A major alliance of farming and public interest groups has launched a set of proposals for the UK’s leaders beyond 2020, when the incumbent government’s commitments to farmers expire.

The ’Beyond 2020: New farm policy’ was launched on Monday by Sustain (an alliance of 94 organisations with a combined public membership of millions). The strategy recommends that the next Government retains taxpayer support for farmers after Brexit, but replaces the two-pillar Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) system with a new four-part deal for farming based on payments for public goods, capital grants, free advice and wider policy measures to ensure farmers can thrive.

Key proposals advocated by Sustain include:

• Shifting payments from large landowners and biofuel production to supporting resilient farming, nature and animals, helping alleviate flooding, creating more rural jobs and growing our own healthy 5-a-day fruit and vegetables, supported by a new Land Management Scheme.
• Making payments to farmers and land managers front loaded, with Government tapering or capping payments to use taxpayers’ support wisely and ensure diverse farm businesses can thrive.
• Backing new enterprise including: new entrants into farming, smaller and diverse farms, agro-forestry and struggling sectors like fruit and vegetable, and overhaul farmer training and advice so they can access the tools they need.
• Adopting vital, complementary measures across government, such as extending the Grocery Code Adjudicator’s powers to ensure fair trading practices from supermarkets and their suppliers, keeping high standards of welfare etc., and requiring an increase in the purchase of local and sustainable food for public-sector organisations such as schools and hospitals.
• Reforming farm tenancy rules, improving worker protection.
• Ensuring trade deals are transparent and that they support and do not undermine UK farming.

The proposals, which can be read in full here, were drawn up by Sustain’s constituent groups, including Compassion in World Farming, CPRE, Family Farmers Association, Friends of the Earth, the Landworkers’ Alliance, National Trust, RSPB, Soil Association and UNITE. Although the briefing document position doesn’t represent the diverse positions of the individual groups, this compromise strategy is highly important, according to Sustain, as the coalition believes that the current Brexit trajectory could lead to a focus on high volume, low standard agricultural production agenda. The current government’s apparent eagerness to strike new international trade deals and pursue a process of deregulation's putting at risk the future well-being of Britons and the UK farming industry as a whole, according to Sustain. The coalition also said Britain’s future policies must also not harm farmers in the global south or lead to weaker standards.

Vicki Hird, Sustainable Farming Campaign Coordinator for the Sustain alliance, commented, “Farming is a business but it is so much more. Our proposals recognise that farming provides wider public benefits including thriving rural communities, valued farm workers, good nutrition, a protected and nurtured environment and wildlife, and high animal welfare.

“The next Government has a once in a lifetime opportunity with Brexit to end some of the absurdities of Europe’s Common Agricultural Policy, which has not supported small and family farms well and which contributed to a loss of farmland diversity and wildlife. Our alliance proposals present a practical way forward and a basis that the Government could use for common ground between the industry, and those groups championing the rural economy, conservation, public health and development.”

Pippa Woods, farmers and Director of Family Farmers Association added, "These excellent  proposals contain most of the objectives family farmers have been working towards since 1979.  If achieved we will have a happy countryside and plenty of wholesome home produced food.”