Making ‘green Brexit’ work for agriculture and the environment
Post-Brexit policy should carry out a root-and-branch reform to better address the specific needs of the UK’s farming and food sectors whilst protecting the countryside. Speaking at the ‘Ecology Across Borders’ conference in Ghent, Belgium next week, academics will outline some of the challenges and opportunities that present themselves to deliver on a ‘green Brexit’ under the current political landscape.
Although the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) provides income support to farmers across the UK nations (on average to the tune of 50-60%), it has been criticised for its complexity and for creating inequalities within the system, failing to support the most vulnerable farmers.
As the UK prepares to leave the EU, future agricultural policy could move towards the use of public money to reward the provision of public goods*. To this end, it is vital to reach a consensus on what public goods are and to ensure that landscape management and environmental protection are central to this definition, according to a recently published policy brief.
Dr Adam Hejnowicz from the University of York’s Department of Biology says: “Replacing the CAP with a fairer, more appropriate and effective funding model that is based on the supply of public goods and environmental protection is an immediate priority.”
“Whatever the outcome of Brexit negotiations, responsibility for agriculture will return to the UK. There is an opportunity to rethink and reframe the way UK agricultural policy is managed, taking a wide approach that encompasses sustainable land use, rural development and environmental conservation”, he adds.
The report suggests that agricultural policy could become part of a wider sustainable Land Use Strategy, which seeks to improve the declining environmental quality through restoration. There is scope to enhance farmland by recognising both its economic values and ecosystem services, including flood risk mitigation, biodiversity, carbon storage, clean air and water, and recreational opportunities.
Securing an agriculture-friendly trade deal with the EU will be critical in finding a balance between imports and exports that enables an adequate degree of self-sufficiency.
“We must also recognise that our biggest market will still be the EU after Brexit and that cooperation is essential”, comments Professor Sue Hartley, Director of the York Environmental Sustainability Institute, and President of the British Ecological Society, who also contributed to this policy brief. “As well as well needing the ability to freely trade products with our neighbours, many parts of the UK agriculture and food sectors will continue to rely heavily on seasonal overseas workers.”
“Ultimately, Brexit offers the UK a chance to design agricultural policy that is fit for purpose, long-term in nature and that has sustainable prosperity at its core', Dr Hejnowicz concludes.
The report was produced by a number of academics from Queen's University Belfast and the University of York, with support provided by the York Environmental Sustainability Institute (YESI) and the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI).
Dr Adam Hejnowicz will provide a review of the challenges and opportunities for agri-environmental policy after Brexit at the ‘Ecology Across Borders’ annual meeting in Ghent on Tuesday, 12 December 2017.
This year’s conference is jointly organised by the British Ecological Society, Gesellschaft für Ökologie (the Ecological Society of Germany, Switzerland and Austria), and Dutch-Flemish Ecological Society (NecoV), in association with the European Ecological Federation, bringing together 1,500 ecologists from around 60 countries to discuss the latest advances in ecological research across the whole discipline.
* environmental goods and services which benefit the general public but are are not remunerated through the market, e.g. water, soil and air quality
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Notes to Editors
Links to ressources:
Gravey, V., Brown, I., Farstad, F., Hartley, S.E., Hejnowicz, A.P., Hicks, K.,and Burns, C. (2017) ‘Post-Brexit Policy in the UK: A New Dawn? Agri-environment’.
https://www.york.ac.uk/media/yesi/researchoutputs/Brexit%20Agri-Environment%20Brief.pdf
Joint annual meeting of GfÖ, BES, NecoV and EEF:
http://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/events/annual-meeting-2017/
For information about the report and/or to arrange an interview with the speaker, please contact:
Press Office, University of York, Email: pressoffice@york.ac.uk, Tel: +44 (0)1904 322 029 / 1904 322 153
For more information on the meeting, high-resolution images or to request press access, please contact:
Juliane Röder, Press Officer, Ecological Society of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Email: presse@gfoe.org, Tel: +49 (0)6421 28 23381, Mobile: +49 (0)179 64 68 958
High-resolution images are available on request.
The ‘Joint Annual Meeting: Ecology Across Borders’ is taking place at ICC Ghent, Belgium from 11-14 December 2017. The full programme is available here: https://eventmobi.com/eab2017/
Follow the event on social media #EAB2017
About the British Ecological Society
Founded in 1913, the British Ecological Society (BES) is the oldest ecological society in the world. The BES promotes the study of ecology through publishing a range of scientific literature, organising and sponsoring a wide variety of events, education initiatives and policy work. The society has over 6,000 members from nearly 130 different countries. britishecologicalsociety.org @BritishEcolSoc
About the Gesellschaft für Ökologie
The Gesellschaft für Ökologie e.V. (GfÖ) represents ecologists working on basic research, applied aspects and education, mostly from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It was founded in 1970 to support exchange among ecologists working on a wide range of topics and positions. The diversity of the society’s over 1,150 members is reflected in the GfÖ’s specialist groups, publications and annual meetings. gfoe.org @GfOe_org
About the Dutch-Flemish Ecological Society
The Dutch-Flemish Ecological Society (NecoV) was created by the merger of two ecological associations in the Dutch-Flemish language region, and aims to promote fundamental and applied ecology in the Netherlands and in Flanders, to promote national and international cooperation between ecologists, and to promote responsible management of the biosphere. NecoV organises meetings, symposia, seminars, courses, thematic working groups and other ecologically oriented activities. necov.org
About the European Ecological Federation
The European Ecological Federation (EEF) is the umbrella organisation representing the ecological societies within Europe and associated members. Instead of an individual membership, application process membership is granted automatically to members of a national society already represented in the EEF. The European Ecological Federation enables cooperation between ecological societies in order to promote the science of ecology in Europe. europeanecology.org @EuropeanEcology
Weitere Informationen:
https://www.york.ac.uk/media/yesi/researchoutputs/Brexit%20Agri-Environment%20Brief.pdf
http://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/events/annual-meeting-2017/
https://eventmobi.com/eab2017/
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