Henson vows to keep making the case for new GCSE in agriculture

ADAM Henson insisted that the lobbying for a GCSE in Agriculture to be introduced has not gone away, despite the suggestion receiving a lukewarm response from the Skills Minister.

Television presenter Mr Henson, whose call was taken up in the Commons by York Outer MP Julian Sturdy, said “we need to keep pushing”, after Minister Anne Milton said she was “on the case” looking into the possibility.

Ms Milton however did use her response in the Commons debate to point to the fact that a new agriculture, environment and animal care ‘T-level’ has been proposed as part of an overhaul of technical education.

New T-levels would be A-level equivalents but Mr Henson, who stars in new Channel 5 series next week, urged the Government not to overlook the opportunity afforded by introducing pupils to agriculture at an earlier age.

“I think this would be a really positive thing to have for young people to learn about land use and food production, and would in turn help adults in choosing what food to eat,” Mr Henson told

“We would have liked her (Ms Milton) to have gone further and we need to keep pushing, it doesn’t mean it’s gone away.”

Last month, Mr Sturdy said he would not let the proposal drop either, saying: “This qualification is already available in Northern Ireland, so should also be an option for pupils in the rest of the UK.”

The GCSE idea has also been backed by Nigel Pulling, chief executive of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, who said the qualification could encourage pupils into a career they may never have known existed.