Last updated 11:43, Friday, 08 August 2008

ENVIRONMENT Secretary Hilary Benn has praised farmers in Cumbria for years of managing the countryside and enhancing the beauty of the English landscape.

Defra boss Hilary Benn: ‘Farmers deserve our thanks for what they have achieved’

This summer the county celebrates 21 years of green farming.

Agri-environment schemes across the UK, which will be given nearly £3bn over the next five years, have seen an increase in access to the countryside, more wildlife and biodiversity, and greater maintenance of essential features of the British countryside such as stone walls and hedgerows.

Mr Benn said: “Over the last 21 years farmers in Cumbria have been managing the land to enhance the beauty of the English landscape and conserve and protect our much-loved native wildlife.

“The English countryside doesn’t look the way it does by accident, and all of us benefit from the footpaths, bridleways, orchard planting and hedgerow restoring which farmers carry out on our behalf through agri-environment schemes.

“Farmers deserve recognition and our thanks for what they have achieved.

“Over the next five years, the Government will invest almost £3bn in these schemes. We are absolutely committed to seeing this great work continue.”

Cumbria has more than 104 agreements, covering approximately 5,655 hectares in agri-environment schemes.

Examples of county projects in the last year are:

n Eight bridleways;

n Seventeen farms offering educational access visits;

n Forty-one footpaths and three routes for less mobile users;

n Seventy-seven hedgerows;

n One protected historic feature;

n Three protected sand dunes.

Defra and Natural England are celebrating the success of these pioneering green farming schemes to highlight the significant contribution they make to the conservation and protection of some of England’s most important landscapes and habitats.

Sir Martin Doughty, Natural England chairman, said: “Green farming schemes have resulted in some great success stories for wildlife and the health of our countryside over the past 21 years. These schemes not only make a major contribution to the UK’s commitments on farmland birds but they also help bring Sites of Special Scientific Interest into favourable condition.

“Natural England will continue its efforts to improve these schemes to find incentives that land managers buy into and farmers find attractive to bring more land into these agreements.”

n Farmers near Wigton will get just what the doctor ordered after their local surgery increased lunchtime appointments to encourage them in for a check-up.

The Croft Surgery at Kirkbride realised farmers could rarely attend morning or evening appointments, so the partners have increased their lunchtime surgeries. They will run on Monday from 11am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 3pm; Wednesday, 10.30am to noon; Thursday, 12.30pm to 2.30pm and 3pm to 4pm and Friday 1.30pm to 3pm.