Many believe our obsession with cheap food has not done our farming or our environment any favours. Under new plans, farmers in England will need to cut carbon emissions, create more space for wildlife and make improvements to animal welfare to access public money. The Government will be gradually phasing out the “direct payments” per hectare handed to farmers under the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy, instead, the money will be used to fund a new scheme. Campaigners have broadly welcomed the shift towards prioritising the environment. That plea for change was echoed by Craig Bennett of the Wildlife Trusts recently, who claims that the EU Common Agricultural Policy has “wreaked devastation on our wildlife” and caused “deep-seated issues in farming communities. Nature needs the help promised by this government and we cannot afford to waste any more time,” Bennett said. With this change in hand, we will be asking the question “What is the future for British Farming?

Melanie Squires MBE

Melanie comes from a Cornish dairy family and has worked as a policy advisor for the NFU for many years. She is now a Regional Director at the NFU, a trustee to the Seale-Hayne Education Trust and a SW CBI Council member. She holds a non-executive director role on the Heart of the Southwest LEP. She was awarded an MBE for services to Gloucestershire’s rural community and for animal welfare efforts during the flooding of July 2007.  She was also awarded the Associateship of The Royal Agricultural Societies for her distinguished achievement in the agricultural industry. Melanie’s long-held passion for farming and food means she is committed to the furtherance of agriculture in all its diverse facets for a sustainable future, both in terms of output, as well as for its custodians, and the next generation.