Experience should not be ignored as the process of leaving the EU assumes an increasing level of priority in Government circle, according to the the Country Land and Business Association.

Rupert Hanbury-Tenison, the new leader of Cornwall's landowning and rural business community, says his two-year period of office begins at a defining moment for the British countryside.

Mr Hanbury-Tenison, who lives on Bodmin moor with his wife and children, said: "My concern is that the negotiating process and the search for ever-better trade deals will become all-consuming, but we must not lose sight of the fact that it is thanks to the expertise and commitment of many generations of land managers that our countryside looks and works the way it does today.

“We must be careful not to sideline generations of work and careful management, that is why I believe the CLA has a vital role to play not just in lobbying, but in providing wise counsel, in advising and steering the Government and its Ministers during this period of complex negotiation so that we are able to ensure a living and working future for even the most fragile areas of our countryside, such as the moors and uplands, for future generations.

“During my chairmanship of the Cornwall CLA, I shall focus on guiding change where it is needed and on seeking to improve opportunities for farming and rural businesses wherever I can.

"It is vital that we are able to hand on a vibrant and robust rural economy to the generation that will follow us.”

Mr Hanbury-Tenison moved to Cornwall in 2000, after spending 12 years working as a professional photographer at locations across the world.

He runs a diversified business from his home on Bodmin Moor, which includes a glamping enterprise and a pioneering biomass harvesting and production business.

The challenge, he says, about making the best of the natural capital which exists in these places, as well as ensuring their future as a place where farming provides a wealth of benefits from food to water supply.