Government must step in to help farmers post-Brexit to ensure a 'world leading' sector, Country Land and Business Association president Ross Murray has said.
The first day of the Royal Bath and West Show in Somerset saw the attendance of heads from CLA, the National Farmers' Union and even the Prime Minister arrive.
Mr Murray told an audience of about 200 people: "Our farmers look after the countryside and the environment because that is the professional way to farm, but to do that, they need to be making a profit from what they produce, and that is something we have not seen in the past 50 years.
"That is why there has to be a powerful justification for the government stepping in where the market fails.
"Contact the political candidates and challenge them as to whether they would support continuing public investment in the countryside."
Both the CLA president and NFU's deputy head Minette Batters agreed that farming needed to speak as one voice post-Brexit.
Mr Murray said Ms Batters was 'one of the greatest advocates for farmers' at the event and said it was significant that both of them appeared together.
Countryside Matters
The CLA president was at the event to promote his new campaign 'Countryside Matters' which aims to encourage the government to treat the farming sector as a spending priority post-Brexit.
Mr Murray said the British countryside 'is the eighth wonder of the world. We are all very fortunate that we are part of it.'
He said the new government needed to hear a strong, rallying voice from the countryside as a whole which is what their campaign hoped to achieve.
"I'm delighted that in nearly a few days we have had thousands of supporters sign up to show their support on social media.
"But there is risk once the UK leaves the EU. It is vital for the Government to treat farming, the rural economy and our landscapes as a public investment priority.
"Money can be spent in new ways to deliver better outcomes for the economy and environment," he said.
'Far from perfect'
Mr Murray said farmers were concerned about the uncertainty that comes from the end of being a member of the EU for so long.
"The certainty that the CAP provides, it's payments, it's framework for regulation. I have to say it has been far from perfect. But we must resist the temptation to seek a rapid removal of these pillars which have shaped what we do in farming.
"However there is a growing and more powerful sense of opportunity. A chance for change not just in policy but in the industry as a whole.
"It'll be up to us in Britain to shape our own future."
The Conservatives have said they will guarantee the same funding for farmers in the next parliament.
But Liberal Democrat spokesperson for rural affairs Baroness Kate Parminter said rural communities have been taken for granted by the Conservatives.
"We need a new reformed system for agricultural support for farmers to ensure British farming remains competitive and doesn't lose out after Brexit," he said.
