The NFU has said that it looks forward to working with the new Minister of State for Food and Farming, Jim Paice MP.
The MP for South East Cambridgeshire comes from a strong agricultural background including a successful career in farm management. In addition, he has held various agriculture portfolios both in government and opposition. NFU President Peter Kendall said: “His name will be familiar to farmers and growers right across England and Wales for its strong connections to farming. I look forward to working with Jim Paice in promoting this exciting and vibrant industry and ensuring that productive farming is at the heart of Defra’s agenda.
“The coalition document, released earlier this week, sought to blend the best of Conservative and Liberal Democrat policies; I hope that we can work with ministers to create a mixture of policies that farmers and growers will find workable in the field and improve the competitiveness of British agriculture.
“The NFU’s manifesto was all about creating an environment in which farming businesses could thrive. We have argued that the next government, in the face of growing demand and dwindling resources, should work hard to secure adequate investment for agricultural science research and development to ensure we are able to deliver solutions to the problems facing us in the 21st century; we need to increase food production while decreasing agriculture’s environmental footprint. I am really pleased to see that the Conservative’s ‘A New Age for Agriculture'; echoes these aspirations.
“On the same note, and turning to more immediate issues, the Conservative pledge to ensure greater accountability and renewed focus in the Rural Payments Agency, and in particular their commitment to appointing the Minister for Farming as chairman of the RPA’s management board, has got to be good news. Farmers and growers will be pleased to hear there is a strong will to improve the operation of the agency. With the RPA’s current re-mapping exercise threatening the delivery of early 2010 payments these improvements cannot come too quickly.”
No comments have been made.