REJUVENATE was established in Wensleydale three weeks after the foot-and-mouth disaster struck as a self-help group to solve the mountain of veterinary and administrative problems which immediately occurred.

Over the succeeding weeks a horror story unfolded that was unimaginable only weeks before.

Today the disease still rages in the Settle area, it keeps erupting around Northallerton, and it has reappeared on the North York Moors in a sinister way.

Additionally an isolated case has occurred in Dallowgill, but the grass grows, wool has to come off, thousands of animals are not where they should be, and only now are the full financial consequences appearing in the bank statements of the survivors.

The financial forecasts in livestock country are dire.

REJUVENATE has done a tremendous job, its organisers have learnt a lot and identified enormous problem areas. But its task is far from complete.

The REJUVENATE gathering on June 12 endorsed this, some 30 organisations appeared, five prominent speakers expressed their views and many more people than expected turned up. The talk was of the future.

That talk was loaded with more questions than answers and, while each of the speakers gave reasons for confidence in the long term it was clear that the farming community has to change its ways.

The sudden death of MAFF may be welcomed by many after its disastrous and frequently uncaring handling of the epidemic, but its replacement, Defra, must from day one be mastered by those it seeks to regulate.

It has a radical agenda for livestock farming with an unknown team in charge under Margaret Beckett, a much more influential Cabinet minister than any of her predecessors.

The three key players in REJUVENATE, chairman Phillip Holden, co-ordinater Jim McRobert, and Maurice Hall could each identify a list of lessons to be learnt by farmers and officials alike but to move on quickly with a new political regime already in place requires some simple solutions.

At the June 12 gathering a key issue became clear. Foot-and-mouth had magnified cracks that had already appeared in the farming fabric during BSE and swine fever crises.

The commitment by government to go down the global route, its desire to follow an environmental agenda, the policy of a countryside for all combined to give rise to a plethora of interest and lobbying groups.

Hard on the heels of this came complicated funding opportunities for "this" and "that" from the UK and the EU.

Suddenly farming found itself hemmed in by officialdom, interference, and many well-meaning people as well. But all this activity was giving rise to confusion and duplication, which so easily could result in a failure to meet targeted objectives.

The mere fact that 30 organisations supported REJUVENATE at Hawes with another clutch whom could well have appeared was testimony to the situation.

At the closing of the Dales Countryside Museum door on that June 12 gathering REJUVENATE's future was decided and there was a mountain to climb.

Clear, intelligent, economically-achievable policies must be developed. In the past farming has been to some degree arrogant, unbending to new policies emerging from government.

As a result much has been forced upon us such as quota, extensification, ESAs and so on. At the gathering seminars, one example of misdirection was highlighted - the organic policy of government was questioned receiving as it does enormous sums of funding.

The response the panel gave, which reflected the practical results of farmers already going organic, was that in many cases it is impractical, uneconomic, and untenable in the long term.

It is just one example of a policy derived from uninformed idealism, led by intensive and effective lobbying groups.

So it can now be announced that REJUVENATE will take on a permanent role in re-establishing the agriculture of the Wensleydale and National Park area. It will endeavour to go beyond those boudaries as well, for what we must not do is form similar bodies that duplicate effort or, worse still, start to compete between areas for parliamentary support.

Its area of operation will therefore ultimately be the uplands and grass areas of England. It will be a catalyst bringing together all organisations who either put policies together or those who seek to influence their objectives. It is a daunting task, but one that will solve areas of concern often secretly shared by the very people who run many of the organisations we seek to embrace.

The national parks will be key players as are the regional development agencies and county and district councils. There are also the Countryside Agency, English Nature, and strong organisations representing interest groups, National Trust, RSPB, and Ramblers' Association.

From the farming side of the house there are the NFU, CLA, National Beef, National Sheep Associations, and less prominent players but nevertheless important ones such as Tenant Farmers Association, National Federation of Young Farmers, and the larger regional agricultural societies.

To be a catalyst amongst so many is a daunting task; the very mention of which will cause hackles to rise and cries of "it can't be done" will be heard.

But the fact is that the countryside is not ruled by democracy, nor are the policies primarily forged around a unified voice.

Only 1.5pc of the population relies on the land for a living, and that is falling, yet they are responsible for what happens on around 80pc of the UK landmass.

Recent comparisons of importance between farming and tourism have misled everyone.

Tourism's importance was valued out at full retail values while farming was valued at a discounted wholesale rate with no value placed on landscape, scenery: its vital contribution to tourism.

There is a strong case for the rural community to call the shots on rural affairs to fashion policy, to stimulate, initiate, and achieve desirable change. We have been sadly let down on such an approach in the past.

Any catalyst must, as a matter of urgency, get DEFRA to understand its genuine concern for what has gone wrong over the past decade or so.

All of us in rural areas should accept that life will change.

Many of us will welcome the chance to rely less on "bottom line" farming with all its intensity, but if a more environmentally friendly farming and forestry policy is to develop one thing must be ever present and that is a way of life and a sustainable living.

As farmers, to admit to the importance of the way we live is something we have grown to hide, but one question has to be answered honestly to get to the truth and that is; why work the hours, invest and borrow the money, for the return we get?

REJUVENATE will now become a catalyst. To do so it will need firm management for it is in the business of removing duplication, ignorance, interference, and an army of needless officialdom. Its three prime movers are more than capable of achieving this.

It will take considerable time, it will need support, but it could represent a much-needed breakthrough in a problem that has been growing for years.