Rural Britain – why it matters

Time to make countryside count

UNLIKE HIS immediate predecessors Andrea Leadsom and Liz Truss, Michael Gove, the new Environment Secretary, does, at the very least, share the wider public’s love of the countryside. He’s reassured farmers that existing subsidy arrangements will remain in place for the duration of this Parliament as Britain leaves the EU and his enthusiasm – self-evident at last month’s Great Yorkshire Show – has brought new focus to agriculture, the rural economy and the opportunities that do exist.

Yet, while there’s support for Mr Gove’s desire to reform the subsidy system so that it does not automatically reward the largest landowners or those who pay ‘lip service’ to their wider environmental obligations, he does need to remember that farmers, however hardworking, can only do so much. They can’t be expected to produce in sufficient quantity; manage natural habitats that make the countryside so alluring to visitors and use their land to reduce the risk of flooding on their own – the Government will, at some point, have to make more resources available to ensure these needs are met.

Helpfully, from Mr Gove’s point of view, the widelyrespected Country Land and Business Association’s new report, the latest part of its Countryside Matters campaign, makes a persuasive case and points to significant public support for greater investment in farmland and the natural environment. If Brexit is to work for Britain, agriculture must not become an afterthought. It matters. Farmers recognise this. The CLA does. And so, too, does Mr Gove who – in less than two months – has achieved more than his predecessors managed in two wasted years. The challenge now is persuading Theresa May and Philip Hammond at a time when the Prime Minister and Chancellor rarely acknowledge the existence of rural Britain, never mind the rich harvest that could be reaped with the right policy framework.