Dartmoor commoners visit Cumbria

In November 2011the Dartmoor Hill Farm Project organised an educational visit to Cumbria National Park to meet with Cumbrian hill farmers as well as representatives from Natural England, Lake District National Park Authority and the Cumbria Farmer Network. The objective of the trip was to learn how funding has been allocated, HLS agreements have been negotiated and commercial initiatives kick-started in an area with similar environmental, social and economic constraints to Dartmoor.

One of the most impressive aspects of the trip was the  degree of interaction between the various stakeholder groups across the National Park from the Cumbria Farmer’s Network to the Federation of Cumbrian Commoners. Some of the main differences noticed between Dartmoor and Cumbria were the level of Natural England staffing. Although the Lake District National Park is only two and a half times the size of Dartmoor at 885 square miles, Natural England currently have up to 15 officers to cover that area, compared to just two or three across Dartmoor.

The feedback from the Dartmoor farmers who attended the trip suggested that it was both informative and inspiring. A follow up MUCK (maximising upland Cumbrian Knowledge) meeting was held to explore ways in which the lessons learnt on the trip could be used on Dartmoor to improve future funding opportunities and delivery.

To read the full report click below