A STRATEGY for agriculture and rural business has been proposed by the Country Landowners Association, aiming to achieve a sustainable rural economy. Among the objectives are:

A strengthened safety net, including revenue or income insurance schemes, disaster relief and protection from currency fluctuations

Assistance for retirement and to improve local marketing of food and joint marketing schemes

Reduction of the regulatory burden

Solutions to uneven standards on food safety, welfare and environment; improved information for the consumer; a code of conduct for contractual relations in the food chain

Redefinition of payments for agri-environment that recognises that landscape is not a product that can be taken to the market and that payments for caring for the countryside actually deliver public benefit

Better co-ordination of land management advice and incentives to avoid the over-lapping and patchy application of schemes

Encouragement for land managers to find other sources of income and use for their resources.