The Defra Secretary and Labour's counterpart have vowed to tackle rural crime, boost food production and protect the environment as part of a pitch to rural voters.
The leading political figures from both Labour and the Conservatives made their speeches to farmers, landowners and rural workers at the Future Countryside conference, in London.
The current Defra Secretary, Stephen Barclay, told delegates at the Countryside Alliance Foundation event that the election was a choice between "those who care for the countryside and those not in tune with rural areas".
Mr Barclay said where Labour was in office – such as in Wales – they were "not in tune with rural communities".
He also criticised Labour-run councils, including Oxford City and Enfield, which had voted to ban meat and dairy.
He said his focus was on food production. “For me, the priority for the countryside is to ensure that food production is uppermost, as the golden thread through all our policy.
“Without that we don’t have food security, without that we don’t have profitable businesses to which the next generation are attracted within the sector.”
Mr Barclay pointed to the new Sustainable Farming Initiative (SFI) which will pay for nature-friendly farming, such as clean water, habitats and healthy soils, as well as equipment grants to boost productivity.
Other Tory policies, such as labelling to better highlight British produce and extending the badger cull, were also mentioned.
He said: “We are committed to nature, we are committed to the environment, but we are doing so in a way that works with our farming and our food production.”
Labour's Shadow Defra Secretary Steve Reed said his party would devolve power to rural communities and had a plan to give them their “future back”.
He reiterated Labour’s pledge to treat rural communities with “respect” and tackle issues including housing and rural crime.
He also reiterated that Labour would not bring in Scottish-style “right to roam” rules but said access to the countryside could be increased, for example by opening up closed footpaths.
Mr Reed accused the government of failing to improve rural economies, tackle countryside crime and reverse declines in nature.
He said “Labour will treat the countryside with respect”, outlining the party’s policies, from its plan for a state-owned clean energy company to greater mental health support, more teachers in schools and a focus on skills, that he said would benefit people in the countryside.
Acknowledging he is not from a countryside background, Mr Reed said: “People from urban areas – like me – will not tell people who live and work in the countryside how they should live their lives.”
He pledged Labour would increase police patrols in towns and villages, adding: “We won’t accept the levels of GPS farm equipment theft and livestock worrying.
“We’ll force offenders who dump rubbish, fly-tip or vandalise our fields to join clean-up squads.”
And he told delegates: “We need more homes but they will not be built at the expense of the environment.”
He said he wanted to see “biodiversity net gain” – the requirement that developers have to boost nature by 10% linked to development – work, adding: “New homes will be built with tree-lined streets and access to green spaces and nature on their doorsteps.”
Mr Reed also pledged to make effective the environmental land management scheme of payments for farmers, which includes SFI.
