A FARM in Lower Whitley is dedicated to changing the face of farming by encouraging wildlife and biodiversity.

Arla farmer, David Johnson, has been inviting wildlife to Greenhill Farm after he took more than 20 years ago.

There are currently 180 milking cows on the family owned farm, producing 1.2 million litres of milk each year.

David said: "We have a huge opportunity to change the norm of dairy farming, as historically we’ve had to make a choice between being a commercial dairy farm and being a farm that works for protecting the environment.

"I’m marrying them already and seeing benefits such as increased organic matter in the soil for the grass to grow and feed the grazing animals."

David is also transforming one acre of his land into a wildflower meadow to encourage butterflies, insects, birds, bats and bees to the farm.

He said: "The farming industry has to change, evolve and adapt based on what the environment is doing.

"We’re continually looking for ways to tweak what we do to ensure that we continue to be a sustainable business, but also protecting the environment and wildlife for years to come.”

David already has a resident family of barn owls that have lived on the farm for 15 years.

He added: "It’s really exciting to see where we can go with our approach to encouraging wildlife and biodiversity on the farm.

"We’re still learning everyday about what will work and what won’t."

Arla is the first large dairy business to commit itself to providing carbon net zero dairy by 2050.

It plans to do this by reducing carbon emissions produced by farms, dairies and packaging.