Defra Secretary of State Michael Gove laid out his vision for post-Brexit agricultural policy at a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) event in Surrey last week, positing a “green Brexit”.

The UK Government has already committed to maintain farm support at the current level of CAP spending until 2022, and Gove said that he wanted to “go on generously supporting farmers for many more years to come”, highlighting “a reputation for quality which has been built on high animal welfare standards, strong environmental protections and the dedication of farmers and growers to meeting ever more demanding consumer expectations”, as grounds for funding.

Environmental goals

However, that support “can only be argued for against other competing public goods if the environmental benefits of that spending are clear”, Gove guarded, criticising the EU for failing to achieve its stated environmental goals in the CAP.

NFU Scotland said that Secretary Gove’s speech reflected themes in its own post-Brexit discussion document, chiming with its vision for a managed transition by 2027 to an “action-based support system “where market returns drive profitability.

Proper funding

NFUS policy director Jonnie Hall said that the union “would want to see a properly funded policy, supported by science-led decision-making that builds on our animal health and welfare record and is focused on productivity and profitability gains”.

“That means, in the future, there is a justifiable case for Scottish agriculture to receive the same levels of funding as it currently receives, ring-fenced and spent in new and more effective ways to improve productivity, efficiency and resilience,” he said.