Domestic Agriculture Policy – A Lost Opportunity?

There is no doubt that Brexit marks a turning point for UK agriculture. It is also clear that the overriding principles guiding future UK domestic agriculture policy decisions are environmental - but is government missing a much larger opportunity? After all, the clue is in the name of the recent consultation: "Health and Harmony".

The agricultural sector knows it must look after the countryside. After all it is effectively the factory floor and farming cannot survive without a healthy environment. At the same time we must maintain production levels in order to feed the country. The risk with any new UK policy is that it ignores this need, assuming that we can buy our food (cheaply) from abroad. The government is making a number of assumptions, not least that the rest of the world will sell us food at a price the...