The Green Party will launch some radical ideas for agriculture post-Brexit in response to 'no plan' from government.

Green MEP Molly Scott Cato, a member of the European Parliament's Agriculture Committee, will launch two reports on Tuesday presenting ideas on shaping the future of farming post-Brexit.

Dr Scott Cato believes there has been a lack of vision from the Government on the future of Agriculture, and has stepped in to offer her assistance.

One report is by the Soil Association, the well known charity for promoting organic food, the other by Simon Fairlie, of the Land Workers' Alliance.

Both reports envision a future which prioritises soil health and biodiversity and where land use contributes to mitigating the impacts of climate change.

They also both agree on the need to maintain or increase the amount currently received by farmers through the Common Agriculture Policy.

However, they say that direct payments based on land area should be scrapped and investment re-targeted towards rewarding farmers not landowners.

Funding should also be used to provide funding for advice, training and farmer-led research and innovation.

Other more radical ideas from Simon Fairlie include a shift away from export markets so UK farmers can focus on meeting UK demands for food; 20 per cent VAT on processed meat products, and 'polluter pays' labelling on food products which involve the use of artificial fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides.

Meanwhile the Soil Association calls for a new national agroforestry strategy, a ban on the routine preventative use of antibiotics and using procurement to drive demand for locally produced, especially organic, food.

Molly Scott Cato said: “We have a government that is not only clueless on how to improve the lot of our farmers and food producers, but is also chasing damaging trade deals with the US and Canada which would weaken the higher EU standards that have shaped UK agriculture over the last 40 years.

“The absence of any plan for our food and farming sectors is even more alarming given the extreme form of Brexit that Theresa May’s government is pushing for.

"Around 65 per cent of total UK agricultural exports go to the EU, while around 70 per cent of the UK’s imports originate from other EU countries.

"Removing us from the single market risks punitive tariffs on exports and imports, while an end to free movement would make it impossible to take on the seasonal migrant labour from EU countries so crucial to many farms.

“Yet Brexit could be a unique opportunity to move towards an ecologically sustainable farming system; one that focuses on supporting family farms and re-localising food production, thereby creating thriving rural communities.

"We can also refocus land management to encourage biodiversity, improve animal welfare and help tackle climate change.

“These two reports do something that the government seem incapable of doing – providing a wealth of exciting and innovative ideas for policy makers, farmers, food producers and rural communities.

"But ultimately what happens to farming will affect us all as it will shape the future of our economic, social, environmental and physical landscapes."