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The Minister praised the innovation and hard work of British farmers to improve the environment and countryside through agri-environmental schemes and welcomed the efforts being made to attract young people and new talent into the farming business.
 

George Eustice, MP, Minister for the Natural Environment and Fisheries in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), said: "I want the Common Agricultural Policy to benefit the environment, grow the rural economy and boost the competitiveness of our farming industry. We will soon launch a consultation so that people can give us their views on the best ways to achieve these aims."  
 

James Barkhouse, Head of Europe North at Syngenta UK, said: "Syngenta was delighted to support this important discussion on the CAP implementation. Our UK business has a long track record of working with farmers to balance agricultural production and environmental protection. Our commitment in this area has been reiterated by the recent launch of our Good Growth Plan under which projects such as Operation Pollinator to establish large scale multifunctional field margins and increase biodiversity on farms will see further investment and extension. As such, it was good to hear the new Minister, George Eustice, MP reiterate the government's commitment to finding a flexible approach to ensure that farmers could take advantage of such initiatives under the new greening arrangements."
 

Thierry de l'Escaille, Secretary General of the European Landowners Organization (ELO) and chair of the Roadshow, said: "We have come to end of the road with the UK roadshow, but not to the end of the conversation about greening measures. By travelling to six different countries with different systems, attitudes and regulations for farming we have seen not only what the challenges are, but also what is possible.

"The Roadshow has opened all our eyes to new technologies and even to  old ways of protecting the environment that still work well today. I believe it is possible to combine profitable farming with the provision of public goods. These aspects can co-exist in multifunctional landscapes. Together, we can find the best practical solutions to implement greening measures without sacrificing profitability and food security."
 

Henry Robinson, Deputy President of the Country Land & Business Association (CLA), said, "British farmers can't be green unless they are in the black. CLA and ELO members are not only fully committed to the principles of greening, but they have also been putting greening into practice for many years. We welcome more clarity around the greening measures and to working with Defra to enable our members to make sense of greening in the CAP."
In London, the Roadshow explored three main strands of the greening measures in the CAP: policy targets and the implementation process of greening measures; best practices in biodiversity management; and the feasibility of the proposed greening measures. Insights and recommendations emerging from the London roadshow included:

• To take a whole farm approach to biodiversity; promote biodiversity by design.
• To proactively manage less productive and marginal areas on farms of all sizes, including field margins, buffer zones, hedge rows and little woodlands to develop high quality environmental habitats that also contribute towards value and farm productivity.
• To evaluate the impacts of greening measures in the UK and share best practice across the EU.
• To reduce red tape and make it easier for UK farms of all sizes to participate in the greening measures; encourage farmers to adopt measures that they can feel enthusiasm about.
• To demonstrate the profitability of greening measures; communicate the benefits to farmers.

The Multifunctional Landscapes Roadshow concluded in London having visited Spain, Poland, Hungary, Italy and France. In total more than 800 senior stakeholders were brought together by the ELO and Syngenta from government ministries, landowners and farming communities, farmers' associations, academia, NGOs and associated industries to discuss the challenges and opportunities of the CAP.
 

The Roadshow demonstrated that EU member states are in different levels of development with specific national concerns around greening measures. For example, farmers in Poland and Hungary have stronger fears regarding the loss of productivity. French and British farmers are aware that their citizens are interested in environmental issues, which potentially increases scrutiny around sustainable farming practices.
 
However, the Roadshow has shown that there are similar views and concerns towards the greening measures among EU farmers.  

• While many farmers are still unsure about the implementation and cost of the new greening measures, there is an overall agreement on the importance of our environment, and that the greening measures go towards protecting this.
• However, there is a shared concern over farm profitability. Too often farmers do not earn enough, these concerns are real and have to be taken fully into account at the national level. 
• Farmers seek clarity about the acceptance of existing agri-environment measures (that many have implemented) into the new CAP greening regulations. 
• Farmers were in unanimous agreement that more needs to be done to bridge the gap between policy and on-farm reality. There is a real fear of bureaucratic complexity and unwanted regulatory burdens. Farmers seek simple and easy to follow guidelines that ensure greening without sacrificing profitability.
• Across the EU, farmers expressed enthusiasm for new technology, innovation, and the possibility of on-farm adaptation.  Many believe that innovation and technological advances will be crucial for the greening measures and for sustainable intensification.