Farming in the Uplands - ARCHIVE: Defra

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee: Evidence Ev 63
9. Despite the challenges, uplands farmers can envisage a future, with comparative advantages when it
comes to food production. Consumers increasingly demand provenance from their foods. Grass-fed,
traditional livestock rearing systems characterise the uplands. The challenge is to realise this added value
and ensure it flows back to farmers. In addition, climate change may further enhance the geographic
advantages of the uplands.
10. Combining a more profitable income from farming with other revenue sources is key to farming’s
viability. As yet, the markets for public goods are nascent; nonetheless payments for ecosystem services
represent an opportunity. Renewables and carbon credits are other areas with the potential to improve
viability. However, viable mechanisms must first be developed that are capable of gaining industry
confidence and demonstrating that benefits go to those who actively manage the land. In both cases, these
oVer longer term potential rather than a short term opportunity. In the foreseeable future, income from
diversification and agri-environment schemes will remain the critical revenue sources for underpinning
farm viability.
11. Beyond direct tourism activities, there needs to be a way of generating income from public access to
and provision of some of our most valued landscapes. This challenge cannot be underestimated. Access to
mountain hill and moorland made up just 2% of visits to the natural environment in England between March
2009 and February 2010. Moreover, fewer than three in 10 visits to the natural environment actually
involved any expenditure. 2 Of course the benefits of increased tourism need to be considered against the
potential detrimental impact on the landscape (increased traYc, wider footpaths, etc).
Response to Specific CRC Recommendations
A new integrated strategy for the uplands
12. This is the second high profile report on the uplands, following Natural England’s 2060 vision.
Neither captures a vision for hill farming. The NFU believes that a sustainable upland landscape is founded
on farm businesses managing the bulk of the uplands, that are profitable, increasingly productive and able
to deliver widespread environmental stewardship. Farming in tandem with their natural and social
environment, hill farmers will be increasingly responsive to the signals of the market place. At the same time,
they will be able to balance their role as food producers with the need to preserve our unique uplands for
subsequent generations. Hill farming will continue to provide opportunity for local communities, visitors
and farmers themselves to gain from the multiple benefits that upland ecosystems can sustainably provide.
13. The focus of any strategy needs to consider the short term actions required to address immediate
challenges faced in the uplands. In the current climate, we would question the government resources
available for developing and implementing a strategy. Inter-departmental conflicts can also be envisaged
when it comes to the uplands.
Strengthening leadership and momentum
14. In principle, a single uplands champion has some initial attractions—a focus around a single voice
being significant. However, experience suggests that the diversity of the English uplands and the range of
communities present means a single champion model is unlikely to be appropriate. Successful advocates
need an attentive audience amongst decision makers. We believe that a more promising model may be that
of an uplands panel drawn from business and social communities across England with a sponsoring Minister
(the Hill Farming Advisory Committee provided such a role before its abolition). Such a forum would draw
on a wider breadth of knowledge, indicate the seriousness of uplands issues, and would be more adept at
dealing with any conflicts that arise given the multiple needs of uplands communities.
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Empowering communities in the uplands
15. The emergence of local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) could oVer a solution for the uplands, based
on some of the policy weaknesses that the report has identified eg one size fits all approach, nonparticipatory,
etc. Empowering upland communities for more direct input seems to fit within the localism
agenda of developing a bottom-up approach to management of our uplands. However, few LEPs have
highlighted agriculture as a priority to date and there is significant uncertainty over their future role. Specific
issues to consider include:
— Will central government and especially locally based regulators delegate the appropriate functions
and what is the safety net if local empowerment falls short?
— Does this facilitate fragmentation of uplands policy into a myriad of local initiatives, conflicting
with calls for stronger leadership?
— Are the skills and knowledge in place, particularly if devolved to the parish level as suggested by
CRC and especially amongst upland businesses, which must devote time to manage local
partnerships?
2 Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment: The national survey on people and the natural environment