Praise for the Fund in Gove speech
January 4, 2018
The Prince’s Countryside Fund received a very positive mention in Defra Secretary of State Michael Gove’s keynote speech at the Oxford Farming Conference on Thursday 4th January.
Setting out his wider agenda for food and farming post-Brexit, Gove said: “Finally there is rural resilience. There are any number of smaller farm and rural businesses which help keep communities coherent and ensure the culture in agriculture is kept healthy. Whether it’s upland farmers in Wales or Cumbria, crofters in Scotland or small livestock farmers in Northern Ireland, we need to ensure support is there for those who keep rural life vital. The work of the Prince’s Countryside Fund has been invaluable here and the kind of enterprises it supports are, I believe, worthy of public support.”
This is an encouraging endorsement for our ongoing work ensuring the future viability of the family farm through The Prince’s Farm Resilience Programme and our grant giving initiatives.
The Fund also hosted a breakfast reception on Friday 5th January at the Oxford Farming Conference to showcase the work of The Prince’s Farm Resilience Programme. It was wonderful to meet so many of you and to establish further industry support and endorsement at our breakfast. Our Trustee Alan Wilkinson MP and our Director Claire Saunders highlighted a number of the programme’s achievements to date and urged attendees to continue to support this vital project.
