Farming in the Uplands - ARCHIVE: Defra

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee: Evidence Ev 31
10 November 2010 Dr Nigel Stone and Peter Barfoot
Examination of Witnesses
Witnesses: Dr Nigel Stone, Chief Executive, Exmoor National Park, and Peter Barfoot, Head of Conservation,
North York Moors National Park, English National Park Authorities Association, gave evidence.
Q137 Chair: You are both very welcome. I ask one
of you to introduce yourself and your colleague for
the record.
Dr Stone: I am Dr Nigel Stone; I am the Chief
Executive of Exmoor National Park Authority, and I
should like to introduce Peter Barfoot who is Director
of Conservation at North York Moors National Park.
Obviously, we are able to talk in some detail about
our own national parks but where we can we would
also like to represent our colleagues in other national
parks.
Chair: Thank you for being so patient. I am sorry we
have overrun. As you will have realised, there was a
vote earlier in the day.
Q138 George Eustice: The Commission for Rural
Communities said that we needed a national strategy
for the uplands. Do you share that view, or is it
basically the fact that the challenges they face are the
same as those facing any rural community?
Dr Stone: You ask two questions: one is whether there
should be a strategy. I do not believe that the uplands
share the same problems of all rural communities. The
uplands have the issues that face all rural communities
writ large, often because of the nature and geography
of the areas’ remoteness etc. As to a national strategy,
I would almost echo the response given by Dr Clark
of the NFU. We have all seen lots of strategies, but
we want a very clear statement from Government that
the uplands are on the radar and that ministers are
interested in seeing how uplands and upland
communities are thriving. A number of suggestions
have been made, such as ensuring that a ministerial
portfolio includes uplands specifically. I would add
something along the lines of ensuring that you
monitor the state of the uplands from all three
aspects—economy, environment and community—
and that when policy is developed it does so against
the particular barriers to engagement in the uplands.
Q139 George Eustice: But do you think you need a
distinct set of policies for the uplands, as opposed to
just one for rural communities; or is it the case that
if you had a coherent package of policies for rural
communities the uplands would benefit equally from
it?
Dr Stone: There may be challenges in particular areas
because of the nature of their rurality. I do not think
we can say there should just be some upland policies
separate from rural ones; there is a whole spectrum of
issues and challenges. If we look at a subject that has
already been mentioned, broadband access and
telecommunications, because of topography there are
particular challenges in upland areas. You may well
have a particular focus on how the roll-out of those
technologies takes place in a challenging
environment. I think it will depend on the nature of
the policy, but uplands and upland communities
should be there and represented nationally so there is
that kind of overview of policy impact.
Q140 George Eustice: What about between different
upland areas? Basically, do all of them face the same
challenges or are there differences between them?
Peter Barfoot: Obviously, there is a spectrum.
Uplands are generally rural areas; they face the same
challenges and issues as other rural areas. They also
face specific challenges of their own, so in as much
as there is a strategy for the uplands, issues need to
be addressed that are specific to uplands. But do not
run away with the idea that all uplands are the same;
they vary considerably. We have seen some of the
issues that arise here. For instance, earlier we talked
about the assessment of the condition of moorland
SSSI, which is the same from the west of Wales to the
east of England. An upland that receives 100 inches
of rain is very different from one that receives 30
inches. There are national issues relating to uplands,
but there also needs to be flexibility in accepting in
detail that these areas differ.
Dr Stone: I think the general challenges are faced by
upland areas. The specifics of how they are responded
to and addressed might be different in different places.
Q141 George Eustice: We heard earlier from the
Tenant Farmers Association. Their concern was that
the way subsidy had moved to area-based payments
and Single Farm Payment disadvantaged a lot of their
members and farmers, and CRC picked up the mood
among farmers that they were just being turned into
glorified park-keepers rather than actual farmers. Is
that a sense you have picked up? Do you think that is
a fair comment?
Dr Stone: Yes. Particular challenges are faced by
tenant farmers. They do not have the options.
Obviously, what they can do is very much determined
by the nature of their tenancy and so on. The language
about park-keepers is not helpful. I think their point—
we heard it from the NFU and the CLA—is that this
is about integrated land management. These areas
deliver a huge range of public benefits, not public
goods, to the wider community, and the people who
essentially manage these areas and deliver that wide
range of benefits, be they landlords and tenants,
should benefit from that. Ultimately, there should be
a synergistic relationship between landlord and tenant.
There will be good and not so good landlords and
tenants.
Peter Barfoot: There is no doubt that the availability
of uncapped headage payments resulted in
environmental damage in the uplands. I do not
recognise the statement that it did not cause overgrazing;
it did, and on a very large basis.
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Q142 George Eustice: They say it was overstated.
Peter Barfoot: I can show you some stocking
statistics that indicate that the introduction of certain
types of headage payments resulted in a 30% increase
in the sheep flock in the North York moors. There is
a record here. Whether the pendulum swung too far
the other way is a moot point.