A regional daily has launched a campaign to encourage farmers to share their concerns about farming policy with new environment secretary Michael Gove.

The former Tory leadership candidate made a dramatic return to the Cabinet after last night’s election stalemate in charge of Defra – the department for the environment, food and rural affairs.

Mr Gove has since said he wants to “listen” to what farmers have to say about their industry – so the Western Daily Press decided to help him out.

Its #TellGove campaign launched this week includes a bespoke email address [email protected] where farmers can air their concerns.

Editor Gavin Thompson told HTFP: “We’re asking our farming readers to share what they’d like to tell the new minister with us, and we’ll pass the comments on. With Brexit looming this is such an important and uncertain time for all industries but farming in particular.”

Gavin also penned an open letter to Mr Gove telling him of the launch of the campaign and inviting him to a meeting to discuss the farmers’ responses.

It read: “As someone who campaigned hard for the UK to leave the European Union, it seems appropriate that you now the chance to deliver a Brexit that works for our farmers and our countryside.

“And as the farming sector is probably the single most affected by Brexit, that’s a big task. On your recent visit to the Three Counties Show in Malvern, you told our reporter that you wanted to listen to farmers.

“Many of our readers are at the sharp end of the UK’s agriculture industry. They can tell you what the end of free movement of EU workers will mean for the harvest and whether the resident labour force is sufficient to take the extra burden.

“They can certainly tell you what a fall in the milk price  means for their business and whether they could survive without replacing the subsidies they currently get from the EU.

“Your eagerness to listen to farmers is to be applauded, so here at the Western Daily Press, we thought we could help you out.

“We are asking readers to tell you about life as a farmer in the West and we will pass all of their comments on to you in due course. I would very much welcome the chance to sit down and share them with you in person.”