Does it matter that Andrea Leadsom doesn't understand history?

Does it really matter that Defra secretary Andrea Leadsom does not understand that farming is a relatively recent development in human history? This blog post argues that it does: Getting it wrong

More to the point, what we got in her speech at the Oxford Farming Conference was a series of platitudes, but very little detail on what the future holds for British farming in policy terms. OK, there are going to be two consultations, but that is a tried and trusted way of delaying taking difficult decisions.

Some thought that her predecessor at Defra, Liz Truss, was a lightweight. Mrs Leadsom doesn't lack confidence or optimism as a dedicated supporter of Brexit, but what she can deliver for the industry remains to be seen.

Leadsom promises 'bonfire of controls'

Defra secretary Andrea Leadsom has promised a 'bonfire of controls' at the Oxford Farming Conference with a 'slash and burn' approach to EU regulation: Red tape to go.

This may be easier to promise than deliver given the complexity of the regulatory environment. Promising to scrap red tape always generates a good headline, but what is really needed is to review each regulation and the purpose it serves. This require some expertise.

However, she is targeting the 'three crops' regulation designed to promote biodiversity on larger farms and this has gone down well with the CLA.

Green campaigners have been more critical, but my view is that the three crops regulation is a rather blunt policy instrument which constrains farm level decision-making without contributing much to sustainability.

Minette Batters, deputy president of the National Farmers Union, said she was disappointed Mrs Leadsom was focusing on less important farming issues relating to Brexit rather than farmers' main concerns such as continued access to the single market and a steady supply of foreign labour to pick crops.

The challenges facing Andrea Leadsom

An interesting survey, with many useful links, from Emily Lydgate of Sussex University at the challenges facing Andrea Leadsom as Defra secretary: Angry farmers and environmentalists

Andrea Leadsom is new Defra secretary

Andrea Leadsom, formerly a junior minister at the Department of Energy and Climate Change, is the new Defra secretary of state. A Warwick University politics graduate, she stood down from the leadership race against Theresa May after her performance in the referendum debates had raised her profile.

She faces a challenging task. Brexit has important implications for the agriculture and food sector. Food processing is one of the country's most important industries and is particularly significant in the North of England. (The writer should declare that he is a substantial shareholder in Cranswick plc, the Hull-based food processor which is a FTSE 250 company).

One of the challenges is that Defra has been hollowed out as a department. Does it have the capacity and the resources to ensure that agriculture and food is taken sufficiently seriously by the new 'Brexit' department (we await its official title) headed by another Warwick graduate, David Davis?