Farming is a small but hugely important part of our local economy here in Essex. Whilst the big money comes from business and the City, the residual and historical significance of farming has not been forgotten.
I greatly enjoy talking to our local farmers and hearing their often forthright views on Brexit, rural crime, and the future of farming technology. I also delight in hearing about the histories of their farms. A number are the descendants of Scottish families who came south in the first part of the twentieth century. One farmer told me that his forebears brought their herd to Ongar by train from the Highlands and then drove them along country lanes to their new pasture. (If anyone has a photo of such a journey, I would dearly love to see it.)
That was in the days when we were London’s udders – producing huge quantities of milk daily for the city. Since then local agriculture has shifted to cereals responding to changing national and international markets and subsidies. As we prepare to leave the EU, British farming will likely change again as we create new standards and build new markets for our excellent produce.
Last week in a major speech to the National Farmers Union, Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, started to spell out what this might look like. At the heart of his message was the need for British farming to maintain the highest standards of food quality, animal welfare and environmental protection.
This will be supported by a complete overhaul of the approach taken by the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy which pays land owners for the amount of agricultural land they have – giving the most subsidy to those who have the most private wealth, bidding up the price of land and creating barriers to entry for new farmers. Instead the Government will look to offer public money for public good – driving new ways of protecting and enhancing our countryside and food quality, and improving technology, productivity and digital infrastructure.
There may be a certain amount of change in farming over the next decade, but done right, it will help our country produce the best quality food in the world – and that is something that we will all be able to enjoy.