THE farming system that fostered the much-celebrated Lake District landscape is "collapsing around us" according to the new president of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA).

Pauline Blair, a hill sheep farmer from the Lorton Valley, near Cockermouth, spoke out after her first meeting in the new role.

"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," she said. "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."

She further argued that Cumbria was uniquely placed to benefit from farming activity, but its importance needed to be acknowledged by civil servants and politicians.

"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."

Housing needed to be identified in individual valleys and villages rather than on a regional basis, she added.

"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."