A hill farmer in the Yorkshire Dales has credited a grants programme funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) for making his farm “sustainable and profitable”.
James Newhouse produces beef and lamb on gritstone hills above Long Preston in Craven.
He is a participant in Defra’s Farming in Protected Landscapes programme (“FiPL”).
Through the programme he has received advice and mentoring from other hill farmers, and has been supported to purchase fencing, hedgerow trees, water troughs and other equipment.
Mr Newhouse has contributed a guest blog post for the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, the body which administers the FiPL grants programme in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
He said: “It’s very hard as a farmer to set up a business. Without the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, without FiPL, there’s no chance we would be where we’re at. Now the farm on its own will make a profit.
“FiPL is something that allows farmers to take a step back, look at their farm and say, ‘how can I change it to be profitable and sustainable?’ Having the programme is really, really important for farmers at the moment. You are giving farmers a chance to be successful. And at the moment they need it, unbelievably need it.”
Member Champion for Natural Environment at the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, Mark Corner, said: “It’s inspiring to see how upland farmers in the National Park are benefitting people and nature. Mr Newhouse is producing high quality meat while enhancing soil health, which is crucial for nature recovery and climate change mitigation.
“The Farming in Protected Landscapes programme is bringing much needed investment into the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and is helping to grow the economy by putting upland farm businesses on a surer footing.”
FiPL is due to finish in March next year. Evaluations of the programme have shown importance of the role of the local adviser, with 92% of participants saying they felt supported or very supported and 88% saying they would recommend the programme.
