World heritage status for the Lake District relies heavily on the farmers who have shaped the landscape for over a thousand years.

This is the message from UNESCO officials who visited Cumbria as part of the push to see the Lakes designated as a World Heritage Site.

They said during their visit that farming should be integral to the bid.

“They don’t want plastic shepherds and sheepdogs,” said National Farmers Union regional director, David Hall.

“The bid highlights shepherds’ meets, local dialect and traditional shows and sports, as well as the area’s indigenous breeds of sheep.

“It places emphasis on the distinctive approach to farming common land in the Lakes, the area’s small in-bye and intake fields and centuries old dry stone walls,” added Mr Hall.

A letter from Stephen Ratcliffe, director of planning and partnerships at Lake District National Park, spelled out the impact of farming. “We believe the role of farming in the Lake District has not gained the recognition it deserves for shaping the very place we hold dear,” he said.

“The farming culture here is an important reason why we and over 30 other organisations have made the case that the Lake District deserves to be designated as a World Heritage Site.”

He added: “We believe that if we take action together we can benefit from World Heritage Site status.”

He said this could “support the future sustainability and profitable future for farming, while at the same time improving habitats and increasing biodiversity”.

“And to work through these requires partnership working,” he added.

A World Heritage Site is selected on the basis of having cultural, historical, scientific or some other form of significance,