'Leaving the EU gives us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reform how we care for our land, our rivers and our seas.' The words could come from any of the blueprints for post-Brexit food policy produced by campaign groups in the past year -- but this time they come from the man in charge, Michael Gove MP, recently resurrected as the Government official responsible for food, farming and the environment.
Mr Gove also voiced widely shared criticisms of the Common Agricultural Policy, which he said 'puts resources in the hands of the already wealthy, and encourages patterns of land use which are wasteful of natural resources'. He said he hoped that 'generous' subsidies to farmers would continue -- but they must be tightly tied to environmental protections. Read Gove's full speech delivered at the HQ of Sustain member WWF.
Campaigners quickly pointed out that the recent Queen’s speech contained no planned environmental legislation - an Agriculture Bill is planned for sometime in 2018. Caroline Lucas, the Green Party co-leader, responded: 'There is an environment-shaped hole in the government’s Brexit plans'. Read the full story here.
The Sustain Alliance campaigns for greener, fairer and healthier food systems, for everyone. We are helping to coordinate the work of many organisations campaigning for a Better Food Britain after Brexit: find out more and support us here.
Good Food Trade Campaign: Campaigning for good trade that benefits people and the planet at home and overseas.
