New CLA Cumbria Chairman Pledges More Support For Farmers
27/10/05

Pauline Blair

Pauline Blair, a hill sheep farmer from the Lorton Valley, is the new Chairman of the Cumbria branch of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA).

Speaking after her first meeting in her new role, one of the most influential rural posts in the private sector, Mrs Blair said:

"Farming is the lifeblood of the landscape and holds together the infrastructure of our rural communities but it is changing, and not for the better.

"Fell-farming created the Lake District as we know and love it today and maintains it for all to enjoy.

"It is an irony that the possibility of World Heritage status is based on the culture and landscape created by man's activity as this very system is collapsing around us. Farming falls outside the modern career structure and our children are voting with their feet."

"These are unsettling times and the CLA has a key role in highlighting just how vital farming is in terms of producing and maintaining our landscape and, let's not forget, farming produces a quality product - food. If more people bought local produce it would have a positive effect on climate change as well as benefiting the rural economy".

"Cumbria is uniquely placed to benefit from farming activity, but our politicians and civil servants must acknowledge its importance. Our hefted flocks for instance are a unique and fragile system yet dwindling due to external economic pressures such as the demand for farmhouses as a lifestyle purchase, where the new buyers are showing no interest in the land. Our planners must grasp the nettle and ensure that there is an adequate supply of affordable housing for local workers in all industries."

"There is a clear consensus that we must take a proactive approach to analysing housing need in individual valleys and villages rather than on a regional basis. We must identify the minimum housing provision to maintain the local infrastructure such as shops, post offices and schools - it's something we all seem to agree on, but no-one is doing anything about it. If I can help change this attitude, I will."

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