Landowners have slammed the Government’s plans to ditch a 2031 cut-off date for recording historic paths as the “latest attack” on the countryside and farmers.

The Environment Department (Defra) said the removal of the deadline for registering thousands of miles of rights of way meant they would no longer be lost to the public.

Some of these paths, well used by walkers, cyclists and equestrians, date back hundreds or even thousands of years, but are not officially recorded or protected.

Once recorded as rights of way and added to the definitive map, paths are protected under the law for people to use.

The last government said it would repeal a 2026 deadline for registering more than 40,000 miles of unregistered paths amid what campaigners described as a “race against time” to get them on the official map.

But it later reversed that decision and instead extended the cut-off date to 2031 for recording historic rights of way for people to ensure access along them, a deadline that the new Government has now said it would repeal when parliamentary time allowed.

The government’s decision to cancel the 2031 cut-off date for recording rights of way is a “backward step” by the Country Land and Business Association’s, which represents 28,000 farmers.

Its deputy president Gavin Lane.said: “This is a backward step and is the latest attack on the countryside and farmers.

“Campaigners have had decades to record rights of way, and the decision to scrap the 2031 cut-off date has been made without engaging with those who will be affected, inflicting significant uncertainty on farmers and land managers.

“The vast majority of landowners are keen to promote responsible access, and work in collaboration with Defra and campaigning groups to ensure people can continue to experience the benefits of the countryside in decades to come.

“This country already has an enormous amount of public access – with 140,000 miles of footpath and 3.5m acres of public access land in England and Wales alone.”

Defra said local authorities had struggled under the burden of recording historic rights of way before the 2031 cut-off date.

Minister for access Baroness Hayman said: “Our countryside and green spaces are a source of great national pride, but too many people across the country are left without access to the great outdoors.

“These well-trodden routes, many of which have been in place for hundreds of years, are a part of our shared heritage and it is critical that we bring forward these measures to protect their long-term future.”