A PLEDGE to farm in harmony with the environment has earned an award for Swaledale hill farmers, Clive and Amanda Owen.

The couple manage a large flock of hefted Swaledale sheep and 35 suckler cows on remote moorland around Keld.

They entered a competition designed to encourage shoppers to buy British Farm Assured food marketed under the Little Red Tractor logo.

The NFU received more than 3,500 promises from farmers keen to underline their ongoing commitment to the environment, their livestock and consumers.

Mr Owen's promise "not to spray the large nettle beds at the edge of our hay field as the butterflies seem to thrive there" saw him named the North-East winner.

He received £100 of vouchers from Farmway to spend in any of its country stores, a trip to Royal Smithfield, and £100 from Massey Ferguson and Agricredit, the main sponsors.

Mr Owen, who is a first generation tenant farmer on the Gunnerside Estate, has farmed 2,000 acres at Ravenseat for 15 years. He has always aimed to farm in harmony with the environment.

"The moorland landscape here is special and you only have to see the number of walkers we get on the Coast to Coast path that goes right through the farm to realise that managing this landscape is crucial to the success of the farm and indeed the local economy," he said.

Every acre of the farm comes under either an environmentally sensitive area scheme or Countryside Stewardship.

It means that Mr Owen not only has to plan his landscape management very carefully, but also that his environmental work, which includes heather regeneration, development of wildlife habitats and maintenance of key landscape features such as drystone walls and stone barns, generates a useful income.

The farm has a wealth of wild flower meadows and is a haven for butterflies and birds from curlews to lapwing and the rare ring ouzel.

Mr Owen believes the role of farmers in maintaining and enhancing the environment is finally achieving the recognition it deserves "given that many of our favourite landscapes are only there because of the efforts of generations of farmers," he said.

"In entering this competition, I wanted to emphasise the effort that goes into maintaining a landscape such as this - work that is carried out alongside all the work involved in producing top quality lamb," he said