Our hill farms will be abandoned unless upland agriculture practices change

There is a danger that upland farming areas will be abandoned, because market returns from hill sheep production are not economically justifiable without income supports, which may be lost due to land ineligibility.

Introduction of Locally Led Agri-Environmental Schemes could bring new ways to sustain livestock farming in the uplands.

Livestock numbers have been falling for 15 years on upland commonages.