LGA responds to the Government's Agriculture Bill

"Local government could play a significant role in any new system of environmental land management, particularly around issues such as environmental improvements, rural resilience and public access."


Responding to the Government’s Agriculture Bill, Cllr Mark Hawthorne, Chairman of the LGA’s People and Places Board, said:

“The eventual replacement of the Common Agricultural Policy with a new system of environmental land management which pays public money for public goods will be an innovative step.

“Local government could play a significant role in any new system of environmental land management, particularly around issues such as environmental improvements, rural resilience and public access.

“Many councils are already engaged with these issues at a local level and have developed a significant level of expertise. The reform of the Common Agricultural Policy provides an opportunity to consider how partners including local government and the farming community could be funded to deliver the broader ambitions of agricultural policy and economic development in more rural areas.

“It is critical that these proposals are considered within the wider context of building a thriving national economy post-Brexit. To do this, government must come together in collaboration with local areas to develop proposals which align with the creation of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Local Industrial Strategies.”