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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/31/teenage-farmer-national-trust-lake-district-land-george-purcell-thorneythwaite
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| Teenage farmer attacks National Trust over Lake District land purchase | Teenage farmer attacks National Trust over Lake District land purchase |
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| A teenage farmer has accused the National Trust of endangering farming for future generations by acquiring a piece of land in the Lake District, which has sparked an outcry in the area over fears it could end an agricultural tradition going back thousands of years. | |
| Fifteen-year-old George Purcell, who began farming Herdwick sheep with his parents when he was 11, said the National Trust’s actions had put the future of farming in the Lake District in jeopardy. | Fifteen-year-old George Purcell, who began farming Herdwick sheep with his parents when he was 11, said the National Trust’s actions had put the future of farming in the Lake District in jeopardy. |
| Purcell moved to Kendal with his parents, William Purcell, a part-time English teacher, and Jenny Willis, when he was four. He joined an outcry in the area after the charity bought the land and sheep of Thorneythwaite farm, but not its farmhouse or outbuildings, last month. | |
| The historic farm in Borrowdale, near Keswick, has a flock of 413 Herdwick sheep, a rare breed that the author Beatrix Potter once helped save from extinction. There were concerns about what would happen to the sheep, but the charity has insisted they will be saved. | The historic farm in Borrowdale, near Keswick, has a flock of 413 Herdwick sheep, a rare breed that the author Beatrix Potter once helped save from extinction. There were concerns about what would happen to the sheep, but the charity has insisted they will be saved. |
| This week the broadcaster Melvyn Bragg accused the National Trust of bullying. Lord Bragg, a Cumbrian, said the charity’s “mafia-style” tactics would destroy “centuries of what working men and women have created”. | |
| The charity’s actions have upset residents of Borrowdale and farmers who had hoped to buy the house and land and keep it running as a working farm. | The charity’s actions have upset residents of Borrowdale and farmers who had hoped to buy the house and land and keep it running as a working farm. |
| Purcell, who keeps about 50 Herdwick sheep with his father on farmland near their home in Kendal, said the local community, which had a deep connection with farming, had been left devastated by the break-up of the farm. | |
| He said: “For me and many other young farmers in the area the breaking up of a farm has taken away an opportunity for young farmers to be able to manage this piece of land and rear livestock on it. | He said: “For me and many other young farmers in the area the breaking up of a farm has taken away an opportunity for young farmers to be able to manage this piece of land and rear livestock on it. |
| “We are worried that it may set a precedent or that it is a trend but we would like to maintain farming in the area as it is the crown of the Cumbrian uplands.” | “We are worried that it may set a precedent or that it is a trend but we would like to maintain farming in the area as it is the crown of the Cumbrian uplands.” |
| Purcell, whose mother has worked as an adviser to the National Farmers Union (NFU), said farmers in the area were becoming increasingly frustrated with the charity and were losing faith in it. | Purcell, whose mother has worked as an adviser to the National Farmers Union (NFU), said farmers in the area were becoming increasingly frustrated with the charity and were losing faith in it. |
| He added: “There are already concerns about the impact of Brexit on the agricultural sector and so we find that we rely on the National Trust to support the industry for future generations, so we have been shocked by recent events. | He added: “There are already concerns about the impact of Brexit on the agricultural sector and so we find that we rely on the National Trust to support the industry for future generations, so we have been shocked by recent events. |
| “As a young farmer, this sale was of great importance because landowners like the National Trust offer the opportunity for someone like me to begin their farming career on one of the most iconic farms in our area, and gain knowledge not only of how to be a successful farmer, but also how to manage the precious ecosystems which Thorneythwaite supports. | |
| “The National Trust has deliberately shut the door on a new custodian of the landscape, putting their own, apparently revised, agenda ahead of that of the community which they claim to support. Beatrix Potter, a Herdwick farmer herself, would be disgusted that the organisation which she donated all her farms to would act with such callousness.” | |
| Although the trust insisted the farm’s sheep would be saved, it said its plans were to protect native wildlife on the 120-hectare (300-acre) farm. It has been claimed that the trust may bring back extinct species in a process called “rewilding”. | |
| Bringing back species such as wolves, beavers and lynx, rewilding advocates say, can increase the diversity of other flora and fauna, enable woodlands to expand without any intervention by farmers and help reconnect people with nature. | Bringing back species such as wolves, beavers and lynx, rewilding advocates say, can increase the diversity of other flora and fauna, enable woodlands to expand without any intervention by farmers and help reconnect people with nature. |
| The Charity Commission is looking into whether the deal for the farm broke any rules on the fair acquisition of land. It is understood that a local farmer, Pete Edmondson, 61, had hoped to buy the farm either as a whole or two lots. It is claimed that he was outbid by the trust, which paid £950,000 for the flock and land only – £200,000 over the guide price. Another private bidder bought the farmhouse. | |
| The trust has denied it has behaved unfairly. Charity Commission guidance states that “trustees must take all reasonable steps to ensure the price or rent to be paid is a fair one compared with similar properties on the market”. | The trust has denied it has behaved unfairly. Charity Commission guidance states that “trustees must take all reasonable steps to ensure the price or rent to be paid is a fair one compared with similar properties on the market”. |
| A Charity Commission spokesperson said: “The commission is aware of reports regarding the acquisition of land by the National Trust and concerns regarding the price paid by the charity. The commission is in the process of engaging with the charity to obtain further information.” | A Charity Commission spokesperson said: “The commission is aware of reports regarding the acquisition of land by the National Trust and concerns regarding the price paid by the charity. The commission is in the process of engaging with the charity to obtain further information.” |
| Peter Nixon, the trust’s director of land, landscape and nature, defended the purchase in a letter in the Times. “The trust successfully bid for the land, based on external independent valuation, using its limited charitable funds to secure its permanent protection,” he wrote. | Peter Nixon, the trust’s director of land, landscape and nature, defended the purchase in a letter in the Times. “The trust successfully bid for the land, based on external independent valuation, using its limited charitable funds to secure its permanent protection,” he wrote. |