Have your say on the future of uplands

Time is running out for hill farmers to give their views on proposed changes to the designation of upland areas.

A DEFRA consultation, which closes on 27 March, sets out how existing Less Favoured Areas will be reclassified as Areas facing Natural Constraints (ANC) and draft maps have been drawn up showing the proposed boundaries.

The changes are part of the CAP reform proposals and will see the European Commission replace all LFAs with ANCs. The designation of ANCs has been based on eight criteria, which include soil, slope and climate, although DEFRA says the maps are not final and urges farmers to come forward if they disagree with the boundaries.

“DEFRA expects the boundaries to be pretty close to the current Severely Disadvantaged Areas, so hopefully there won’t be too much difference,” said Robin Milton, chairman of the NFU hill and upland farming group. “But farmers must look at the maps and if nothing else, consider whether they are accurate for their area.”

NFU head of policy Andrew Clark said some new areas had found themselves provisionally classed as ANC, such as parts of the Cotswolds, and it was not clear what had triggered this. “It’s only a draft map at this stage, but it’s worth checking to see whether it looks robust and whether it maps areas of constraint properly.”

The main potential issue could be around which administrative level (for example, electoral ward or parish boundary) is used to classify ANCs.

The commission says land will be classed as ANC where at least 66% of the Utilised Agricultural Area in that area is naturally constrained by one or more criteria. However negotiations may result in mapping carried out at a different administrative level and where at least 60% of the agricultural area is naturally constrained.

“If 60% of the parish meets the criteria, the whole parish will be classed as ANC, so there might need to be some fine tuning,” says Mr Milton. “There will also need to be a fair and robust appeals procedure put in place.” The biggest boundary changes could be in the Welsh borders due to the way parishes are made up, he notes.

Go to www.DEFRA.gov.uk/consult/2013/02/01/areas-facing-natural-constraints-1302 to take part in the consultation.