GOVERNMENT proposals for changes in support to hill farmers are being opposed by the Country Landowners Association.

It is proposed to reduce by half payments to farmers with holdings above 350 hectares and eliminate payments for holdings over 700 hectares. "This could have serious consequences for Yorkshire's uplands where many farms are larger than 350 hectares," said Yorkshire CLA director Dorothy Fairburn. "Farmers need large tracts of this unproductive land to remain viable. Beef farmers will see their payments reduced.

"The costs incurred by the smaller farms are no different from the costs incurred by the larger farms when pursuing the same conservation objectives. Environmental work in the hills is important - it has huge benefit for the expanding tourist industry - and there can be no justification for paying a lesser rate to larger farms."

The area-based Hill Farm Allowance scheme is intended to replace the exiting Less Favoured Area support scheme, which bases payments on the number of livestock. The CLA supports an area-based system because it will remove an incentive for over-stocking. "But tapering support could stop crucial conservation work and this would lead to the total decline of upland landscapes and wildlife habitats. The bigger the holding, the greater the maintenance," said Miss Fairburn.