UPLAND farmers are to be given help to shepherd the dwindling flocks of sheep on the North Yorkshire Moors.

Members of North York Moors National Park Authority will be told next week that the flocks are an essential part of the traditional management of the moorland, as well as contributing to the local economy and culture of the region.

Michael Graham, the park's estate and moorland officer, said there had been a long-term decline in the number of flocks in recent years.

He said: "This has now reached a critical point where the stocking density on some moors in the park is very low and sheep are able to range over such wide areas that work needed to shepherd and gather flocks effectively has made them uneconomic."

In a report to the authority, Mr Graham said the crisis had been aggravated by the loss of nine flocks last year due to foot-and-mouth disease and they have not been replaced.

The authority is producing an environmental shepherding scheme and allocating £20,000 to provide assistance with shepherding flocks.

Mr Graham said farmers will be eligible to take part in the scheme if there has been a significant increase in labour hours needed to gather the flocks or an increase in the area of ground gathered as a result of a change in moor management.

The scheme will offer a payment of 80 per cent of the cost of shepherding the moor and it will be run by the National Park and English Nature.