In reaction to the National Audit Office report (published Wednesday Sep 12th) that we should not rush to "lock in" huge policy changes post-Brexit
Comment from Sue Pritchard, director of the RSA's Food, Farming and Countryside Commission:
“Given the complexity of the changes we’re going to make post-Brexit, it’s hardly surprising the NAO reached its conclusion.
“To its credit, Defra is embarking on an ambitious vision for food and the environment post-Brexit, but it’s clear from our Commission’s UK tour, that the government must give serious thought and engage with all parts of the food and farming system. This will inevitably take time.
“A no deal Brexit would be catastrophic for many farming businesses and the environment. The government needs sufficient time to think seriously through life after 40 years of the Common Agricultural Policy: the real danger for all is rushing on the important details and locking the unintended consequences of bad policy into the system. It’s clear from our Commission that the UK public care very much about their food, where it comes from and the countryside, and they have very high standards for its future post-Brexit.”
"And given Michael Gove's announcement today (Wed Sep 12th) of a seven-year transition period before the removal of direct payments, we want to hear from farmers about whether that is enough time to make the big changes necessary."
The RSA’s Food, Farming and Countryside Commission director Sue Pritchard is available for media comment: contact Sue directly on 07966 470683.
Launched in November 2017, the RSA Food, Farming and Countryside Commission is a major, two-year independent inquiry, funded by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. It is the only concerted attempt to try and understand what people want for the future of food, farming and countryside post-Brexit. It's interim report is due out in late October, 2018.
Related news
-
Royal Society of Arts Celebrates its 270th Birthday
The RSA celebrates its 270th birthday - kicking off a year of events, commemorative content and interventions in recognition of its place at the heart of society since the enlightenment, and its central role in driving societal change happen for 270 years.
-
‘One Creative North’ plans finalised at summit ahead of Convention of the North
The RSA, together with leaders from across government, civil society and the creative industries, finalise bold new ideas for the North of England’s creative industries, to be revealed in full at the Convention of the North on 29 February.
Be the first to write a comment
Comments
Please login to post a comment or reply
Don't have an account? Click here to register.