East of England Toolkit - Agriculture - (level 1)

Impact on Agriculture

Although primary agriculture and horticulture activities account for just 2% of the GDP of East Anglia as a whole, the industry and its downstream food processing and packing sectors leave a significant economic footprint. Around 35% of all manufacturing jobs in the region are in the food sector. Agriculture faces continuing difficulties in the light of the continuing pressure on farm incomes and farm prices, and this will have a knock-on effect on jobs. The agricultural and food processing sectors in the East of England are forecast to shed a further 10,000 jobs during the next decade.

Will it encourage farming practices and outputs which minimise pollution and other environmental impacts, maximise biodiversity and create positive effects on rural life and landscapes?

	It will have a very positive impact
	It will have a slightly positive impact
	It will have a neutral or mixed impact
	It will have a slightly negative impact
	It will have a very negative impact
	I do not know
	I consider that this is not relevant
	Justifications:

			Supplementary Questions
			Will it encourage farming practices and outputs that are sensitive to the character of the countryside?
			Will it help enhance the productivity of the land without adversely affecting the environment?
			Will it promote farm diversification appropriate to the environment and ecological settings?
			Will it make more efficient uses of water inputs?
			Will it encourage more planting of trees and hedgerows?
			Will it reduce the amounts of nitrogen and agrochemicals applied to the land?
			Will it reduce the environmental impacts of water run-off from farms?
			Will it encourage more organic farming?
			Will it encourage more use of local produce within the region?