We need to speak to the public about farm support, both to explain what we do and to ensure that our plans for support are in tune with their needs.

This week’s launch of more detail on the Union’s farm plans are similarly in line with broad Westminster and Holyrood principles of moving payments to productivity and environmental gains and away from direct support. However, do we know that this is what the public wants from our farmers? At the end of the day, this all comes down to the policies that get politicians elected and no longer can they avoid farming questions by blaming the EU.

Farm lobbying is competing with lobbying titans such as welfare, the NHS, transport and education – all of which command policymakers to be acutely aware of the public’s needs to avoid budgets being slashed. This is where farming policy now resides so we need to get speaking to the public about what they want from farmers. We may be surprised by what we find out. Environmental lobbies do not represent the public, rather they represent their members or a specific interest group. We need to re-engage with ordinary folk and find out what they want out of the countryside. Furthermore, the industry needs to do it to prevent others putting a spin on the results before publishing them.

No longer will we be dictated to or protected by Europe on how much and how we can spend money on farm support. This has largely kept the budget out of the public consciousness with a perception that farm support is forced upon the country. Let us not forget the UK Government lobbied for a reduction in farm payments during the last CAP round. The stakes are far too high to gamble on things just trundling on and we can not allow ourselves to stay within a cosy farming bubble.

If we are to be successful in getting the best deal for farming post-Brexit, we need to circumnavigate the politicians and get to the real kingmakers: the public who vote them in.