Opinion: Brexit and the future of farming: threat or opportunity?

With most of our food exports going to the EU, and most of our food imports coming from the EU, Molly Scott Cato MEP writes for The Ecologist asking what plans the government had for the sector after Brexit. The answer? None! 

In the articleMolly outlines her two new reports that are published today. One report is by the Soil Association, the well-known food and farming charity; the other by Simon Fairlie of the Land Workers’ Alliance.

Both reports foresee a future where policies put soil health and biodiversity first, and where the way we use land helps tackle climate change. They agree that to achieve this, farmers will need to receive at least as much money as they currently get through the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP). However, they say direct payments based on land area should be scrapped and retargeted at paying farmers for the public benefits they provide. They also call for additional funding for advice, training, and farmer-led research and innovation.

You can read the whole Ecologist article here >>>