SPOKESPERSONS’ VIEWS

Dame Helen Ghosh, director-general, National Trust

Brexit gives us an opportunity to think again about how and why we use public money to create the countryside we want to hand on to future generations. Taxpayers should only pay public subsidies to farmers in return for things that the market won’t pay for but are valued and needed by the public. This means payments for goods and services that go beyond food production – such as the flowers, bees and butterflies we love, and to create the water meadows and rivers that will help prevent flooding downstream. There’s no conflict between maintaining our ability to grow food and looking after the land and nature on which it depends.

Meurig Raymond, president of the National Farmers’ Union

A lot of people in government have made big promises about maintaining the same level of support to farmers, and we’ll have to hold them to it in the coming months. But this is also a great opportunity to design a new agricultural policy that is fit for purpose. If the debate around the referendum showed us one thing it’s that people value ‘Britishness’. Shoppers are very patriotic. The last 20 years of EU legislation has made it difficult for the government to promote British products, but now we have an opportunity to celebrate our produce and flag it up.

Andrea Leadsom, environment secretary, DEFRA

Our food and drink is renowned for having the very best standards of animal welfare, quality and safety and I want even more of the world to enjoy what we have to offer. Scottish salmon, Welsh beef, Northern Irish whiskey and English cheese are already well known globally and I’d like us to build on this success by helping even more companies to send their top-quality food and drink abroad.

Peter Melchett, policy director, Soil Association

Money should be invested in procurement. Schools and hospitals should be serving produce from British farms, with business-rate incentives for retailers and fast-food outlets to do the same. We should be encouraging the consumption of grass-fed beef and lamb, which is healthier to eat, better for the animals and also contributes less to climate change. All these things can work together – farming, wildlife, climate, welfare and the nation’s health. It’s down to each of us to make sure our MPS know how important this is to us.