglesworth from Environment Bank stood together looking across the Horwich Habitat Bank — Our Horwich Habitat Bank landowner alongside Rob from Environment Bank

What do you find most rewarding about your role?

“Honestly, it’s the help that we can provide farmers by partnering with them. At the moment, there is lots going on in the world of agriculture and it seems like there’s a lot of things working against farmers.

So, the highlight for me is when I get to see a new Habitat Bank go live because we’ve supported the landowner from their initial registration right the way through.

I’m really looking forward to watching as the Habitat Banks progress over the years and getting to see the long-term benefits of biodiversity increasing on the land.”

Sun setting over a landscape with ridges and furrows as an owl flies across — A vision for one of our Habitat Banks where biodiversity has been restored

How does Environment Bank’s approach to BNG compare with other providers?

“We’ve done a lot to ensure our model removes any of the additional cost and risk that’s typically associated with BNG from the landowner almost entirely.

Environment Bank covers the cost of all the habitat creation works. If we’re creating wildflower meadows, we’ll pay for the reseeding works. If we’re creating ponds, we will take care of any planning permissions and pay for the excavation.

We can be really flexible with our offer and Habitat Bank design to make it work for landowners. Provided that they complete their management activities every year as planned, our landowners receive their lease and management payments without having to worry about anything else involved in BNG.

Our ecologists ensure all the habitats are established correctly and provide annual reports on Habitat Bank progression to the local planning authority, and our dedicated team of sales account managers generate revenue from the Habitat Bank by selling the Biodiversity Units to developers.”

Two Environment Bank land managers at at Habitat Bank, looking over a clipboard with a map of the site, a man and a woman in their twenties — Rory and Elizabeth reviewing a Habitat Bank

What kind of feedback do you get from farmers and landowner partners?

“Our partners like working with us because we’ve made it easy for them to make an income through BNG and enhance their land. We work with them, and we provide all the biodiversity expertise.

We’re allowing them to focus on farming and land management without worrying about having to sell Biodiversity Units to developers to see any financial returns.

For farms that have been intensively managed in the past, very small changes can make quite a big difference in biodiversity, and you can start to see improvements quite soon after establishing the Habitat Bank.

A lot of our Habitat Banks are still in their early days, but our farmers are already enjoying seeing an increase in biodiversity on their land and that’s something we’ll see more over the coming years as the Habitat Bank flourishes.”

Tim Easby walking towards his cattle — Our Ripon Habitat Bank landowner with his herd of cattle

What would you say to anyone considering BNG for their land?

“There might be a certain area of your land that isn’t the most productive agriculturally where a Habitat Bank might be a great diversification option to reduce the pressure for you to make a profit from this land using traditional means.

I would encourage anyone considering BNG to contact us and explore their options because we can do a desk-based review and visit the land for an ecology assessment at no cost to the landowner.

Look at the land you have available. We can take on anywhere from 25 to 250 acres, depending on location and habitat creation opportunities, and we always want to make sure it complements the wider farming business.

Even if you’re a little bit on the fence, it might be worth getting us to come out for a chat about how it works. We can talk in a bit more detail about the type of habitats we could create without you having to commit.”

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