One of Britain’s best-known farmers has called for the introduction of a GCSE in agriculture.

Adam Henson, 51, a presenter on Countryfile, the BBC show that reports on rural matters, said to the Times newspaper : “You can get a GCSE in religious studies and business, so why not in agriculture?”

Henson, a rare breeds and arable farmer in Gloucestershire, said he hoped to “do for farms what Rick Stein has done for fish”.

Mark Hedges, the editor of Country Life magazine, backed his call for an agriculture GCSE. “It will not only teach children to value the place their food, water and fuel comes from but they might even find it inspiring,” he said. “There’s huge scope for their future employment in an industry that is about way more than milking cows and shearing sheep.”

Ofqual, the exam watchdog in England, says there are specialist work-related qualifications in agriculture but it is not aware of plans to create a GCSE. In Northern Ireland, it has been possible to do a GCSE in agriculture and land use since 2013.