THE county's foot-and-mouth Tsar this week held out the prospect of improvement in the deteriorating situation facing many of South Lakeland's farmers, writes Farming Reporter Justin Hawkins.

Labour peer Lord Haskins, who is due to report to Tony Blair at the end of September on measures to get Cumbria back on its feet after foot-and-mouth, visited John Benson at Skelwith Fold Farm, near Ambleside, where the Benson family has farmed for four generations.

Lord Haskins last week angered many farmers by saying that most hill farms in the region were not viable businesses and suggested that some farmers get jobs and manage their holdings on a part-time basis.

But he told the Gazette he had not advised Mr Benson to get a job.

'I did not advise him, I listened to him,' he said.

Lord Haskins described his host as 'exactly the sort of farmer who should get more help in the future' and advised him to 'stick with it' because things would improve.

He also said that he believed farming could make a quicker recovery than many were predicting.

'If we can get through to spring or Easter next year without the disease taking hold again we will be back in business,' he said.

In the long term, Lord Haskins said there would have to be a rethink of planning policy from the authorities, including the Lake District National Park Authority, to allow recovery, but he added that it was important to strike the right

balance between preserving the environment and promoting the local economy

For the full story see this week's Gazette.