From the editor: Has food production been forgotten in drive for green goals?

Writ large across the plan, as well, is the underlying feeling that policymakers are seeking to reimagine the rural, to reshape landscapes and ecosystems in line with modern concerns around climate change and biodiversity loss. While these are aspirational themes, it is difficult to see within the plan where a profitable and commercially-focused farming industry fits in.

Indeed, you could argue there is every chance that the most commercially minded farmers will forego environmental payments and simply get on with the job of producing food, with nature playing second fiddle longer term.

It is also clear Environmental Land Management is unlikely to replace the cash lost once direct payments have gone. And, with the UK economy facing huge contraction due to Covid-19, the future funding of agricultural support is by no means guaranteed anywhere in the UK as governments seek to refill empty state coffers.

To stand any chance of achieving its sky high ambitions around nature and food production, Defra must heed its own commitment to work with farmers to ensure these future schemes provide an economic imperative for the industry. After all, without farmers none of this is possible.