Wilding Cumbria could support sheep farming, conference told

That was the message from a lively debate on the future of Cumbria’s hills and uplands which took place at Rheged near Penrith.

A distinguished panel, chaired by Lord Inglewood, covered key issues on upland farming and its future.

Participants debated whether it would survive the onslaught from conservation, ecology and the control of the state, or be destined to become just a footnote in this county’s history.

On one side were those who argued that rewilding large tracts of the fells would see species diversifying and thriving, instead of declining.

However, they came face-to-face with those among the farming industry, particularly in the Lake District, who are concerned about the focus of much of the wilding drive.

Those in favour said it was not all about releasing predators like the lynx or wolf.

Steve Carver, senior lecturer at Leeds University, director of the Wildland Research Institute, and member of Rewilding Britain, said: “We need to dispel some of the myths surrounding wilding.

“We are not just talking about reintroducing animals that have gone from the landscape. It is about landscape sharing.”

The UK’s eco-systems are “broken”, claimed Mr Carver.

“We need space for wild nature and wilding could, in the context of economics, support sheep farming which we know is going through a difficult time at the moment,” he insisted.

“It could be part of the future mix. Rewilding is not a one-size-fits-all.”

But Douglas Chalmers, director of Friends of the Lake District, said his concern was that people thought rewilding was “leaving things as they are”.

“This debate has been touching on the past. It should be all about how can we make the most of the uplands. How can we make sure that every bit of the uplands is used?” said Mr Chalmers.

But the rewilding debate has sent alarm bells ringing within the farming industry, particularly in the Lake District, the focus of much of the ‘wilding’ drive.

Former farmer and barrister , now a writer, Philip Walling told the packed audience that the farming community was “justifiably” concerned at what the introduction of predators could mean for their livestock, particularly the many thousands of sheep kept on Cumbria’s hills and uplands.

“You cannot combine wilding with sheep farming,” he claimed. “These cats will eat your sheep.

“Figures in other countries reveal that 10 sheep per lynx are lost each year. What is the point of these things?

“It is an intellectual, academic fantasy on the part of those conservationists who support this.

“They are amusing themselves like naughty schoolboys.”

But Mr Walling’s comments sparked a heated exchange of words with Ian Convery, associate professor of conservation and forestry with the centre for Wildlife Conservation at the University of Cumbria and Lynx UK Trust.

“We have produced a report and are quite happy to share this,” he said.

“Lynx, in terms of the numbers of sheep they will take, is dominating this discussion. We have proved that – in this country – only 0.4 sheep per lynx per year would be lost, compared to 700 sheep per year being killed by dogs and nearly 2,000 lambs each year taken by foxes.”

Earlier Mr Convery had told the audience it was about the right species being introduced in the right place with the support of locals.

“The osprey project brings in £2m for the Cumbrian economy. If we reintroduce lynx it would bring £9m a year to the local economy,” Mr Convery added.

“For the farmer there would be a compensation scheme in place for any livestock lost.”

Kielder Forest and the Lake District are two UK sites earmarked for the reintroduction of the elusive big cat that was wiped out by hunters 1,300 years ago.

Mr Convery said the reintroduction of the Eurasian lynx would prove a natural control on the nation’s overpopulation of deer.

The audience were told that the purpose of the lynx trial was to gather data and would involve between 10 and 12 individual animals over a five-year period.

“The consultation period will help decide where the lynx will go,” said Mr Convery.

Natural England are effectively unable to comment on the trial application as they would be responsible for granting the licence.

But results of a public survey, carried out with support from the University of Cumbria, have shown overwhelming support for the scheme, with 91 per cent of the 9,000 respondents in favour and 84 per cent believing it should begin within the next 12 months.

Cumbrian hill farmer Alan Alderson, chairman of the Swaledale Sheep Breeders Association, said sheep numbers had dropped considerably over the past few years.

Sunday’s event was organised by the Royal Geographical Society.