Campaign to Protect Rural England lays out its priorities for the next government

Election hopefuls have set out their plans for the future of farming and the environment, but what do industry organisations think the next government should tackle? Here the Campaign to Protect Rural England sets out what it thinks the priorities should be.

English farmers should be treated with more respect for the job they do, says the Campaign to Protect Rural England.

Setting out its election manifesto, it said high quality agricultural land should be protected from development and farmers should be praised for conserving the countryside.

Ensuring producers were paid well would also attract new blood to the industry, it added.

The government must focus more on the production of local food and people to eat better quality food. Interest in local foods should also go beyond the individual consumer to schools, hospitals and care homes.

CPRE said a national soil strategy would also boost food production, with less need for artificial fertilisers.

To see what other agricultural organisations want from the next government click here.