A new report was launched at the Conservative Party Conference which has suggested that a shake up may be in order in order to help the UK agriculture industry. With Britain preparing to leave the European Union, it will also be leaving the Common Agricultural Policy along with it.
The Conservative Party Conference saw the Grow Green II report published by the New Economics Foundation. This report was initially commissioned by The Vegan Society and it is suggested that the UK food system is essentially broken and in desperate need of reform. With Brexit moving ever closer, this could be the ideal time to reform a range of industries including the agriculture.
The New Economics Foundation displayed in their report that a shift from animal protein to plant protein is vital and will offer a nutritional substitute. The Vegan Society and The New Economics Foundation has pressed that the government explore more radical changes in the types of crops grown around Britain in order to ensure that the produce created in sustainable for UK consumption.
As a part of the report, the Foundation has recommended the implementation of a number of new rules in order to promote the production of plant based protein. These rules include a farmed animal tax as well as a Protein Aid Scheme that will offer farmers a payment for each hectare of land that is used to cultivate and grow a range of protein crops such as peas, beans and lentils.
The research carried out by the New Economics Foundation into the best ways to supply the British people with diets that are sustainable, healthy, affordable and ethical is through the use of protein crops. These crops as opposed to animal protein tick all of the boxes.
It is thought that there will be a shake up approaching for the agricultural industry in the UK anyway, so the implementation of these new schemes could be an innovative development. Livestock farmers are also often seen as victims of the system, with a large number of them looking for ways to diversify and move away from the production of animal protein. The solutions that have been proposed could help these farmers move into a better market.
