Hill and upland areas: Livestock farming changes and stakeholders preferences

摘要

Livestock farming in the hills and uplands of the UK is a fragile industry, highly relianton subsidies; however, it is a vital part of the fabric of rural communities. CAP reformmay bring significant changes to this industry. A wider debate about values and functionsof hill areas also exists amongst stakeholders. This study investigated whether or not hilland upland livestock farming is likely to decline away from the vision of stakeholders.A postal survey with hill farmers, on their management changes since recent reforms,was carried out. Adaptive Conjoint Analysis was used with a range of stakeholders todetermine their preferences for future policies for hill and upland systems. The surveyrevealed a sharp decline in animal numbers, whilst most of the stakeholders ratedlivestock farming and farming products as most important attributes for a hill and uplandsystem, prompting questions on the adequacy of reforms to meet demands for widerpublic goods.