Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman tells Graeme Demianyk she believes the Government is improving the countryside.

When Caroline Spelman takes her seat round the Cabinet table, she is going in to bat for rural communities. This is the impression the Environment Secretary gives when discussing what is in her department's in-tray.

Take the rising cost of fuel. Few motorists in the Westcountry, where the car is king, will not have felt the pinch. So is the boss of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs making representations to the Treasury on behalf of the countryside?

"If you live in a city you've got access to public transport, but if you live in the middle of Cornwall you've got a very long way to go for basic services," she says, not long out of Cabinet and sitting in her grand, slightly shopworn Whitehall HQ.

"What I can tell you is that you've got a Chief Secretary (to the Treasury – Danny Alexander) well-disposed to trying to do something about that – I spoke to him only this morning about that."

But the Conservative MP believes "Danny seems fairly confident he can find something" to help rural areas.

Petrol prices are emblematic of Defra's approach under the coalition. Ministers don't fight shy of their rural credentials. Ms Spelman worked for the National Farmers' Union (as well as co-founding a biotech lobbying firm) and Jim Paice, the agriculture minister, is a farmer. This is in stark contrast to Defra's top team under Labour, who had a penchant for putting vegetarians in charge and were heavily criticised for the botched handling of the foot-and-mouth crisis and farming subsidies.

But will the fine words actually result in change? Protests have been threatened as, despite encouragement from David Cameron, the Treasury is yet to unveil anything significant to reduce the fuel tax burden.

Similarly, ministers have made noises, welcomed by farming leaders, about the possibility of culling sick badgers to curb bovine tuberculosis, as well as a Parliamentary vote to repeal Labour's ban on hunting that was seen by many as an assault on country life. A supermarket watchdog to protect hard-pressed producers is also wending its way to the statute books.

But, while still in the early days of the Parliament, some have raised questions about whether progress is stalling. For instance, there appears to be less enthusiasm for taking another look at the Hunting Act – Tory promises of a free vote in the Commons were subtly replaced by a vote on motion for a free vote in the coalition agreement.

It is still part of Defra's business plan, Ms Spelman insists.

"We have an awful lot of things we need to get through as a matter of priority, connected with tackling the deficit and clearing up the mess we have inherited from Labour.

"It has got to take its place in the queue of things we need to achieve." A vote this year? "I just don't know. I think it's unlikely."

She insists getting a grocery market adjudicator through Parliament would be a much bigger win, underscoring Government commitment to ensuring a bright future for farmers.

"There are lots of dairy farmers that set great store by an adjudicator actually assessing whether they get a fair deal for the price supermarkets pay at the farm gate. There are a number of things that we have to bring through in this Parliament and – God willing – we will have five years to do it, and we're going to have a free vote."

Last year, ministers announced they were considering issuing licences to cull badgers to address TB in cattle that has blighted large parts of the region. It represented a seismic shift compared to Labour, signalling that the new Government had listened to long-standing calls from farmers.

Consultation on the plans, which also include development of vaccinations, has now ended and ministers are to announce next month what they want to do. "I can't give you any more detail on that. We have to handle it with extreme care."

But against a backdrop of strong lobbying and threats of legal challenges from animal rights groups, ordering a cull risks making ministers unpopular.

Ms Spelman will not be drawn, saying only: "The coalition has committed itself to finding a science-based, evidence-led package of measures, whether or not they are popular."

Elsewhere tucked within her red ministerial box are briefing notes on water bills in the Westcountry. A water industry white paper, due in the summer, promises to be a golden opportunity to get the Government to address South West Water's charges, which are the highest in the country – a legacy of cleaning-up the region's beaches. MPs have raised concern, though, that while ministers are committed to helping the poorest, the vast majority of households will get no aid.

Ms Spelman said: "We think we've found a way, but I can't give you details now."

The Rural Payments Agency, another inherited headache, has also not failed to escape her gaze. Under Labour, much-criticised handing out of EU subsidies left hundreds of Westcountry farmers in a parlous state. Mr Paice has staked his political reputation on getting the body in good working order, bringing in a new executive team but not, significantly, replacing the problematic IT system. It was simply too expensive, she argues.

"We inherited a mess here, let's be clear. Jim hasn't flinched from getting in, rolling up his sleeves, chairing the RPA board. There is some early evidence of his impact making a difference. But, essentially, we wouldn't start from here. It's too costly to tear up and start all over again and try and fix the thing."

Is it fit for purpose? "It can be made fit for purpose, and that is what Jim is working on."

There are many other policies to support British food and farming, and make the industry more sustainable. She believes getting food suppliers to agree to a voluntarily country-of-origin labelling scheme is working and was a "quick win" for the Government.

She also thinks a shift in the tone on reform of European farming subsidies through the Common Agricultural Policy, from an immediate withdrawal of funds to phasing out the hand-outs over a number of years, means the UK has a "more credible negotiating position at the table".

"We should use the subsidies to help the industry adapt to the challenges of climate change and food security. Really that should be music to farmers' ears."

She says farming is "faring somewhat better than the rest of the economy" thanks to rising world prices and EU money protected from the spending review.

"Dairy is a case on its own," she was quick to add. "There are terrible troubles with dairy."

More than six months in, does she think Defra under her aegis has made a difference? "Farmers tell me they can feel the difference," she said, and many will hope there is more to come.

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