On Monday, shortly before Defra Secretary Andrea Leadsom promised a shake-up of agriculture policy post-Brexit, but offered very little in the way of concrete examples of changes to expect, the Green Party published two reports outlining a radical new vision for the UK’s farm policy.

Recommendations in the reports, which were informed by the Soil Association and small farmers’ union the Land Workers’ Alliance (LWA), tread similar ground to calls from other civil society and environment groups, made since Britain voted to leave the EU last June. These include making farm subsidy payments conditional on environmental work, an end to area-based payments and a future food strategy to focus on providing healthy, sustainable food in the UK, rather than exporting resource dense, often unhealthy foods abroad.

Molly Scott Cato, the Green MEP who sponsored the papers, has said the government’s silence on a plan for agriculture outside of the EU is “Alarming”. Currently, 65% of UK agricultural exports go to the EU, and 70% of imports come from EU countries. EU farming subsidies make up around half of the value of the farm sector, and some farm types rely on subsidies for up to 70% of their income. Horticulturalists and dairy farmers are especially concerned by PM Theresa May’s apparent desire to prioritise strict border controls over trade in the exit process, which will affect their access to overseas labour.

However, in response to a parliamentary question by MP Caroline Lucas earlier this month, Farming Minister George Eustice acknowledged that Defra hasn’t conducted any new research to support the development of new farming or environmental policies since the Brexit vote. Responding to Caroline Lucas’ question, the Farming Minister said, “Defra invests a significant amount in agricultural and environmental research to underpin policy development and implementation. Much of this is relevant to the development of future policy in the context of EU exit.

“However, research specifically to inform agricultural and environmental policy once the UK leaves the EU, which is distinct from the department’s on-going research programmes, has not been commissioned in the last 6 months.”

This week’s Green reports set out a pathway towards a more environmentally sound and socially beneficial farm sector.

The first report, produced with input from the Soil Association, sets out a series of ideas for transforming UK farming. The report notes that these ideas are already being implemented on farms in Britain, but represent “the exception, rather than the norm.” These include:

• Public money for public goods: public subsidies should be spend in ways that guarantee clean water, farmland wildlife, carbon storage and reduced greenhouse gas emissions
• A government pledge to maintain the overall annual farm payment budget of around £3.2 billion
• A joined up approach to farm policy,  that looks at land in the round, with farming, forestry, water, public health, food poverty and international development all considered
• Incentives to steer food growers towards sustainable practices
• Work to make supply chains more sustainable, better for farmers - who are currently open to exploitation,
• Government listening to the public in forming this new policy approach.

The second report, by the LWA’s Simon Fairlie, looks at shifting subsidies from landowners to food producers, though he too argues for farm spending to be maintained at current levels. Fairlie also looks at introducing 20% VAT on processed meat products, and ‘polluter pays’ labelling on food products which involve the use of artificial fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and GM materials.

Both reports want protection for healthy soils and recovering biodiversity to be central to new farming policies. The Soil Association report also calls on the government to introduce an agroforestry policy and introduce a ban on the preventative use of antibiotics.

Commenting on the two papers, Molly Scott Cato MEP said, “We have a government that is not only clueless on how to improve the lot of our farmers and food producers, but is also chasing damaging trade deals with the US and Canada which would weaken the higher EU standards that have shaped UK agriculture over the last 40 years.

“The absence of any plan for our food and farming sectors is even more alarming given the extreme form of Brexit that Theresa May’s government is pushing for. Removing us from the single market risks punitive tariffs on exports and imports, while an end to free movement would make it impossible to take on the seasonal migrant labour from EU countries so crucial to many farms.

“Yet Brexit could be a unique opportunity to move towards an ecologically sustainable farming system; one that focuses on supporting family farms and relocalising food production, thereby creating thriving rural communities. We can also refocus land management to encourage biodiversity, improve animal welfare and help tackle climate change. Ultimately what happens to farming will affect us all as it will shape the future of our economic, social, environmental and physical landscapes”.

Dr Tom MacMillan, Director of Innovation at the Soil Association, also commented, “We’re hearing a fair bit of consensus from farming, nature and public interest groups on the big principles for agricultural policy after we leave the CAP – that the public expect high standards on animal welfare, for example, and that public money should pay for public benefits. What’s missing are practical and inspiring ideas that seize the chance to make a better fist of it, and face up to monumental challenges like climate change. So we’ve tried to set out a few game-changing ideas in our report”.