Field boundaries, such as hedgerows and dry stone walls, are the countryside features which people in Yorkshire and the Humber are most worried we are losing, according to a major survey.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England{1} canvassed the views of nearly 7,000 people across the country{2}, including nearly 400 in Yorkshire and the Humber.

NOTES FOR EDITORS
CPRE county branches across the country are celebrating Great Landscapes Week from Saturday 19 June to Sunday 27 June, organising a variety of events to highlight the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of our threatened countryside.

Using a postcard-sized survey form, it asked them to name the three critical features of their countryside which they were most worried we are losing.

In Yorkshire and the Humber, the top concern was the decline of hedgerows and dry stonewalls – which can result from neglect and farmers changing from traditional methods of dividing up land.

38 per cent of the 383 people who completed the survey listed it among their top three worries.

The countryside feature that people from each part of Yorkshire and the Humber are most worried about losing is given in the Notes to Editors below{3}.

Very close behind in the ranking of top concerns came the decline of working farms, the loss of traditional flower-rich meadows and the loss of quiet lanes caused by steadily growing traffic on rural roads and speeding vehicles.

CPRE rural affairs campaigner Ian Woodhurst said: 'The survey demonstrates how important traditional field boundaries are to the landscapes and people of Yorkshire and the Humber. CPRE has campaigned for many years for reform{4} of the old Common Agricultural Policy, which encouraged intensive agricultural practices and over-production that had devastating consequences for our landscapes and wildlife.

'It is essential, now that agricultural payments are no longer tied to food production, that a substantial proportion of the money paid to farmers goes towards restoring the character of our landscapes and the biodiversity they sustain.'

Ian concluded: 'We need to ensure farmers have the long term funding they need to farm in a way that produces clear public benefits from public money.'

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NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. CPRE exists to promote the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England by encouraging the sustainable use of land and other natural resources in town and country. We promote positive solutions for the long-term future of the countryside to ensure change values its natural and built environment. Our Patron is Her Majesty The Queen. We have 59,000 supporters, a branch in every county, nine regional groups, over 200 local groups and a national office in London. CPRE is a powerful combination of effective local action and strong national campaigning. Our President is Sir Max Hastings.

2. Across England as a whole, our survey – distributed by local volunteers and featured on our website – found the single largest concern was the loss of working farms. Of the 6,893 respondents, 2,398 (35 per cent) listed this as one of their top concerns out of 15 rural features whose loss might be worrying them. The list of 15 was: hedges, hedge banks and stone walls; flower rich meadows; woodlands; clean rivers; ancient trees; ponds and wetlands; working farms; farm animals in the fields; historic monuments; local building styles; quiet lanes; footpaths; dark night skies; rural trades; local foods.

3. The local results for the region were:

4. In June 2003 agreement was reached by European Union member states to reform the CAP. Receipt of subsidies is no longer dependent on producing a crop. Breaking the link between subsidies and crop production is known as 'decoupling'. Farmers must observe a number of European Directives and keep land in good agricultural and environmental condition. These obligations are known as cross compliance. The Rural Development Regulation was introduced as part of the CAP reforms known as Agenda 2000. This diverted, or modulated, a proportion of funds into rural development programmes. In England the England Rural Development Programme (ERDP) encompasses a suite of schemes, including agri-environment schemes, that promote sustainable farming and rural development.