NFU President Peter Kendall was joined at the NFU’s Conservative Party fringe event in Manchester on Monday by the Defra ministerial team, with farmer, NFU member and Nottinghamshire MP, Mark Spencer chairing the meeting.
The event drew a large audience, including a number of conference delegates, NFU members and MPs. The evening’s discussions focussed on how the government can improve the environment whilst sustainably increasing food production, and also took a look back over the work the Defra team had been involved with since taking office.
An evening full of informed debate was evidence of the active and energetic membership the NFU represents, with many members quizzing the panel on an array of current issues.
Beginning the debate, Peter Kendall said Defra’s time in office thus far has “showed real promise, but needs to convert potential into hard and fast action”, citing bovine tuberculosis (bTB) and the Grocery Code Adjudicator as two areas for possible improvement.
He also pledged the NFU’s support to the government’s planning reforms, arguing that farmers need a sustainable planning system which fosters development and entrepreneurship. This was a feeling mirrored by Defra minister, Lord Taylor of Holbeach, recently appointed to his role, who said local communities should be “trusted” to take forward planning and development.
Responding, the environment minister Richard Benyon MP suggested that Defra had had a good year but recognised that there were several areas in which further action was required. Focussing specifically on rural broadband, Mr Benyon said the department was “absolutely adamant” that changes needed to be made and that he would continue to push to make broadband available to all farmers. The new rural communities policy unit at Defra would help to ensure that across government, everyone would be aware of what rural needs there are.
In a wide-ranging opening speech, the farming minister Jim Paice MP, began by discussing the importance of the food supply chain from “farm to fork” and announced that within a month the government will be responding in full to the recent report on red tape in farming.
Speaking passionately on the issue of bTB, the minister for farming also explained the need to delay an announcement on the proposed cull. He cited the importance of investigating all avenues in order to rebuff the inevitable challenges that will come with the proposals and that within the next few weeks the department will announce its final decision on the two trial plots.
Concluding, Mr Paice also voiced his concerns about the leaked CAP reform proposals, saying that he believed they “appear to roll back the clock”. He later reaffirmed his desire for the CAP to concentrate on issues which would make agriculture more competitive and innovative.
The scheduled question and answer session opened the debate up to the floor and gave many NFU members the important opportunity to get answers to their burning questions. Daryl Stafford, a local NFU member began proceedings inquiring about the impact of animal welfare on food prices in supermarkets.
In response, Peter Kendall called for supermarkets to be held to account, arguing that they do not always play by the rules. In reference to recent price-cutting promotions by Tesco, he urged supermarkets to use their own profits to conduct price wars, rather than cutting the margins of producers. However, Jim Paice said that the pressure amongst supermarkets can be a good thing, encouraging consumers to keep buying in times of financial austerity. He later responded to a question raising the issue of supermarkets sourcing produce locally, by praising Asda, as one supermarket that is working hard to buy local food.
The failure of successive governments to support the dairy industry was raised by the Deputy President of the NFU, Meurig Raymond. In response, Jim Paice focussed on the positive growth of the two biggest dairy co-operatives, FirstMilk and MilkLine, whilst arguing that the industry can and must continue with the recently discussed pursuit of sustainable intensification.
He noted that countries within Europe, such as Ireland and Poland have recognised the importance of increasing milk production and that English farmers must also seize this opportunity. In order to support this growth, he argued that producers, the NFU and dairy processors must work together to produce a code of practice to make sure that all contracts are completely comprehensive.
Concluding the question and answer session, Peter Stevenson, chairman for the National Board of Landscapes, questioned the panel on the premise that farmers are the “guardians” of the environment, and asked how they were planning to protect the environment but also feed the public.
Acknowledging past mistakes by the agricultural community, when faced with the challenge of drastically increasing food production, Peter Kendall argued that farmers started “putting the environment right” before government became involved. He continued by suggesting the reaction of the agricultural community is often driven by the regulatory framework and incentives provided to tackle this issue. Praising the current ministerial team, Peter Kendall acknowledged that the Defra ministerial team have understood and taken on board these two issues.
Watch a video from our event in Machester here.
No comments have been made.