Sir, – For some years there have been two distinct strands of thought about the role of farming in the rural economy and how it should be supported.

One school, which chimes with the instinctive view of probably most farmers, is that farming is purely about food production. It also sees the rural economy and agriculture as synonymous.

This view tends to see the ‘green lobby’ as the enemies and fails to acknowledge that whilst there are some environmentalists with loopy ideas, there are equally some commercial farmers whose practices are detrimental to the long-term health of the countryside.

This school welcomes a slackening of environmental protection and appears eager to compete in global markets but at the same time argues that for ‘food security’ the British taxpayer should continue to underpin commercial food production.

This view is clearly in the ascendancy within the Scottish Government at present, as demonstrated by the membership of Fergus Ewing’s National Council of Rural Advisors.

The other school sees food production as part of a wider land management and stewardship function undertaken by farmers. It acknowledges that the public expects the countryside to do more than just produce food.

It also accepts that biodiversity, water management, landscape enhancement, peatland management, long-term soil health and land-use balance are all part of land management and that farmers can reasonably expect the public to underwrite this financially. It sees farming as one part of a general rural economy which provides income-generating opportunities to the family through diversification or off-farm jobs.

As someone who believes that Brexit is a huge error, it pains me to say that Michael Gove’s policy approach appears to be much more in line with this view. Ironically, it is also the vision which is used as a marketing image by the food industry.

The above analysis may be simplistic but these conflicting strands do exist and as farming fights for a future, it must be honest with itself and with the public.

Joan Mitchell

Bagbie,

Newton Stewart.