LEADERS in Cumbria's commoners' community have taken it upon themselves to try and influence the policy of a government in which they have lost faith over Brexit.

The Federation of Cumbria Commoners has written a short paper based on "views from the ground up" in order to address uncertainty faced by the county's 1,000 farmers of common land due to the withdrawal from the European Union.

In the paper they ask the Government to commit to agricultural policies that support commoners to continue grazing the commons. They have sent this paper to Defra Ministers, Directors and their policy teams and Cumbrian MPs.

The reception to the paper has been positive and the Federation has been told that much chimes with current thinking in Defra.

Viv Lewis, the Federation’s administrator said: “With Brexit, the Federation of Cumbria Commoners sees a unique situation where the food and farming system becomes momentarily unfrozen.

"We would like to be deeply involved in shaping our future and be equipped and empowered to be good and genuine custodians and stewards of the countryside."

The Federation is asking for the government to keep the current level of funding for agriculture, but shift payments away from rewarding land ownership to active farming, and to target payments to the uplands, young farmers and new entrants, among others.

They want to see locally-led agri-environment schemes that keep commoners in work with rewards going to those who deliver the highest environmental benefits.

They also want a payment system that is "procedurally fair". The paper says that the present system is overly complex and designed for single-occupancy enclosed land.

It reports that this leaves commoners unfairly disadvantaged. Many receive incorrect payments months later than other farmers, causing financial hardship in some cases.

The Federation says that it will continue lobbying at the highest levels for an agriculture bill works for commoners and a healthy farming industry that thrives into the future.

The paper can be found on the Federation’s website www.cumbriacommoners.org.uk.