1,700 farms lost since 2010

MORE than 1,700 farms on the outskirts of English towns and cities have disappeared since 2010, a countryside charity has revealed.

- By Steph Spyro

It is equal to around 220 square miles of farmland and represents a critical loss for both food security and environmental sustainability.

Graeme Willis, of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said: “Farms around our towns and cities produce vital quantities of food but are disappearing at an alarming rate.

“Every hectare of farmland lost is more than just a statistical decline, it's an erosion of our countryside and our fundamental national resilience.”