Naturalist Chris Packham has come under fire from the Cumbrian farming community, after he called for sheep across the Lake District fells to be replaced with lynx.

Livestock farmers described the latest suggestion by the well-known TV wildlife presenter to “rewild” the Cumbrian fells as “insane”.

Speaking at the Royal Geographical Society, Mr Packham, of BBC Springwatch fame, said excessive livestock turns Britain’s uplands into “green deserts”, and lynx, beaver, boar and other wild species should be introduced in their place.

But farming officials hit back, saying that the last thing farmers in Cumbria needed was their livelihoods threatened.

Alistair Mackintosh, a west Cumbrian sheep and beef farmer and National Farmers’ Union Cumbrian council delegate, said: “These people have far too much time on their hands. I just do not have the words for these comments from Chris Packham.

“The evidence is clear: you look at other countries that have introduced wolves and lynx and it is costing them a fortune in compensation to sheep farmers when these wild animals eat their lambs.

“It is insane to release lynx into the wild in this country. Once you lose a farmer you lose a food producer. It is no good saying the lynx would be penned. It just couldn’t be policed.”

NFU Cumbria county adviser Jenny Willis added that she was sure that the public would not want to swap beloved breeds of upland sheep like Herdwicks and Swaledales for lynx, which disappeared around the year 700.

“Much of the Cumbrian uplands is farmed by families who have been here for generations,” she said, “and have a strong interest in sustainability to secure their livelihoods and the landscape for the future.”

Mr Packham proposes ‘re-wilding’ in areas such as the Lake District, Snowdonia and
Dartmoor.

“We need to create a richer countryside,” he said. “We have far too many sheep on our uplands – so many that they wipe out any chance of new plants growing.

“That means there is no habitat left for the native species that should be living there, ranging from insects and birds to lynx and potentially even wolves.”

Meurig Raymond, president of the NFU of England and Wales, rejected Mr Packham’s ideas and said Britain’s uplands needed more sheep, not fewer.

He was backed by Cumbrian MP Tim Farron who argued that “rewilding” the Lakes would hurt the agricultural sector and negatively impact on the environment.

“In places like the Lakes, farmers take their responsibilities as stewards of the unique landscape seriously and work hard to protect it,” he said.

Ennerdale farmer Sam Rawling said a “huge” amount of money had already been poured into rewilding Ennerdale.

He said: “They are creating a utopia of their own imagination. They are creating a different type of environment.

“I would ask on the question of introducing wild animals, how much would it cost? Lynx would not just eat lambs. They would not differentiate between any of the creatures on the fells.”

Douglas Chalmers, director of Friends of the Lake District, echoed the concerns. “Our uplands are a major part of Cumbria’s physical environment,” he said, “and they are managed to provide many different types of output.

“It would be impossible to imagine our county if we lost this and the economic, environmental and social consequences are unthinkable.

“The best and most cost-effective way of managing the uplands is through our farmers, and we must find mechanisms that properly reward them for all their efforts and help secure their future.”