More than 360 Peak District farmers in programme to support nature and sustainable farming
This is an archived press release
Wednesday 21 June 2023
New figures show that 362 farmers and land managers in the Peak District National Park are involved in projects in the Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) programme.
The Defra-funded programme offers funding to farmers across Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and National Parks. It supports nature recovery and climate resilient businesses, heritage conservation, and better access for people to enjoy our protected landscapes.
In national figures announced at the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for National Parks this week (20 June), some 5,000 farmers and land managers are involved in 2,400 projects across England and have benefitted from the FiPL programme so far.
Of these, 242 individual or collaborative projects are in the Peak District supported by grants totalling £1.65 million, directed through the National Park Authority to farmers and land managers.
The Authority has a further £3 million allocated to award within the FiPL programme up to March 2025.
Phil Mulligan, chief executive of the Peak District National Park Authority, said: “Our work to help farmers and land owners engage with the FiPL programme is important in collaboratively driving forward sustainable land management initiatives. We support farm businesses that are active in nature recovery, heritage conservation, improving public access and enhance the Peak District’s quality and character.
“Farmers and other land managers play a vital role in shaping the landscapes they operate within and our case studies show that good work is being achieved. With FiPL funding available until March 2025, we continue to look to support nature-friendly, sustainable farm businesses, which in turn contribute to a more thriving local economy and vibrant communities.”
Projects in the Peak District include: planting trees and hedgerows to create wildlife corridors; investing in infrastructure to improve hay meadow management; restoring ponds; repairing heritage structures, such as limekilns; providing new permissive paths for people to visit interesting features in the landscape; using new technology to improve livestock management and enhance habitats; and more.
Peak District case studies and the new national report can be viewed online.
Farmers and land managers interested in developing projects should contact the Farming in Protected Landscapes team on farming@peakdistrict.gov.uk or
FiPL is part of the government’s Agriculture Transition Plan, helping farmers and land managers apply for grants that support projects in the move towards the Environmental Land Management scheme, due in 2024.