LEADERS of a national park have spoken of their delight after the Government signalled future methods of agricultural support will be designed to preserve the heritage and culture of farming communities which maintain precious landscapes.

Councillor Carl Lis, chairman of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, said he wholeheartedly backed Environment Secretary Michael Gove’s proposal to transfer money from the EU Basic Payment Scheme towards funding for farmers and landowners for schemes such as planting woods to stop flooding and creating wildlife habitats.

Speaking at the National Farmers’ Union annual conference in Birmingham, Mr Gove also guaranteed all existing agri-environment schemes entered into before Britain leaves the EU, such as the Payment by Results pilot project being run across 19 farms in the Wensleydale catchment area.

Mr Gove said areas such as the Yorkshire Dales, the Pennines and Northumberland would not be “breathtakingly beautiful” and resilient without upland farmers, and described farmers as “the very first friends of the earth”.

He said farmers provided “the most important public good”, by maintaining the countryside, and said they should be able to receive funding for their environmental work.

Mr Gove said: “I personally appreciate everything farmers do to keep our soils rich, our rivers clean, to provide habitats for wildlife and to help in the fight against climate change and broader environmental degradation. And I want to see farmers better rewarded for these vital public services.”

“The hotels, bed and breakfasts, restaurants and pubs which do so much to enhance the attractiveness of these areas for all visitors depend, crucially, on high quality local produce and a healthy local food economy to be at their best.”

He invited farmers, landowners and land managers to think creatively about new ways of investing in environmental enhancement and in other public goods.

Cllr Lis said the three-year, agri-environmental results-based pilot scheme being run in the national park highlighted how farmers were best placed - with the most knowledge of their land - to conserve the unique qualities of the area.

He said the proposal showed had recognised efforts made in the Yorkshire Dales to enable farmers to farm as they see fit to achieve positive environmental outcomes.

Cllr Lis said: “Farmers are the lifeblood of areas such as the Yorkshire Dales, so this is extremely encouraging.

“It is also encouraging that Michael Gove has identified national parks as areas that could benefit from this funding.”

Following the proposal to provide an extra source of funding to farmers, North-East MEP Paul Brannen, Labour’s agriculture spokesperson in the European Parliament, said the Environment Secretary had failed to mention the ten to 20 per cent cuts coming to farming budgets due to Brexit.

He said: “Once again Michael Gove has failed to be frank with our farmers about the Brexit reality that is swiftly approaching. Farmers need to be told that not only are the UK government going to allocate farm funding differently post Brexit, there is also going to be considerably less of it.”