A SCHEME to help preserve flower-rich hay meadows has been taken up by farmers across part of the region.

Sixty hay meadows in Teesdale, County Durham, have been surveyed by staff from the Government's Rural Development Service in the North-East.

Upland hay meadows are a national rarity and have reduced considerably in the 20th Century as a result of agricultural intensification.

Estimates suggest there are less than 1,000 hectares remaining in northern England.

Last summer, Defra staff recorded the Teesdale fields and took details of the plants, soil and the way the meadows were managed.

They have been working with the landowners and farmers to ensure the right action is taken to preserve the sites.

Richard MacDonald, the project officer at the Rural Development Service, said: "In recent years, many farms have stopped applying lime to their hay meadows.

"In some circumstances, the application of lime may not be desirable from a conservation point of view as it encourages the more productive grasses to grow.

"However, if meadows become too acidic this can eventually result in a loss of plant species diversity."

The work is part of the Defra Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESA) scheme, which offers farmers incentives to work towards safeguarding and improving the countryside.

There are 22 ESA in England and more than 1,000 farmers and landowners have signed up to the Pennine Dales ESA, of which Teesdale is a part.

Elaine Nixon, of Peghorn Lodge, Harwood, in Upper Teesdale, one of those supporting the project, said: "The hay meadows are an important feature of the landscape and by preserving them we also help the local wildlife, while the financial incentives offered by the scheme make it worthwhile."

Reuben Atkinson of Rose Tree Farm, Forest-in-Teesdale, said: "The hay meadows are really quite unique."

Defra is also supporting research at the University of Newcastle that looks at the best management of hay meadows and ways of reinstating plants.