FAMILY farms in the North York Moors national park must continue to be viable or they will disappear and without them the landscape will suffer.

This is the opinion put forward to the park planning committee by the National Farmers' Union in support of a plan for a new agricultural farmworker's house to be built and the original occupancy condition relaxed on the farmhouse at Quarry Farm, Westerdale.

If a new generation was to take over these holdings it must be possible for both generations to secure their futures, the new generation by expanding and the retiring generation by not imposing on them, said the NFU.

Permission to build a second house on the farm site had been given for the owner's son in August last year and both the farm and this second house had an agricultural occupancy condition placed on them.

The applicant, Mr Richard Findley, explained that the intention was to use Quarry House as collateral against borrowing money to purchase further farm land and the existence of the occupancy condition on the farmhouse reduced its valuation from between £80,000 and £l10,000.

This would adversely affect the ability to borrow, to be able to secure the farm and meet the stated aim of expanding.

The whole family are local people and the farm a third generation one with Mr Findley being committed to its future.

Committee member Mr John Thompson, said that if farmers continued to be persecuted in this way they would all "up and leave".

"There are 1,000 sheep on this farm and here we have a young farmer trying to make a future. This is more of a struggle since the foot-and-mouth crisis.

"The only reason a relaxation of the occupancy condition is being applied for is to be able to plough more money into the business."

Mr Mike Miller said farmers were leaving the area "in droves".

He added: "I know that occupancy conditions are part of the park policy but these are new times and we should try to help where possible."

Disagreeing with relaxing the condition, Mrs Pat Chandler said: "We do not persecute farmers. But we have a building policy and have found in the past that new houses have gone up in open countryside and then been sold off."

It was agreed to accept the planning officer's recommendation that the condition be retained.