‘Keep your hands off Gove’, says NSA
30th April 2018
Following the resignation of Home Secretary Amber Rudd, the National Sheep Association (NSA) warns it would be a huge mistake to move Michael Gove, current Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to the position. Media commentators are suggesting Mr Gove is in the running, alongside other potential names.
Phil Stocker, NSA Chief Executive, says: “The message from us is to keep your hands off Michael Gove. Agriculture and the environment need stability now more than ever before and the Prime Minister would be making a huge mistake to move him at this crucial stage. There may still be much to prove about his commitment to agriculture, although his vision to increase farm efficiency and output alongside improving our environmental record and the identification of public goods, is in all our long term interests.
“Even more important is the message this would send out in relation to the importance of farming and rural issues, suggesting it is of secondary interest. There can be nothing more important to a nation than our food and our environment, and Defra’s standing within the Government and Treasury pecking order needs to continue to rise to equal that of health, education and others. Our food and our environment are the foundations of so much of society, even though that may still not be properly recognised.”
Notes to editors:-
- For more information contact Joanne Briggs, NSA Communications Manager, on 07908 604744 or joanne@nationalsheep.org.uk.
- The National Sheep Association is an organisation that represents the views and interests of sheep producers throughout the UK. It is funded by its membership of sheep farmers and its activities involve it in every aspect of the sheep industry. More at www.nationalsheep.org.uk and www.nsanextgeneration.org.uk.
