In February 2018, following swiftly on the heels of the 25 year Environment Plan, Defra published a consultation on “Health and Harmony: the future for food, farming and the environment in a Green Brexit”.

The paper set out a range of possible paths for the future of farming post Brexit and post CAP as the basis for an Agriculture Bill for England (the Bill will not apply to Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland).  It heralds the most significant reform in agriculture for more than 45 years.  The paper promotes an ambitious new agenda that will incentivise methods of farming that create new habitats for wildlife, increase biodiversity, protect our cultural heritage, reduce flood risk, better mitigate climate change , sequester carbon, and improve air, water and soil quality.  This will be achieved by a new environmental land management system in place by 2022 underpinned by the payment of public money for public goods, based on natural capital principles.  This will involve the phasing out of direct payments to farmers.

This fits with the integrated multi-disciplinary approach to land use that LUC has championed for over 50 years.  We are pleased to see the bold ideas set out in the paper, although recognise the difficulties and complexities of practical implementation.  These include the need for clear goals and targets, and the critical task of agreeing a pragmatic, inclusive and integrated vision for the rural landscape where there are multiple, competing sectoral interests.  Not least there is the question of how these laudable aims will fit with international trade agreements.  And finally we would like to see a greater understanding of the links with health as suggested in the title.

At LUC we have many thoughts and ideas drawn from our longstanding experience in managing the agricultural landscape including extensive work monitoring the landscape effects of agri environment schemes which could inform the new Environmental Land Management System.  In our opinion a national Land Management Strategy is required to set out the integrated vision and framework for this new system, allowing for spatial targeting and local agreements delivered by plans at the National Character Area level.

As the paper states – “we should all have an interest in the landscape around us: it must sustain us now and be held in trust for future generations”.  This is an exciting time to be working in the fields of landscape planning and management.  At LUC we look forward to the challenges ahead.