Thursday 26 July 2018

Theresa May pledges farming policy will improve environment post-Brexit

Theresa May pledges farming policy will improve environment post-Brexit

Theresa May has pledged to deliver a farming policy that will support agriculture and improve the environment after the UK leaves the EU.

The prime minister will be setting out the government's plans to maintain environmental protections, safeguard animal welfare and support the production of high quality food at the Royal Welsh Show in Llanelwedd today.

She intends to replace the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which awards subsidies based on the amount of land owned, with a new system of "public money for public goods".

Mrs May said: “Leaving the EU presents us with a unique opportunity to transform our food, farming and environmental policies so we can have a healthy and prosperous agricultural industry that is fit for the future and helps us leave the environment in a better place than we found it.

“Scrapping the Common Agricultural Policy and introducing a simpler system which provides funds in return for public goods, like improving water quality, reducing emissions and plating wild flower meadows to boost biodiversity, is fundamental to our new approach.”

While agriculture is a devolved issue, which means the prime minister's proposals are for England only, the Brexit negotiations will have a knock-on effect in Wales.

Written by

Bruna Pinhoni

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