Taken from an article by Paul Arkle, Cumbria FWAG in the Cumberland News
Contrary to initial concerns that funding for schemes such as Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) would be reduced as part of the cutbacks to Defra, the government decided to ring-fence the flagship programme.
By 2013/14 the budget for HLS will increase by 83 per cent over current funding. This bodes well for farmers in Cumbria, which has been one of the key areas for HLS targeting within the north-west.