Skip to content

Decision details

Decision Maker: Cabinet

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: Yes

Is subject to call in?: No

Decisions:

(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 replacement schemes and consider transitional processes.

 

The Council further encouraged Government to ensure that new approaches were trialled rigorously before their introduction. It supported the proposals from Exmoor and Dartmoor National Parks to host such pilots and would be keen to host similar pilots in Devon’s lowland areas.

 

The key points of the response to the consultation included;

 

·         that the Council supported the concept of public money for public goods;

·         it was right that a broad range of public goods were encouraged, but with a need to balance this with support for food production;

·         that food production remained at the core of what it meant to farm;

·         farm resilience;

·         transition period;

·         local control (Brexit presented a unique opportunity for Government to devolve aspects of the system);

·         that farmers needed help to manage volatility in prices;

·         environmental protection schemes (with new schemes needed to reward existing farming practices that deliver a high quality environment);

·         that uplands farming faced special challenges;

·         distributional analysis;

·         support for new entrants to farming;

·         trade;

·         market fairness issues;

·         regulation, animal health and inspections;

·         rural economic development; and

·         broadband and mobile connectivity.

 

Members of the Council speaking under Standing Order 25(2) thanked both the Cabinet Member and Officers for the Report, welcoming its contents.

 

The matter having been debated and the options and/or alternatives and other relevant factors (e.g. financial, sustainability, carbon impact, risk management, equality and legal considerations and Public Health impact) set out in the Head of Service’s Report and/or referred to above having been considered:

 

It was MOVED by Councillor Barker, SECONDED by Councillor Hart, and

 

RESOLVED that the draft Devon County Council response (Appendix I) to the DEFRA consultation be approved.

Reason Key: Strategic, Political or Financial Significance;

Divisions Affected: (All Divisions);

Other reasons / organisations consulted

DCC a consultee

Consultees

N/A

Contact: Keri Denton, Interim Director of Performance and Partnerships Email: keri.denton@devon.gov.uk.

Report author: Keri Denton

Publication date: 17/05/2018

Date of decision: 16/05/2018

Decided at meeting: 16/05/2018 - Cabinet

Accompanying Documents:


Top