The scheme has been running for 20 months. It is supported by the England Rural Development Programme by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund. This support stops at the end of this financial year (March 2009) and from the beginning of April it will be supported by the Countdown 2010 Biodiversity Action Fund by Natural England.

The scheme was set up for 4 main reasons:
1. To provide local solutions to grazing issues.
2. To offer local site and livestock information.
3. A dedicated officer to provide first hand experience of sites and graziers and offer involvement and feedback with grazing, especially for nature conservation.
4. Encourage local grazing.

Landowners and land managers are able to register their land or livestock on the website for free.

The website provides an information directory on, for example, fencing suppliers and contractors, training, equipment, vets, shearers with the emphasise being on local. The publications page provides information on a number of grazing issues that range from the latest information about bluetongue to an example contract between a grazier and land owner/manager.

The website has nearly 30 graziers and landowners registered and it is continuing to grow steadily. There are a number of landowners/graziers that do not want to have their details publicised on the website. I keep in regular contact with these landowners/graziers to keep them informed about potential land or livestock that becomes available through the scheme.

So far, there have been 7 successful matches between local land owners and graziers and as the website continues to grow this number will continue to rise.