The vast majority of the British public believe farmers have a responsibility to protect the countryside for future generations, a survey has found.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) carried out the survey to coincide with its latest report, published today, which outlines the changes the CPRE would like to see to farming practices and agricultural policy by 2026.

The survey found 84 per cent of British adults believe farmers have a responsibility to look after the landscape and wildlife for future generations.

According to the CPRE, fewer than 17 per cent of those surveyed would accept a more industrialised farming sector and 78 per cent want farmers to get more support to use environmentally sustainable farming practices.

Ian Woodhurst, senior farming campaigner for CPRE, said: "It's great to see that people clearly want the environmentally sustainable future for farming set out in our vision.

"There are huge challenges, including growing populations, increasing demand for land and natural resources, and pressures due to climate change. But we must find ways to cope with these challenges if we are to secure a living, thriving rural landscape.

"We need to be ambitious if we are to ensure we have both a vibrant farming sector and a beautiful countryside alive with wildlife. The Government, farmers, the food industry and environmental organisations will need to work together over the coming years to ensure that the public's aspirations are realised."

The CPRE's vision for the future of farming includes: price premiums for farmers who adopt new environmental sustainability standards; fairer milk prices for dairy farmers to help reverse the decline in traditional, pasture-based dairy farms; and for most pigs and poultry to be free range and reared outdoors.

It would also like to see a "massive increase" in the number of community-based horticultural enterprises and for polytunnels to become less contentious in terms of planning.

Mr Woodhurst said: "CPRE's farming vision will guide our work and, we hope, provide inspiration to all those who want to see a future where a profitable farming sector and a beautiful, rich and diverse countryside go hand in hand."

Ian Johnson, of the NFU, said farmers already looked after the land they worked "as a matter of pride".

He commended the CPRE's ideals, but questioned if they were all realistic in practice.