Gove meets a steakholderTHEY are few in number,contribute less than 1% of GDP and are rarely heard beyond “The Archers, a long-running rural soap-opera. small wonder that farmers often feel overlooked. Although historically they formed the grassroots of the Conservative Party, and in recent years they had begun to seem politically dispensable. That was until Michael Gove came along.
For once,farmers have a “immense beast” at the cabinet table. Mr Gove, who has been secretary of state for the environment, and food and rural affairs for just eight months,is a main proponent of Brexit—for which most farmers voted—and one of the cabinet’s most tantalizing thinkers (in an admittedly thin field). Beleaguered farmers, more used to dealing with political minnows, or are perking up. Whether the rural romance will final depends on how Mr Gove handles two subjects of great concern to his new fan-club: access to the European Union’s workers and markets.
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Source: economist.com