A MAJOR survey involving nearly 7,000 respondents has highlighted concern about the future of working farms.

Nearly a third of those questioned in the survey, conducted by the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said they were most worried about losing working farms.

One concern centred on the entry of new member states to the European Union tomorrow, causing the EU agricultural budget to be spread more thinly. Other fears were of increased pressure for agricultural funding to be re-allocated for other purposes, such as major infrastructure projects.

The CPRE says the Government must start work now to secure a significant long-term share of the agricultural budget for sustainable farming in England.

Ian Woodhurst, senior rural policy officer with CPRE, said: "The survey demonstrates how fundamental working farms are to what people really value about the countryside. It's essential, now payments are no longer tied to production, that a substantial proportion of the money paid to farmers goes towards restoring the character of our landscapes and the biodiversity they sustain."

He asked who would work the land if farmers could not afford to do it.

"In the short term, the Government should ensure that a greater share of European rural development funding for England is directed to expanding agri-enviroment schemes to enable farmers to farm sustainably and make a living," he said.

"In the longer term, it's vital that subsidies aren't diverted to funding unsustainable development projects."

Hill farmer Richard Betton, farm liaison officer for the Upper Teesdale Agricultural Support Service and chairman of the regional board of the NFU, said: "The reform of the CAP could have an effect on upland farmers, where mechanisation is not such an option and you need people on the ground for animal welfare.

"However, you are only going to get people to stay if there is money available. I hope the Government will take notice of this report. Everyone's saying they want to see working farms. This will give the Government evidence and justification to support policies to help farmers."

David Maughan, former NFU county chairman and member of the NFU's Durham and Northumberland Regional Livestock Board, said: "We've seen such farms decline but I always think of it in terms of economic evolution. Things are always going to grow and grow and get larger. But the last thing we want to see is the whole country being run by huge farming enterprises.

"I support what this survey says, but it doesn't mean family farms are going to go. People are obviously concerned about this and one of our aims as an industry is to prevent this from happening.