Defra minister, Michael Gove underlined his commitment to a ‘green Brexit’ at the Conservative party’s conference in Manchester this week, pledging “where possible, to strengthen environmental rules which we have helped develop while in the EU”.

Gove proposed few legislative changes in his headline speech, but made repeated references to wider scope for strengthening environmental policy, saying that the CAP had been a “failure”.

“We’re taking back control. And nowhere are the possibilities for progress greater than for the environment,” said Gove, adding that he believed the Conservative Party to be “the first and still the most ambitious green party in this country”.

“Mr Gove’s speech was full of politics, but very little policy,” said NFUS policy director, Jonnie Hall, who was at the conference.

“Mr Gove’s approach is right, in many respects: we’re not going to compete on global commodity markets, but need to seek out and strengthen existing market opportunities based on high animal welfare and environmental standards. However, we want Mr Gove to show his hand about how he’s going to achieve these things. If it’s through the imposition of extra costs which can’t be captured by a premium in the marketplace, it will be to the detriment of good agricultural practice,” Hall continued.

UK mustn’t go over Commission’s head Meanwhile, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker warned the UK not to “go over Michel Barnier’s head”, and negotiate Brexit directly with EU heads of state, as the EU Parliament assembled in Strasbourg and debated Brexit state-of-play.

“The Commission has been appointed by the 27 member states and my choice of Michel Barnier had been welcomed by them. He acts on their behalf on the basis of clear negotiating mandates,” Juncker guarded.

Closing the debate, chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier said: “After 44 years of integration, I would recommend that nobody underestimates the complexity and the legal, human, social, economic, and financial difficulties of this decision. And I recommend that those who made this decision should shoulder the consequences.

“I think that it is better that you leave the European Union on 30 March 2019 with an agreement, rather than without one,” Barnier concluded.