A NORTH Yorkshire family which has farmed the wild uplands for more than 250 years could see the tradition come to an end because of the decline in the industry.

Plummeting prices have hit Robin Mackley hard on his farm, which covers some 2,000 acres of Levisham moors, Newton Dale and Saintoft.

"Thirty years ago, if you had 12 acres of wheat, you could buy a tractor. Today you would need 200 acres," said Mr Mackley. "Then, 200 sheep would provide you with a reasonable living - now you would have a have a flock of 500 at least."

He fears that his two-year-old son, Jack - "he's tractor mad and loves the farm" - will not be able to carry on the family tradition.

The crisis in sheep farming is aggravated because it costs between 80p and £1 to have a sheep sheared, yet the fleeces provide only 9p a kilo for top grade. Sometimes the price could be a mere 3p, said Mr Mackley.

"The Wool Marketing Board charges 7p a kilo to transport it from the farm. If you get only 9p, your payment is a pittance and you could even end up losing out all together," he said.

The prospects for his 70 Highland cattle, which graze the moors too, are far from encouraging because of the Government rule barring cattle over 30 months from the food chain.

Mr Mackley, who farms from a 500-year-old farmhouse at Saintoft, north of Pickering, says many farmers like him survive on subsidies: "Without them, cattle and sheep would just not be viable."

Lambs at a recent sheep sale at Goathland were selling for £5 while two years ago they would have gone under the auctioneer's hammer for £30, he said.

The only glimmer of hope for the struggling moor farms, he says, is the Countryside Stewardship Scheme under which farmers are paid to rebuild stone walls, restore hedges, and carry out work to enhance the environment and the general appearance of the countryside.

"A lot of farmers are in farming today only because it is a way of life to them. I can't see a future in it for Jack. I'm sure he will have to find a career outside agriculture," said Mr Mackley.