6 February 2023
Farmers and land managers in the North York Moors National Park are invited to a drop-in event in Helmsley on Tuesday 28 February to help them navigate the opportunities available during agricultural transition.
January has seen a number of key announcements by Defra, including further details on the roll-out of Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes and an extension to the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme.
With the changes to farming support now in motion, Defra has created the Future Farming Resilience Fund to provide free advice to any farmer or land manager currently in receipt of Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments.
Rebecca Thompson, Head of Farming and Land Management at the North York Moors National Park Authority, said:
“At the moment, there are lots of offers of support on the table for farmers and while that’s brilliant and exactly what we need to see, it’s not always easy to know which opportunity is best suited to your own farm business.
“The National Park Authority has been working very closely with North York Moors farmers and land managers over the past few years, which is why we feel in a really good position to facilitate this meeting and give people the opportunity to thoroughly assess what’s available to them.
“Defra’s most recent announcements also provide more detail and certainty around future arrangements then we’ve had previously, making the upcoming meeting even more timely.”
The drop-in event, which takes place between 11am and 3pm at The Old Vicarage in Helmsley, will allow farmers to:
- Meet a range of consultants providing free support in the National Park through the Future Farming Resilience Fund
- Better understand which offer might best suit their farm business
- Be better informed about the range of opportunities on offer before signing up to a single provider
Rebecca Thompson added:
“We know first-hand from farmers how much they’ve appreciated having support from a local team whose role it is to understand the policy announcements from Defra and to turn this into practical support. Ultimately, we’re here to help farmers build sustainable farm businesses that not only deliver high quality food production but also deliver for the environment.”
There is no need to book in advance, but for further information please contact Rebecca on r.thompson@northyorkmoors.org.uk, or call 01439 772517.
ENDS
Media contact
Nina Beadle, Communications Officer, North York Moors National Park Authority press@northyorkmoors.org.uk
01439 772577
The North York Moors National Park
The North York Moors is a beautiful landscape of stunning moorland, ancient woodland and historic sites. Created on 28 November 1952, it become Britain’s sixth national park. Covering an area of 554 square miles (1,436 square kilometres) the National Park has 26 miles of coastline, two national nature reserves, 840 Scheduled Monuments and over 3,000 listed buildings, attracting an estimated 7.7 million visitors a year.
The National Park has two visitor centres, Danby Lodge National Park Centre and Sutton Bank National Park Centre, providing opportunities for cycling, walking, eating, picnicking, shopping, crafts and wildlife-watching. The centre in Danby also houses the Inspired by… gallery, which features regularly changing exhibitions by artists who draw their inspiration from the North York Moors.
The North York Moors National Park Authority works with a wide variety of people to care for this beautiful corner of Yorkshire, providing apprenticeships and volunteering opportunities with nearly 14% of staff being apprentices from local families.
To view other press releases and for further information about the North York Moors National Park, please visit northyorkmoors.org.uk