NFU Deputy President Minette Batters said: “The National Trust correctly recognises the uncertainty currently facing the farming sector and the NFU continues to call on government to provide longer-term clarity on future agriculture policy and stability in the short term.
“The National Trust rightly highlights the many environmental services farmers contribute to the countryside but the NFU’s vision for the future goes much further than this. It includes measures to boost productivity and competitiveness, achieve fair returns from the supply chain, an ambitious trade deal with the EU and measures to manage volatility.
“Farmers are passionate about the countryside and they currently manage 70% of the landscape. The NFU actively encourages farmers to voluntarily manage the environment, including features that have fallen out of agri-environment agreements, through initiatives such as the Campaign for the Farmed Environment.”