Upland farmers to get more cash help (From Craven Herald)

Upland farmers to get more cash help

4:10pm Thursday 21st May 2009 in

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More help is on its way to upland farmers in the Yorkshire Dales National Park who want to apply for extra Government and European cash.

Natural England and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority have teamed up to help bring more land into the Higher Level Stewardship scheme.

This will give farmers who are already in the Entry Level Stewardship scheme more cash to look after wildlife, the iconic Yorkshire Dales landscapes and the historical features found there.

And the two organisations will continue to develop important major projects – many of which are carried out by local contractors – with farmers already in other agri-environment schemes.

The new arrangements represent a step-change in the scale of co-operation and will make significant further improvements to the environment of the National Park, help Dales farmers to access this support as rapidly as possible and provide much-needed work for local building contractors and others.

Natural England area manager Peter Welsh said: “The Yorkshire Dales is one of England’s most important landscapes and is a key target area for funding through the agri-environment schemes. “We want to try to ensure that all those farmers and landowners who are helping to look after it get properly rewarded for their efforts.”

Kevin Lancaster, the national park chairman and an upland farmer, said: “The amount of money available to farmers in the Yorkshire Dales National Park through Natural England’s grant schemes has increased substantially and is likely to increase further in the coming years. “These grants have never been more critical. Not only will they help to keep farmers farming, but they will also help to support local businesses and jobs during the economic downturn.

“It will be vital to ensure that all the available funding is taken up because the income provided by these schemes is critical to the survival of many of our hill farms.”

Both Natural England and national park authority staff offer advice and assistance to farmers wanting to enter a Higher Level Stewardship or other agreement.

The level of national park authority involvement is increasing and its staff will now also be helping to deliver new major projects that will bring significant benefits to the landscape of the Dales. These include:

* Repairs to traditional stone field barns – there are currently about 4,500 in the national park of which nearly half need attention;

* Restoration of significant areas of peatland – to help tackle climate change and reduce flooding;

* Restoration of Scheduled Monuments that are at risk – the latest estimate puts about 40 of the 200 in the National Park in this category.