Michael Gove is a very canny politician. Who could argue with his stated ambition to protect the environment and give public money for public goods? But his proposed future farming policy is not as benevolent as it might first appear. By making UK farming policy about environmental protection, rather than food production, Gove could end up creating a British food brand for the privileged, while using imports to deliver cheap food for the masses.

Sheep in snow

Everyone in the UK should have access to affordable food produced to the high standards we pride ourselves on, yet Defra seems curiously uninterested in feeding the masses. Having already declined to publish a 25-year food and farming plan, it is trying to put responsibility for British food security into the hands of industry and the Food Sector Council.

But industry can’t do it alone. We need to see food production at the heart of this country’s future agriculture policy. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform our food and farming systems. Let’s make sure we use it to tackle food poverty, not just protect hedges and hedgehogs.

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