Farming in Europe has been dominated by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) which came into force in 1957. The CAP was aimed at supporting the EU’s food suppliers and worked to increase conventional agricultural production. In 2015, the CAP provided the UK with payments of around £3bn.
Most large-scale farms are heavily dependent on these kinds of subsidies. Small-scale farming has been sidelined and has been on a steady decline for the last 70 or so years.
As the UK moves towards the EU exit door this provides an ideal opportunity for the farming sector to fundamentally change the face of farming for the better. New approaches need to be adopted to once again encourage the rise of small scale farming, provide young people with greater access to land and opportunities to work the land in a way that benefits nature and above all else produces great quality food. It’s definitely no longer about factory farming on an industrial scale!
Please take a look at the video below from the Real Farming Trust, giving an introduction to 'Englightened Agriculture'.



