The Royal Society of Arts Food, Farming and Countryside Commission has published a report on the future of agriculture in the UK: Our Future in the Land
The report argues, 'Decades of policy to produce ever cheaper food has created perverse and detrimental consequences. Farm gate prices are low; and whilst food in the supermarkets is getting cheaper, the true cost of that policy is simply passed off elsewhere in society – in a degraded environment, spiraling ill-health and impoverished high streets. The UK has the third cheapest food amongst developed countries, but the highest food insecurity in Europe.'
Among the recommendations are:
- 1. Designing and implementing a ten-year transition plan for sustainable, agroecological farming by 2030
- 2. Backing innovation by farmers to unleash a fourth agricultural revolution
- 3. Making sure every farmer can get trusted, independent advice by training a cadre of peer mentors and farmer support networks
- 4. Boosting cooperation and collaboration by extending support for Producer Organisations to all sectors
- 5. Establishing a National Agroecology Development Bank to accelerate a fair and sustainable transition.
Direct payments to farmers would be retained at one-third of current value. In addition, farmers would be incentivised to follow agroecological principles including planting trees, creating and restoring habitat corridors and natural grassland restoration. The report does not contain any recommendations of the value of these payments for delivering environmental measures. This is always the difficulty with such proposals.
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