Bristol’s MEP to host event on ‘UK Farming post-Brexit’

Bristol’s Green MEP, Molly Scott Cato, has commissioned two reports on Farming post-Brexit and is hosting an event in Bristol to discuss the report’s findings. 

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 Agricultural 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.

Other more radical ideas from Simon Fairlie include a shift away from export markets so UK farmers can focus on meeting UK demands for food; 20% VAT on processed meat products, and ‘polluter pays’ labelling on food products which involve the use of artificial fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and GM materials. Meanwhile the Soil Association calls for a new national agroforestry strategy, a ban on the routine preventative use of antibiotics, and using procurement to drive demand for locally produced, especially organic, food.

This event will include a keynote speech by Dr Scott Cato MEP followed by an overview of the two reports by their respective authors, and contributions from an expert panel.

For more information and to sign up to the event please click here.