A AWARD-WINNING recycling scheme started in Cumbria could be in jeopardy unless government comes to its aid.

The Cumbria Farm Plastics Recycling Scheme is celebrating its first birthday this month.

and the scheme has already won a prestigious National Recycling Award collects silage sheeting, bale wrap and other farm plastic and takes it to a recycling centre in Dumfries.

Support has come from many groups and bodies in the area, including South Lakeland and Eden district councils, Carlisle City Council, the National Trust, Lake District National Park Authority, Westmorland Agricultural Society.

The scheme has already removed around 700 tonnes of farm plastics from the countryside and involved 350 of the county's farmers.

The firm in Dumfries, which is the only one recycling farm plastic in Europe, turns the plastic into useful products such as gates, furniture and bin-liners.

But the firm, BPI Recycling, has been making a loss on the operation and has decided to charge a £30 per tonne fee on the plastic it takes from the scheme - effectively doubling the costs of the voluntary scheme which last year cost £55,000 to fund.

At a special event held at the Westmorland Agricultural Society's Lane Farm HQ, supporters of the scheme gathered to celebrate its first successful year, but also to discuss the future of the scheme in light of the funding crisis.

Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Collins vowed to put pressure on the Government ministers to find a way of supporting the scheme.

He said he would take up the issue with ministers from MAFF and from the Department the Environment Transport and the Regions.

He said that, with an election due, now was a good time to be lobbying the Government.

"The door is slightly open at the moment and I think it is worth pushing at," he said.

"We are not going to dis-invent farm plastic it is too useful," he said, "It would be easy to shuffle it off and leave it to future generations to deal with the problem, " but he said, "Cumbria has shown the way to the rest of the country - what was started here last year should be spread throughout the rest of the country and spread throughout the rest of Europe."

Veronica Waller, NFU policy adviser for the North West, paid tribute to the area's farmers for their enthusiastic support and "invaluable contribution" to the scheme.

She also praised the auction marts which had acted as collection points free of charge.

She said it was vital that the scheme continued.

"It is important for farmers to have a sustainable option for recycling their plastic," she said.

"We are now looking to the Government to help this sort of voluntary scheme to have a future.

We are looking for anybody with influence in Government to try to get them to support it."

Anyone interested in taking part in the scheme can call the project officer, Carol Douglas on 015396-20876, 0771-3333153, or e-mail on farmplastics@hotmail.com