CPRE Shropshire's conference on rural Shropshire and its future in the light of BREXIT was held on Friday 3rd March in Shrewsbury and attracted over 130 delegates from a variety of backgrounds and areas of interest.

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Our beautiful Shropshire landscape has been largely fashioned over the years by farming and land management and CPRE Shropshire is concerned about the possible future impact of BREXIT on our county's farms.

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• A copy of our conference programme is here. 
  (NB scroll down the document - there are 2 pages)
   

• A summary of the key points raised at the conference is here

Our speakers explained the ways in which existing farm subsidies have enabled schemes such as Countryside Stewardship, environmental and conservation programmes and looked at what might happen, post ‘Brexit’.

 

The keynote speaker was Christopher Price, Director of Policy at the Country Landowners and Business Association who set out the political scene from a national perspective. Clare Cole from Natural England gave an update on CAP and the future of farm subsidies. Organic farm adviser, Mark Measures spoke of the crucial importance of soil and the need to care for it for future productivity. Other speakers included Joy Greenall,(Clun Forest farmer), Liam Bell (gamekeeper and National Gamekeepers Association), Cath Landles (Community & Landscape Officer, Shropshire Hills AONB Partnership) and Simon Latter (NFU Mutual and farmer in North Shropshire). Ending the conference was a presentation from CPRE's own Agricultural Adviser, Graeme Willis. There was then a wide ranging question and answer session to end the afternoon.

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