The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority Farm Conservation Team have been invited to write an article for the annual CCM Newsletter. This is the article:
Farming in Protected Landscapes Programme
I’m writing this in the final days of 2025, with the Farming in Protected Landscape programme (FiPL) due to end in 3 months’ time – on 31st March – which is exactly the situation we faced at this point last year. We remain hopeful of an extension for another year – preferably years – for the many benefits the grants can bring for farmers and land managers throughout England’s Protected Landscapes – and especially for those in the Dales.
Last February Defra announced FiPL’s extension into its 5th year, and we had already planned our end-of-programme events which became a mix of celebration and reflection showcasing successful projects. We’ll be utilising last year’s experience and leaping into action if we get news of future funding.
It’s been fascinating to work with grant applicants on a broad spectrum of projects throughout 2025. A really good overview of what’s been happening on the ground is covered in our new ‘FiPL Farm Diaries’ podcast which explores how FiPL grants have helped implement changes to farming practices, enabled farmers to diversify and gain additional income streams, and supported nature-friendly methods. These conversations with farmers cover topics such as rotational and mob grazing; integrating hedgerows and trees for livestock and wildlife; farm diversification; creation/restoration of ponds, wetlands and meadows; water resilience and off-grid solutions; using audits and surveys to plan for the future; managing educational visits and public access; improving soil health; restoring heritage (including barns and dry stone walls); and – importantly – networking, peer-to-peer learning and farmer collaboration. You can listen to the podcast now on Spotify here, or as a visual podcast here.
We took the opportunity to survey grant recipients earlier this year to see what their future needs are and to evaluate their experiences with the FiPL programme. The key findings were that grant recipients valued FiPL for its flexibility (in particular because bespoke items are eligible), its local delivery and adviser support. 96% said they would apply again in future, 72% said their farm business sustainability had improved as a result; and 51% would not have gone ahead with their projects without FiPL funding. Main project focuses were farm resilience, diversification, on-farm gains for biodiversity, and heritage feature restoration. Along with these positive findings, the survey reported that 29% did not apply earlier as they were unaware of what the grants could cover and 41% felt better awareness would have encouraged them to apply earlier. So, if you don’t yet know how FiPL may be able to benefit you, your land and your farm business, click here.
Joy Hayward, Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority FiPL Officer.
Out wintering and Mob grazing
The benefits of both these grazing methods has recently been widely championed through the regenerative farming initiative. And whilst it can be true that, if managed well, this type of grassland management can be successful. However, both techniques are very site specific and success depends heavily on ground and weather conditions. Unfortunately, the weather trends here in the west of the National Park do not compare to drier areas where these techniques have traditionally been used, and this can lead to problems. Importantly, for both methods, the first priority should always be the welfare of the stock.
Out wintering cattle has long been a method of keeping costs down and does work well if you have large areas of suitable grazing land – free draining, access to shelter and with plenty of grass and herbage to sustain a winter grazing regime. There has been a notable increase in keeping cattle outdoors especially on the high hills and on a sunny, crisp winters day this looks to be a great option, but the weather can turn quickly into brutal blizzard conditions leading to prolonged days where stock cannot access food or water. In these times the ability to access stock to supplementary feed or for veterinary purposes is essential. There must be the option of bringing them inside if necessary.
Some farmers are now trialling mob grazing as this is thought to improve soil health and carbon capture. Once again, this technique is extremely site specific and requires the right type of land, knowledge and strict daily management. Problems can and do occur. Provision of shelter and shade are issues which cannot easily be addressed when paddocks are exposed and open with stock not being able to find relief from high temperatures or stormy wet conditions with no access to a dry lying area. Soils and water courses suffer with compaction and sediment laden runoff. Rectification and making good of these areas will cost businesses in the long run.
If farmers are interested in these regenerative techniques, bear in mind this may not be suitable for all. Time and thought needs to go into deciding where and when to carry out both methods and, as mentioned previously, dedicated daily management with a well thought out backstop if needed. I know where our own cattle would rather be in this stormy weather.
Jane Le Cocq, Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, Senior Farm Conservation Officer
