CHANGES in Europe threaten the future of many Dales farms, national park managers have warned.

A Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority report says the Common Agricultural Policy reforms will mean farmers forced to find new sources of income to survive.

Gary Smith, head of conservation and policy at the national park, says that although some farmers will benefit from the changes, many will not.

"There is no doubt that within the Dales, a number of farms, particularly those which are more intensively stocked with cattle, will receive far lower payments than in the past," Mr Smith said.

"On the face of it, the proposals could jeopardise the viability of many farm businesses within the national park, if they continue to farm as they do now.

"The viability of farms will depend crucially on how they adapt to the new framework."

The changes mean farmers will receive a single flat-rate subsidy payment, which is no longer dependent on how much they produce.

Farmers will also receive more money if they comply with environmental, food safety and animal welfare standards.

The national park report says farmers will need to reduce running costs, diversify into non-agricultural activities and produce higher value crops to survive the changes.

William Lambert, who farms near Hawes in Wensleydale, was the first farmer in the Dales to be hit by the foot-and-mouth disease epidemic.

He has since rebuilt his dairy herd and is now preparing for the introduction of the reforms next year.

He said: "I suspect a lot of farmers will give up or downsize.

"There are so many people who can diversify.

"However, there will be some opportunities for those who are dedicated to farming.

"If we look back in ten years' time we might think the reforms were a good thing, but there are going to be another two or three years of pain before then."

The national park report warns that farmers giving up or keeping less stock could have a damaging effect on the Dales countryside.

The reforms, which will be discussed at a meeting of the national park authority next Tuesday, were introduced after concern over food surpluses and damage to the environment.