The survey collects information about the countryside including soil, birds, plants, water and much more. Collecting this information is important as it helps evaluate the successes of land management schemes such as Glastir.

The ERAMMP National Field Survey is managed by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology’s (UKCEH) Bangor office on behalf of the Welsh Government. UKCEH is a not-for-profit environment research organisation with extensive experience running national field surveys.

Data capture

A spokesperson for UKCEH Bangor said: "The Welsh Government and UKCEH are very grateful to all farmers and land managers who previously allowed us to survey on their land approximately 10 years ago. We are now seeking permission to repeat the survey in 2023 that we started in 2021-22, so that we can assess changes that have happened during the last 10 years. The National Field Survey visits and assesses farmland that is both in and outside of the Glastir scheme to account for changes happening in the countryside not linked to Glastir and provides valuable information on how Welsh farming is protecting and enhancing the Welsh countryside.

"The National Field Survey team will follow stringent farm biosecurity measures and there will be no requirement to meet the team when they visit. If requested we will contact farmers and land managers in advance of the visit."

The National Field Survey is not linked to compliance or the inspection process for the Basic Payment Scheme or Glastir and will not affect current payments.

Further information

For more information about the National Field Survey, visit the ERAMMP website.