A GROUP set up to look at how to support farmers locally after Brexit has been put on hold as it awaits a response from the Government.

The work of a “task and finish” group set up by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) has been unable to finish its task as it says it still needs a response from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

The group was set up to develop individual, detailed proposals on how locally-led farming schemes would work after the UK has left the European Union.

National Parks England submitted a paper to Defra which outlined a framework for locally-led agri-environment schemes across the country.

Each national park authority then developed individual, detailed proposals on how that approach might work within their area.

This led to the YDNPA task and finish group being formally established in June.

An interim report published today – which will be debated at next week’s park authority meeting – says the group is awaiting a response from the government to an initial set of ideas, and that further work can take place only when a response is received.

Ian McPherson, deputy chairman of the national park authority and chair of the task and finish group, said they needed central government to provide the parameters for future support for agriculture before they could go any further with their work.

“Our group – which includes three Dales farmers – has met five times in the past few months.

“We’ve taken the National Parks England paper and added what we think should be the local priorities in any new farm support scheme," he said.

"But we really need government to provide the parameters for future farm support before going any further.

“We recognise that Defra has a lot of work to do to shape an agricultural policy for the whole of England, not just the national parks. And we also recognise that there is a set of very complex negotiations taking place in Brussels.

“However, ministers and officials have expressed interest in National Parks England’s ideas, and we eagerly await a formal response.

“Securing the future of high nature value, upland farming is of critical importance for the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Farmers do more than any other group to look after the Dales landscape.”