News • Good Food Trade Campaign
CPRE reports that England's small farms are vanishing
Farms under 50 hectares could all but disappear from the English countryside by the middle of the century, according to a new report from Sustain member Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE). It argues the Government must safeguard them as agriculture changes post-Brexit.
According to the report, almost a third of England’s smaller farms disappeared between 2005 and 2015, along with the diversity in food and landscape they provide. If this trend continues, they could all but disappear by mid-century.
Graeme Willis, CPRE's food and farming campaigner, described the situation as a 'silent crisis', and said that any funding allocations that follow Britain's departure from the EU must take into account the special pressures faced by small farmers. 'We all want a diverse, thriving countryside and wonderful food. Smaller farms are integral to both,' he said. Read the report, Uncertain Harvest, here.
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Published Saturday 26 August 2017
Good Food Trade Campaign: Campaigning for good trade that benefits people and the planet at home and overseas.
