North York Moors National Park awards more than £360,000 as part of nature and landscape-friendly farming initiative

The Farming in Protected Landscapes programme has celebrated a successful end to its first year, after allocating more than £360k to farmers and land managers in the moors.

The programme focuses on key challenges facing farmers in protected landscapes, including helping to address the climate crisis, improving people’s engagement with farming and nature and supporting sustainable rural businesses and communities.

Among those to receive a grant is Aidan Foord of Wilds Slack and Lawnsgate Farms near Whitby, whose project has benefitted both the environment and those who visit the family’s picturesque caravan and camping sites.

A novel frozen vending machine was installed to provide home-reared produce such and sausages and burgers direct to their customers.

A heavily-used livestock area also received a new roof to prevent feed and slurry washing into nearby water courses, hedgerows were gapped-up to create wildlife corridors and a new rainwater storage tank was fitted.

Aidan said: “The vending machine has brought together the two different sides of our business and it feels great to be demonstrating to our campsite visitors who we are and what we do.

"The farm-to-fork journey is as short as it can be, and this reduces the environmental and climate impact of what we produce.”

Rebecca Thompson, Head of Farming and Land Management at the North York Moors National Park Authority, said the government was phasing out traditional farm payments and instead rewarding landowners for producing things such as clean air, clean water and thriving plants and wildlife.

"These are the ‘public goods’ that society values alongside the production of food.

“Aidan’s project is a fantastic example as you can see it clearly delivers for nature, climate, people and place”

One of the first recipients of a grant under the scheme was Christine Thompson of Agricultural Business Training, based at Reagarth Farm, Helmsley, who received £1,970 to allow her to run a series of workshops to help other farmers be better prepared for a future without subsidies.

Farming in Protected Landscapes is a DEFRA programme, administered in the North York Moors by the National Park Authority.