I WELCOME the two reports released by our local Green MEP Molly Scott Cato on the ‘Future of Farming’ post Brexit.

The lack of vision by government and the opportunities thrown up by Brexit are the basis for two reports commissioned by Molly from the Soil Association and the Land Workers Alliance.

They aim to inform policy makers, farmers, food producers and rural communities, though are of interest to us all as the future of food and farming in the UK will help shape our economic, social, environmental and physical landscapes The absence of any clear government plan for the future of our food and farming sectors outside the EU is alarming.

The Government is clearly chasing trade deals with the United States and Canada, which would weaken the high EU standards that have shaped UK agriculture over the last 40 years.

The extreme form of Brexit that Theresa May’s government is pushing for could hit our family farmers and small scale food producers particularly hard.

Around 65 per cent of total UK agricultural exports go to the EU, while around 70 per cent of the UK’s imports originate from other EU countries.

Removing us from the single market risks punitive tariffs on exports and imports, while an end to free movement would make it impossible to take on the seasonal migrant labour from EU countries so crucial to many farms.

Yet Brexit could be a unique opportunity to move towards an ecologically sustainable farming system; one that focuses on supporting family farms and relocalising food production, thereby creating thriving rural communities like we have in our district.

We can also refocus land management to encourage biodiversity, improve animal welfare and help tackle climate change.

Jim Dewey

Stroud District Council Green Party Councillor for Coaley and Uley