A special adviser to Tony Blair has warned that radical reforms must be made in the delivery of rural policies to cope with Europe's shift towards more environmentally friendly farming.

Lord Haskins said that delivery of services must be decentralised, made easier for the public to understand and give better value for money.

"Defra's agenda is complex and changing rapidly," Lord Haskins added.

Forum Response: Countryside Alliance

Richard Burge, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, said: "This report is potentially encouraging - although we need to see how Lord Haskins proposes to devolve rural delivery. His report echoes what we have long been saying and Defra would do well to listen. Defra's track record on delivery has not been satisfactory so far - a fact ministers have acknowledged - and this interim report points a clear and positive way forward.

"Similarly, Lord Haskins rightly argues that 'delivery of economic and social policy must be devolved in accordance with the principles of public service reform', which the Alliance has also long called for - but any devolution must be to those who are accountable to, or representative of, rural communities themselves.

"If the findings of this review are fully implemented and the department - and its staff - are prepared to change, then the suspicions of the rural community can be allayed. Of course, we need to see the full Rural Delivery Review and read the small print, but on the whole there is hope that Defra can shed the image of knowing little about rural issues, and can become a department which actually enables rural economies and communities to thrive".

Forum Response: Royal Agricultural Society

Angela Lea, head of policy and information at RASE, told ePolitix.com: "We await Lord Haskins' final report with interest. Farmers are being strangled by red tape and bureaucracy. Anything that reduces bureaucracy and helps provide a real outcome is welcomed.

"But at the moment it is a full time job just keeping track of all the changes in the agencies farmers have to deal with."

Forum Response: Countryside Agency

Sir Ewen Cameron, chairman of the Countryside Agency and the Rural Advocate, said: "The acid test is whether all the customers of Defra's rural policy will be better off? Will the 10 million or so people living in villages and country towns receive better public services?

"Will the many millions of visitors to the countryside have a countryside worth visiting and be able to enjoy it more easily? Will all those who live in towns and cities see a better quality countryside on their doorstep?"Organisational change inevitably takes the focus off delivery so it is essential to be confident that the returns for the countryside will be good.

"New legislation and major organisational change would be required to deliver Lord Haskins's first principle (the separation of policy development from delivery). The existing remit of many government bodies working in the rural arena currently combine policy development with elements of delivery where they are best placed to do so.

"Linking policy development with the reality on the ground is essential if we are to have policies which will work. Defra's customers will want to be sure that the costs of major change do not outweigh the benefits."We will be working with Lord Haskins over the coming months to ensure his final recommendations can live up to the review's important ambitions."

Forum Response: Country Land and Business Association

Sir Edward Greenwell, CLA president, said: "The Haskins review rightly identifies problems in the delivery of rural policy. Delivery is over complicated; Defra is out of touch with grass roots practicalities. Businesses suffer from too much red tape.

"But his solutions must bring Whitehall and rural businesses closer together. Separating policy from delivery, as Lord Haskins proposes, runs the risk of making rural policy even more out of touch.

"Two years ago, the prime minister took the forward looking step of creating a single Whitehall department tasked with integrating social, environmental and economic policies for the countryside.

"In effect, the PM put the heart, lungs and muscle of the countryside together, in one body, Defra. But separating policy from delivery cuts Defra off from the practical knowledge it needs to formulate policy. Defra cannot act sensibly if the nerve endings and the brain are disconnected.

"Everything we have seen since 2001, from the effects of foot and mouth on the wider rural economy through to the desire of businesses to locate in an attractive rural environment - if broadband and other essential services are there - reinforces the need for an integrated approach."