We need your help
Please respond to this Government consultation to help shape the future of our countryside and ensure there’s a better deal for our wildlife. We need a farming system that both grows our food and looks after our environment.
Just as we depend on the UK’s farmland for much of the food we eat every day, so does lots of our wildlife. But over the decades our farming policies have had an unintended effect, dramatically reducing other countryside qualities that we need and value: like wildlife, landscape character, and water, air and soil quality.
The Government has said it wants to put the environment at the heart of their priorities for spending on farming post Brexit, and they want your views on their proposals. We need to let them know how important it is that they take wildlife seriously when deciding on the future of agriculture. This is a once in a generation opportunity to help shape the future of our countryside and help protect our wildlife.
Responding now is the first stage to making sure the Government delivers on this commitment to the environment in the upcoming Agriculture Bill and any future farming policies.
The deadline for responding is the 8th May 2018 – so please add your voice!
Two ways to have your say:
1) Write an email and send it to agricultureconsultation@defra.gsi.gov.uk
It is best if you use your own words, but we suggest covering the following questions in your email:
- Do you agree that farmers should get financial support to help wildlife on farms, and protect what nature does for us?
- Why do you think it’s important for farmers to be able to protect the environment and restore nature?
- Are there things that farming affects that you’d like to see stronger protection around, like pollinators, or water quality, for example?
2) Fill in the consultation questionnaire here
You don’t need to answer all the questions and can skip any that you don’t have strong opinions about. You’re welcome to refer to our suggested responses here for guidance.
What are we doing?
We at PTES have submitted our response to the consultation, which you can see here if you’d like more information before responding yourself. If you can, please responds in your own words as we believe these are more highly valued in the consultation evaluation
You can read the Government’s consultation paper on the future agricultural policy post Brexit in full here.