The future of farming – have your say

If you care about the future of farming in Britain, now is the time to act.

The government’s consultation on the future for food, farming and the environment after Brexit closes on 8 May, so make sure your voice is heard.

This is an opportunity to remind the government that farmers and other private stewards of the countryside are responsible for a great deal of good and, given the support to do so, can achieve even more for the environment and the people they feed.

Farmers and land managers are stewards of the landscape, being responsible for the management of three quarters of the land in the UK. This role comes with responsibilities towards wildlife, the environment and ecosystem services, which should be recognised and supported.

It is vital that funding that currently supports agriculture and the environment is retained and policy delivers for Britain’s wildlife. We hope for an environmental policy that encourages conservation and environment measures across a larger scale and offers farmers greater choice and results in better outcomes for conservation.

It is by working with our farmers, rather than against them, that we can offer a better future for Britain’s wildlife.

Have your say today by completing the government’s questionnaire here or by emailing agricultureconsultation@defra.gsi.gov.uk.

Remember, you only have until 8 May to contribute to the consultation. You can help us work towards a future policy that recognises and rewards the contribution that good farming has on our environment.

Comments

Future of Farming

at 21:43 on 01/05/2018 by Robert Cookson

It is essential that Defra &The Government understand this fact and that is that the majority of Farmers would not be in business unless they receive the Annual Basic payment, this is not a good state of affairs, it is essential that this payment Is still made either by way of enviromental payments or by some other means as is being debated at the moment. I started Farming in 1976 and I must say certain prices are still the same as they were then in the Arable sector especially.

CAP Payments

at 16:16 on 01/05/2018 by Kevin Sparkes

I do not believe we should pay farmers any CAP type payments unless they can show and be monitored that they are farming in a friendly way .What i mean is having a yearly rotation of the cutting of certain hedges,dykes,margins and numerous other things instead of just going out before april and cutting the hell out of everything,with minimum habitat left for that year for nesting birds etc.There has to be a good balance between profit and leaving a healthy environment for future generations to enjoy. Anyone of my age will have noticed a massive loss of numbers of most breeding farmland birds (admittedly not all of it due to farming practices)

Farming and 'our countryside'

at 16:14 on 01/05/2018 by Anthony Oliver

Simple message - farmland is owned and operated by farmers who produce food for the nation. Whilst facilities for wildlife are important, you can't eat it! Post Brexit, agricultural land use and food production must be stepped up, to avoid massive food imports on possible tariffs.and would only serve to make the export of financial services take preference over home food production in a balance of payments. We have seen this before, with farmers going under whilst others get rich. Remember also that farmers do most of the real conservation work anyway, and do not run around proclaiming how good they are. They don't make films or TV programs etc etc. Without them, there would not be a 'countryside'

Farming in Britain and Brexit

at 15:25 on 01/05/2018 by Mrs M P Lingardf

Farmers and other private stewards of the countryside are responsible for a great deal of good and, given the support to do so, can achieve even more for the environment and the people they feed. Farmers and land managers are stewards of the landscape, being responsible for the management of three quarters of the land in the UK. This role comes with responsibilities towards wildlife, the environment and ecosystem services, which should be recognised and supported. It is vital that funding that currently supports agriculture and the environment is retained and policy delivers for Britain’s wildlife. We hope for an environmental policy that encourages conservation and environment measures across a larger scale and offers farmers greater choice and results in better outcomes for conservation. It is by working with our farmers, rather than against them, that we can offer a better future for Britain’s wildlife. Please make sure they are well covered in Brexit negotiations

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