Cumbrian farmers are breathing a sigh of relief that the Lake District will not become home to Eurasian lynx forest cats.

But while Ennerdale has been rejected as a preferred site to trial returning the cat to the wild, the county’s farmers share the concerns of their Northumberland neighbours over plans that could soon see the wild creatures roaming Kielder Forest.

The forest, which covers parts of Cumbria, Northumberland, the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway, has been chosen to trial initially ten lynx.

However, Keith Twentyman, National Farmers’ Union Carlisle group secretary said: “Farmers in Cumbria will be relieved that this part of the world is not going to see lynx re-introduced.”

“There is potential in Kielder for livestock losses, and I’m sure that tourists and country dwellers will be very nervous. What about domestic pets, and free-range poultry, how can they be compensated for any losses?”

The Lynx UK Trust recently announced that the site had a greater amount of woodland and less farmland, as well as fewer roads, railways and rivers than other locations it had considered.

Returning lynx to Kielder Forest, says, the Trust, would also pose less risk to other protected species, and has greater scope to boost the local economy, including through the potential for wildlife tourism.

It said: “We intend to apply for a licence in this year to trial the reintroduction of lynx to the wild for a period of five years; recognising that this is a significant step for both conservation and ecological science in the UK, we are currently carrying out a detailed and pro-active stakeholder consultation.”

The Trust plans to hold a question-and-answer session about its plans in the Kielder area on Thursday, August 11.

The National Sheep Association has already said it is “dismayed” at the proposal, and any consultation would reveal a wide range of “very genuine concerns” about the introducing lynx.

Owner of Dunterly Farm, in Kielder, Colin Anderson, shares the NSA’s concerns.

He said: “I would be surprised if the lynx did attack agricultural animals but it only takes one rogue to do so.

“If it does go wrong, it could go very wrong and I don’t think it’s worth the risk. You just don’t know what will happen and it is that uncertainty that’s the problem.

“Kielder relies on tourism and lots of tourists will be frightened away. I’m sure there will be a lot of people with something to say and there will definitely be a lot of worried farmers. I’m concerned.”