AS THE Queen's daughter, Princess Anne is well used to the art of diplomacy.

But she may not have been quite prepared for the levels of controversy when she visited Oxford this week.

As she does every year, The Princess Royal attended the Oxford Farming Conference, of which she is honorary president.

But a slew of controversial comments and talks at the corporate symposium, sponsored by Barclays Bank, McDonalds and Bayer Cropscience, have sparked a backlash from environmental campaigners.

Firstly, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Andrea Leadsom raised ire when she revealed her hopes of using Brexit to scrap European environmental protection rules around farming, including the three-crop rule which helps prevent monocultures harmful to biodiversity.

Green MEP for the South East Keith Taylor immediately hit back, saying:“Andrea Leadsom has again attempted to vilify EU safeguards by labelling them as ‘red tape’ and, most concerningly, promising to scrap the vital protections.

"The ‘red tape’ the environment minister is threatening to cut is currently protecting our rural environment, our biodiversity, our soil, and the welfare of farm animals."

Friends of the Earth stirred things up more by making a speech at the conference calling for an extended ban on controversial neonicotinoid pesticides, which studies have shown are harmful to bees.

Three neonicotinoid pesticides were banned on flowering crops in December 2013 after scientists concluded they posed a 'high acute risk' to honey bees when used on crops attractive to them, but the chemicals can still be used on other crops.

And, as usual, the entire two-day conference was rivalled by the alternative Oxford Real Farming Conference at Oxford Town Hall, a grass-roots get-together organised by small, independent farmers which champions environmental protection and animal welfare.