THE biggest change to farming in 50 years could spell the end of many family farms in Cumbria and wreck much of the Lake District landscape, it is claimed.

The warning comes from leading Cumbrian figures, who claim Defra’s Roadmap, released yesterday [Monday], will put thousands of farms at risk and wreck much of Britain’s landscape.

The ‘Path to Sustainable Farming’ sets out that the basic payment scheme (BPS) will be halved by 2024 and gone by 2028.

The Foundation for Common Land charity has written to the Prime Minister. Their executive director, Julia Aglionby, an Armathwaite farmer, says: “The government has not provided an impact analysis of how their Roadmap proposals will affect the viability of farms currently heavily dependent on BPS. Our modelling is not pretty; the family farm is at risk, including activities such as pastoral commoning.

“How can farmers restructure to deliver for nature and the climate without any details? What does ‘public money for public goods’ actually mean? Defra’s Path to Sustainable Farming is rather like a road atlas that only shows the motorways. We need a much more granular scale plan.”

South Lakes MP Tim Farron said: “We rightly wouldn’t accept a 50 per cent pay cut for our nurses or our teachers – so why on earth should we accept it for our farmers who feed us, maintain our wonderful landscape and help protect our environment?

“We are told that the plans will provide environmental goods, but if the Government bankrupts our farmers in the process then who will be left to look after the environment? We could see the landscape of the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and many other of Britain’s beauty spots destroyed as a result.”

NFU Cumbrian council delegate and west Cumbrian farmer Alistair Mackintosh said farm payments were vital for upland and lowlands farmers, which in some cases makes up 80 per cent of their income.

“It will be very difficult for farmers to plan ahead until we know what the package will be,” he added. “These payments have been a lifeline for many farmers especially when prices or growing conditions have been volatile.”