A RADICAL future for farming in the Lake District is currently being given a dry run.

The UK’s departure from the European Union will see a much greater emphasis placed on farmers providing ‘public goods’ such as flood management and clean air as Direct Payments are phased out.

And Andrea Meanwell, farming officer at the Lake District National Park Authority, is currently working on a test and trial of the Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme in the Keswick area.

Ms Meanwell said: “We are working with farmers and land managers to identify what they consider to be the public goods in their area and on their farms, and producing in-depth plans to map this.

“We’re looking at the wide range of assets that Cumbria has and trying to record these.

“It is an important and very interesting project, and could have a positive impact on the future land management schemes in the UK.

“I am hoping to work with 10 farms in detail, between now and October.”

Keswick hill farmer Will Cockbain, who has been involved in the process, welcomed the ELM scheme but said it needed to have a number of qualities in order to be successful.

“It is vital the new scheme is practical, retains our rural skills base, delivers for the environment and landscape, recognises culture and heritage and contributes to economic sustainability for farm businesses,” he said.

The Lake District ELM scheme test is one of 44 - funded by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs - being carried out around England. The next stage nationally will be the launch of pilots of the scheme in 2021.

Another test and trial of the land management scheme is being carried out by Natural England in the Waver and Wampool catchment in the north of the county.