Farmwel produces blueprint for post-Brexit British agriculture

The blueprint includes a national policy framework, and a funding model to protect natural capital and address the structural deficit between farm-gate prices and the costs of production.

It calls for individual farm contracts, de-centralised management, public accountability, and makes proposals to address food waste. Overall, it aims to deliver:

• A leadership model for the 21st century.
• A food industry built on quality, profit, and opportunity.
• Freedom to innovate.
• Accountability for public funds.
• A national policy framework supporting decentralised delivery.
• A robust and biodiverse landscape that secures Britain's inheritance for generations to come.

As programme diretor Ffinlo Costain states, "Our vision is ambitious but realistic, based on the needs of the market, the expectations of British people, and the demands of the natural environment. We seek a new long-term settlement for UK food production, which establishes the necessary foundations for a strong trading relationship with the world, insures our farmers against the risk of natural degradation, and provides the rural economy with the long-term independence it needs to adapt and thrive.

Farmwel is supported by the expertise of FAI Farms, an Oxford-based farm consultancy which helps the food-sector overcome key challenges and implement better farming practices, on land and at sea. Farmwel's proposals to place public accountability at the heart of farming and land use were also highlighted recently in a Food Ethics Council report into Food Citizenship.

Find out more on the Farmwel website.