Brexit and future management of the fells featured predominantly when Trudy Harrison met with a group of local hill farmers this week.
Trudy visited Farthwaite Farm near Haile to meet with a number of Copeland’s upland farmers and members of the Herdwick Sheep Breeders Association to discuss rural issues surrounding Brexit negotiations
The group included farmers from Ennerdale, Kinniside, Wasdale, Eskdale and Ulpha.
The meeting comes ahead of a meeting between Mrs Harrison and the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Michael Gove next week.
Trudy said: “Food and farming is a bedrock of our overall economy and environment. generating £110 billion and helping to shape some of our finest habitats and landscapes, especially here in the Lake District.
“In Cumbria and Copeland, 20 per cent of all businesses are farms, while the farming and food manufacturing industries contribute five per cent of our area’s economic output, compared with two per cent in the UK as a whole. It is why, as the Government goes through the Brexit negotiation process and the development of a new domestic agricultural policy, support for British farming is more important than ever.
“I will be relaying all the issues expressed during my meeting with Copeland’s upland farmers to the Secretary of State to ensure we keep the interests of our local hill farmers and northern farmers involved.”
The Government has recently pledged to match the £3 billion farmers currently receive in support from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) until 2022.
Ministers have argued that leaving the EU presents the UK with an opportunity to change the way in which farmers are supported.
Chairman of the Herdwick Sheep Breeders Association and chair of the Farmer Network, William Rawling, said: “The discussion centred around the current and future management of the Lake district fell. Everything from the production of extensively reared high quality food to marketing and environmental management was given a good airing.
“The farmers put forward some ideas for the sustainable management of these special areas and habitats in a post BREXIT world. Trudy was very supportive of the views being put forward and agreed to pass on the suggestions to the Minister for Environment.”
On Sunday Mrs Harrison attended the ‘Future of Farming’ Discussion Forum organised by the Three Breed Societies for Herdwicks, Swaledale and Rough Fells.
The forum was an opportunity for local farmers to talk to a wide variety of relevant local representatives and organisations including The Environment Agency, Lake District National Park Authority and the NFU.
The event ran alongside the Three Breed Societies Winter Sale with shows of sheep and featured stands and short films about Cumbrian farming.
Trudy, added: “As a farmer’s grand-daughter, I have both a personal and professional affinity with the farming community, and want to do all I can to secure a prosperous future for the industry.”
