Environmental groups have welcomed the announcement by the government that it is to begin a major debate on the future of British farming and the countryside.

The news came from the Agriculture Minister, Nick Brown, who told a farming conference a central element would be consultation on reform of the European Union's common agricultural policy (CAP).

He said key decisions would soon be made which would affect rural communities for years to come.

And Mr Brown, saying he wanted to encourage a public debate about the future for rural areas, said there was to be a conference in London on 11 January and a series of regional consultations.

The London conference will involve farmers, environmental groups, and consumers, and will look at proposals for change in the arable, beef, milk and rural development sectors.

And it will also discuss plans for CAP reform, and proposals affecting all direct payments to farmers - in other words, the entire subsidy system.

Mr Brown said: "This conference will mark the first step in defining a strategy for helping agriculture adapt to the new challenges ahead once agreement is reached on reform of the CAP."

Protecting the most vulnerable

He said he himself believed that high environmental and animal welfare standards must be integral to British farming practice.

And he said particular account would be taken of the social and environmental needs of fragile parts of the country such as the hills and uplands.

In these areas many farmers struggle to survive at all. If they cannot do so, the implications for rural schools, transport and other services will be sombre.

CAP reform could mean limits on industrial farming

Mr Brown said: "A more liberalised CAP will help the industry to become more competitive and prepare it for the challenges which further trade liberalisation and EU enlargement will pose in the early years of the next decade.

"In this continuing process of restructuring and development, change must be gradual and progressive."

And he gave a significant warning of the dangers posed by fewer and larger farms.

Small farms have a place

"A more competitive industry does not and should not mean ever-larger and more specialised farms.

"Although the long-term trend towards larger farm size will continue, there should remain a place for the whole range of farm structures and farm business organisations."

The National Farmers' Union said the government's plans would help to stimulate discussion at a crucial time.

If farming cannot survive, what other rural services can?

It said it wanted any changes to the CAP to enhance the competitiveness of UK and EU agriculture and to remove distortions in the market.

And it said the changes should result in a simpler system, and sustain farmers' contribution to the environment and the rural economy.

The Council for the Protection of Rural England said it "warmly welcomed" the minister's announcement.

"We are very pleased to see the government starting to define a strategic approach to help agriculture to respond to the challenges it faces which gives a stronger emphasis to the environment.

Only policy change can safeguard a varied landscape

"A strategy that focussed only on increasing the global competitiveness of UK farming would fail to meet the concerns of millions of people about the declining quality, diversity and beauty of the English countryside."

The Council welcomed in particular Mr Brown's recognition that a more competitive industry should not mean ever-larger and more specialised farms.

And it said it wanted "to see those who produce the beauty and diversity of our countryside rewarded by using far more of the current CAP budget to support more sustainable farming".

A burgeoning interest in organic crops

Patrick Holden, director of the Soil Association, also welcomed the minister's announcement.

"He did not actually mention organic farming, but he came as close as he could to doing so."

The Association is holding a three-day conference, starting on 8 January, on organic farming in the new millennium.

One of the two sponsors is the supermarket chain Sainsbury's, and the keynote speaker is to be Nick Brown himself.

"The conference will be the biggest we have ever held", said Patrick Holden.