Issue - meetings

Report of the Head of Economy, Enterprise and Skills (EES/18/4), attached.

(Councillors Biederman, Dewhirst, Greenslade, Hannaford and Whitton attended in accordance with Standing Order 25(2) and spoke to this item).

The Cabinet considered the Report of the Head of Economy, Enterprise and Skills (EES/18/4), circulated prior to the meeting in accordance with regulation 7(4) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012, which provided a draft response to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) Consultation: The future for food, farming and the environment.

DEFRA’s Consultation marked one of the most important developments in UK Agricultural Policy for a generation.  Once the UK left the European Union it would withdraw from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).  The Secretary of State had said that the Government wanted to take the opportunity to introduce “a more rational, and sensitive agriculture policy which promoted environmental enhancement, supported profitable food production and contributed to a healthier society.”  The Consultation was very broad and encompassed issues such as farming subsidies, trade, skills, public health, innovation and rural productivity, amongst others.

A holding response had been submitted to DEFRA in order to meet the Consultation deadline of 8 May 2018, but Cabinet were being asked to approve the County Council’s response so that confirmation could be provided to DEFRA.

The Head of Service’s covering Report highlighted the key issues in the consultation which included “public money for public goods” and farm resilience and the phased abolition of direct payments, balancing public goods and food production, uplands farming, trade and market fairness, regulation and inspections and rural economic development.

It further outlined the unique landscape of Devon including two National Parks, five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, two World Heritage Sites and many protected species. Agriculture was one of Devon’s key economic sectors, accounting for around 5.5% of jobs in the County. 72.4% of land in Devon was farmed, which meant that farmers made a unique contribution to the maintenance and enhancement of the countryside.

It further reported that the Council was supportive of the agricultural sector, including enhancement of the environment and the importance of natural capital as an economic asset. Brexit offered a once-in-a-generation opportunity to ensure that agricultural policy supported a vision of UK farming that led in quality food production.

The Council supported the Government’s proposed focus on “public money for public goods” and that subsidy should be earned. There was also scope for the Government to support a wide range of activities, including environmental but also incorporating issues such as skills, innovation, animal health and public access to the countryside. In implementing the reforms, it was critical that Government paid due regard to the financial resilience of farm businesses (DEFRA’s analysis showed that the sectors that predominated in Devon, particularly grazing livestock (51% of farmed area), were likely to be those most affected by the withdrawal of direct payments). It would be difficult to offset such an impact, therefore Government needed to take a holistic view of the distributional impact of reforms when designing  ...  view the full minutes text for item 177