Moorland Line scheme welcomed by farmers

Last updated 19:40, Thursday, 10 April 2008

KESWICK farmer Will Cockbain has welcomed the announcement that the Moorland Line has been introduced into Environmental Stewardship.

The decision comes after a long campaign by the National Farmers’ Union and means many farmers in Less Favoured Areas will now be able to choose from an increased range of Environmental Stewardship options, and receive increased payments, and more land will be brought under the protection of the scheme.

Mr Cockbain said: “We have been trying to get the Moorland Line included in Environmental Stewardship for some time and are delighted with this news.

“With the loss of the Hill Farm Allowance for farmers with land in the Disadvantaged Area in January, the introduction of the new Moorland Line should enable many of these farmers to access a greater range of options and a greater level of financial reward under Environment Stewardship to compensate.”

The Moorland Line, which was remapped in February 2006, is used as the payment boundary for the Single Payment Scheme, and the Less Favoured Area (LFA) boundary is used for threshold calculations for Environmental Stewardship (ES).