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To a packed audience of farmers, landowners and organisations, The Exmoor Society in partnership with the Exmoor National Park Authority, held a conference last week to look at the crisis facing Exmoor's farming future.

Eminent national speakers outlined the challenges facing hill farming. From the floor, there were strong feelings and heated statements attacking government policy on the detrimental impact it was having on traditional hill farming.

In opening the conference, Rachel Thomas chairman of the Exmoor Society, set the scene by giving the nation park context. She emphasised the special qualities of Exmoor, including its outstanding landscape, wildlife and record of human history stretching back 5000 years. Most of these qualities were dependent on farming systems, farming decisions and the received wisdom of the special skills of the farming community honed through generations of managing Exmoor. She stated that if hill farming is in crisis, then the national park is in crisis. Outlining the challenges ahead, she concentrated on the importance of environmental schemes. These needed to be more tailored to the local conditions of Exmoor, better integrated rather than concentrating on single issues, able to use local knowledge and sound land management practices. She had concerns over the national debate over future land use.

Competition from so many different demands for land, could lead to future conflicts if the public benefits provided by hill farming were not properly recognised. She said: "After 50 years of national park status, and where the conservation movement cut its teeth, why has Exmoor not embedded the resources needed for the land management of the park. Can we really complain if farmers look to alternative uses or practices that help them survive if we in the conservation movement have little or nothing to offer in its place. Exmoor's hill farmers now must be properly rewarded for the goods and services they provide for the nation."

In a hard-hitting speech, Guy Everard from Exmoor outlined his farming system and the three factors that influence it: climate, market economics and government policy. He stated that Exmoor's Atlantic climate has led to the present emphasis of sheep and cattle with a varied combination of grazing consisting of moorland and enclosed pasture. Typical Exmoor's farms are mixed livestock with a suckler cow herd and breeding ewe flock. In autumn the calves and lambs are sold to lowland farms due to the better climatic conditions there that enable livestock to be fattened. This system has lasted for three or more generations but was now changing because of government policy. Guy went on to outline the major changes since 2005 to the agricultural support system. He said that the then secretary of state, Margaret Becket, in her wisdom, had chosen the most complex hybrid system for England. As a result, those farms that had always been regarded as needing more support, i.e. hill farms were now getting the least of any sector. The situation is even worse on Exmoor where there are more cattle than hill farms in the north of England. Support therefore is moving northwards to the lightly stocked grouse moors.

Guy finally said that the one factor of government policy that is effecting change in the farming system, more than anything else, is that of TB. Exmoor is a TB hot spot and every herd has to be tested every year and up to 60 days prior to sale of stock off the farm. Because of TB Guy has had to change from extensive suckler calf production to a more intensive beef finished system that he did not want to do.

TB has prevented him to helping manage the landscape, particularly the moorland areas. Once his herd is clear of TB it is likely that he will sell his cattle and increase his sheep numbers. This is because based on the figures for the last financial year after labour and forage costs, his beef enterprise lost £56 per cow. £5000 or a quarter of this loss was caused by the cost of carrying out TB tests throughout the year. Guy said: "Even with the best funded environmental scheme in the world, the Exmoor landscape will not be maintained unless something is done to stop the ever-increasing rates of TB".

Helen Phillips, CEO of Natural England, confirmed that NE recognised the importance of the uplands. She said they represented the last remaining tracts of unfragmented semi-natural landscapes in the country. Although the uplands only cover 12% of England, the contain 50% of the best wildlife sites and over half of them are designated as national parks. Further, they provide essential public services, such as, clean drinking water, flood management and a carbon store. They are also valued for the opportunities for sustainable businesses.

Helen recognised that the uplands are facing a number of critical challenges. As a result, NE has established an Uplands Future Project that will address several questions, and the answers to these would then provide a vision supported by many stakeholders.

Natural England would look at specific land management practices that would enhance the role of eco-system services. Quality, not quantity, was the future for hill sheep and cattle farming. On Exmoor, where the moorland has become fragmented and reduced in size, there would be the opportunity to restore some of the reclaimed land. The agri-environment programme would help to spread the benefits. She stated that the new scheme Environmental Stewardship has three times as much money than has ever been had for such schemes in the past. Higher level stewardship is now being targeted, and as a result, gives a strong priority to the uplands. However, not all upland farmers will find HLS appropriate, but the majority should be able to undertake the less demanding options that will be available in the new upland entry scheme. She hoped that environment schemes would be better suited to the different regions of England.

Dr Janet Dwyer, an independent expert on European Rural Policy, gave an overview on the future trends in agriculture and policy. For agriculture she argued that market trends in relation to food would bring greater instability at the global level and lead to further changes. Farmers would have to look to markets and a better return from their products. In relation to policy she mentioned a further review of the CAP reform 2005 through a Health Check. This would bring other countries more in line with the approach of the British government. However, there was pressure to decrease the money in CAP and there is likely to be a decline in money from Europe for this country. This would lead to further changes. Agri-environmental schemes had been good for Exmoor but now money was going to other areas in England, such as the arable east. In relation to HFA she stated that hill farming money would have to have a more objective basis, such as the importance for bio-diversity or ability to mitigate climate change.

John Waldon, South West Uplands Federation, gave the results of his recent research into the benefits provided by the south west uplands, such as the number of kilometres of rights of way, and the amount of moorland.

Lively questions and sometimes angry statements from delegates covered such matters as TB, the need to identify more clearly the benefits produced by farming, the need for local abattoirs, the time spent on the amount of bureaucracy and paperwork and how much funding actually reached the farmers, rather than lost on red tape. Several farmers spoke with great passion about the lack of consultation over farming practices.

Nigel Stone, CEO of the Exmoor National Park Authority, summed up the conference by saying that it was important to raise awareness of the value of hill farming and provide evidence needed to support this. Today, many of the different interests were coming together to meet the challenges ahead and rebuild confidence within the farming community.

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