According to the UK Green Party website the Green Party will try to achieve the following if they gain power at the 2010 general election:
AG600 Give financial help and advice to farmers making the transition to organic and biodynamic growing, mixed rotational cropping, small scale growing, permaculture ventures, agroforestry, traditional, pasture-fed, livestock farming and ventures which will restore or create diverse habitats. Phase out all subsidies which contribute to environmentally harmful agricultural practices
AG601 Facilitate farm box schemes and direct links between growers and local consumers including local farmers’ markets. Provide pump priming funding to set up locally owned and controlled “Organic and free range marketing co-operatives”. Set up a non profit making organic produce marketing board.
AG602 End set-aside. Encourage instead the planting of productive woodland, non food crops and plant based waste treatment systems. Design these to enhance the protection and creation of wildlife habitats. (see CY500 and following)
AG603 Discourage monopolies and concentrations of power amongst processors and distributors which place unreasonable demands on production and farm-gate prices.
AG604 Introduce environmental taxes which reflect the true cost of harmful inputs, transportation, packaging and waste.
AG605 Introduce a Land Value Tax. LVT, by eliminating speculation in land and stabilising prices, will encourage local people, particularly the young to remain in agriculture. Together with the Green Party’s policy of enhanced land use planning, LVT will encourage more small, labour intensive productive ventures such as permaculture as well as co-operative ownership patterns. (see ‘Land’ section and also CY530)
AG606 Introduce measures such as a citizens income scheme, protection for part time workers and shorter working hours which will free people to devote time to growing their own food. (see EC730-33)
AG607 Support local free nurseries for plants which are productive and beneficial to the environment.
Planning
AG608 Introduce planning guidelines which will encourage the setting up of non commercial and small scale low impact growing enterprises and their associated dwellings.
AG609 Encourage the setting up of small scale rural enterprises related to woodland, energy, textile crops and plant-based industrial products. (see LD206)
AG610 Introduce community land access schemes.
I would be interested to hear both positive and negative views on UK Green Party’s Agriculture Economic Measures policies in the comments below?