ONE of North Yorkshire's largest landowners, the National Trust, has launched a new 'vision' for the future of farming, calling for more green incentives and greater training for farmers.

North Yorkshire is one of the National Trust's test areas, with new policies and incentives currently being tried out.

'Whole farm plans' are being developed on many of the trust's 68 farm tenancies in the region, which concentrate on improving farm viability while investigating the possibility of organic conversion and concentrating on environmentally sound farming practices.

Other policies include marketing advice for tenant farmers and increasing educational visits from local school children.

The National Trust is attempting to influence the growing public debate about the future of farming with their new policies. Fiona Reynolds, the trust's director-general, has urged Margaret Beckett, the Secretary of State for the new Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to put sustainable farming at the heart of the Government's rural agenda.

She said: "Farming in Britain faces a very uncertain future. It is critical that we grasp the opportunities ahead, learn from what works on the ground and chart a course for sustainable farming in the 21st century."

Updated: 08:56 Thursday, July 05, 2001