CUMBRIAN farmers were 'green' long before it was trendy.
This summer Cumbria celebrates 21 years of green farming, which has seen local farmers make a huge difference to wildlife and the landscape.
The agri-environment schemes, which will be given nearly £3 billion over the next five years, have seen an increase in access to the countryside, more wildlife and biodiversity, and greater maintenance of essential features of the British countryside such as stone walls and hedgerows. Cumbria has over 104 agreements, covering approximately 5,655 hectares in agri-environment schemes.
Examples of projects achieved in Cumbria in the last year are: eight bridleways; 17 farms offering educational access visits; 41 footpaths (and three routes for less mobile users); 77 hedgerows; 1 protected historic feature; 3 protected sand dunes.
Hilary Benn, secretary of state for the environment said: "Over the last 21 years, farmers in Cumbria have been managing the land to enhance the beauty of the English landscape and conserve and protect our much-loved native wildlife.
The English countryside doesn't look the way it does by accident, and all of us benefit from the footpaths, bridleways, orchard planting and hedgerow restoring which farmers carry out on our behalf through agri-environment schemes. Farmers deserve recognition and our thanks for what they have achieved. Over the next five years, the Government will invest almost £3 billion in these schemes. We are absolutely committed to seeing this great work continue."