Farming leaders highlight ‘strategic importance’ of uplands

UK farming unions have urged governments to recognise the strategic importance of upland farming amid concerns over falling livestock numbers and changing land use.

Representatives from NFU, NFU Cymru, NFU Scotland and the Ulster Farmers’ Union met in Eryri National Park, North Wales, this week to discuss pressures facing upland farms and the increasingly different agricultural policies across the four nations.

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The summit followed a difficult summer for upland communities, with prolonged drought and large-scale wildfires adding to concerns over the resilience of hill farming.

Union representatives said active farming and grazing livestock could play an important role in managing vegetation and reducing wildfire fuel loads, alongside food production and environmental management.

They also warned that falling livestock numbers across the UK could have implications for food security, with upland farms producing beef and lamb as well as breeding stock used by lowland livestock systems.

In a joint statement, representatives said upland farms across the UK faced common pressures, including extreme weather, rising costs, remoteness from services and markets, poor profitability and changing land use.

Representatives from NFU, NFU Cymru, NFU Scotland and the Ulster Farmers’ Union met in Eryri National Park, North Wales © NFU Cymru

Active farming

They also highlighted concerns around decarbonisation policies, rewilding and species reintroductions.

“Active farming is, however, essential to maintain the fabric of our uplands,” the statement said.

“These are living, working landscapes, the ongoing management of which is only possible if it is economically sustainable and there are people there to work the land and care for the livestock.”

The unions said agricultural policies had become increasingly different across the four nations, but argued that farmers should be rewarded for food production, environmental delivery and supporting rural communities.

They called for future schemes to reflect the diversity of upland farming systems and the particular circumstances of tenant farmers, crofters and those farming common land.

“Government policy and support must recognise the value that farming families provide to society; producing food, meeting each nations’ climate and nature obligations and ambitions and underpinning our rural communities,” they said.

NFU uplands survey

The NFU has also launched a survey of upland farmers to build evidence on the challenges and opportunities facing the sector and inform its future lobbying of policymakers.

The survey is open to all upland farmers and closes on 26 October.

NFU Uplands Group chairmen Mat Cole and Dave Stanners said the diversity of farms, commons and moorlands made it difficult to establish a single narrative for the sector.

They said responses would provide data on how upland businesses operate and the pressures they face, helping the union focus its policy work on farmers’ priorities.