As Yorkshire farmers find themselves counting the cost of a very difficult growing year, the NFU will use this year’s Great Yorkshire Show to highlight the importance of domestic food production and press the government on the urgent need for a comprehensive food strategy.
The scale of the financial pressures facing producers was highlighted by information gathered ahead of the Show by the North East NFU. This showed that following the extreme weather of last winter and the very dry spring/summer, coupled with the impact of the food scare in Germany, Yorkshire growers are now facing huge losses.
Just three of the region’s leading fruit and vegetable growers are reporting losses in excess of £1.2 million and salad growers are not far behind with reported losses of close to £1 million.
With harvest fast approaching, cereal yields also look set to be significantly affected. With a predicted 600,000 acres of wheat grown this year, conservative estimates of a 10 per cent reduction in yield because of the dry weather would equate to a £35 million hit for the region’s arable farmers at a time when costs are rising dramatically.
“Yorkshire is widely recognised as the food and drink capital of the UK, with more than 1,000 local food and drink manufacturing companies employing 18 per cent of the local workforce,” said vegetable producer and NFU county chairman for Yorkshire West Riding, Guy Poskitt.
“From a farming perspective, agricultural land accounts for 70 per cent of the region and collectively Yorkshire producers generate an economic output of more than £1.7 billion a year.
“The capacity, willingness and expertise are here, yet we are seeing producers bearing the brunt of unpredictable weather events and volatile commodity markets while occupying an often vulnerable position in the supply chain.
“And against this background we are seeing the quantity of food imports continue to rise1 and the issue of food inflation is an obvious concern for shoppers.
“We have a situation nationally where we are increasingly less able to feed ourselves. In the fruit and vegetable sector alone our self-sufficiency in indigenous vegetables has fallen from 73 to 60 per cent over the last ten years, yet Defra’s own Fruit and Vegetables Task Force has highlighted the importance of domestic production on the grounds of cost, availability and quality.
“There is much talk of the rising national and global population and the increasing pressure to produce more in a sustainable way. We welcome the recent government initiatives on red tape and their move to prioritise food production, but we need a co-ordinated plan to ensure that supermarket prices are kept reasonable and that farmers can deliver in the long term.
“This plan might look for example at how we can best manage limited water resources in dry years, ensure the flood risk is alleviated in wet years or how we can invest in the development of new plant varieties.
“Equally it might look at supply chain relationships/behaviour to ensure one link is not unduly penalised in the event of unforeseen circumstances. As a nation, we must make sure we are well prepared to deal with whatever is thrown at us – not least of which is the unpredictable weather patterns that Yorkshire has experienced in recent years.”
Note to Editors:
1. The latest trade figures show that for the period September 2010 to November 2010 the value of food and drink imports was £8.7 billion, 3.7% higher than for the same period a year ago.
2. Goole carrot producer Guy Poskitt will be available at the NFU Press Conference, due to take place at 9.30am on Tuesday 12 July 2011 in the Press Pavilion at the Great Yorkshire Show. It is hoped that NFU President Peter Kendall will also attend the Show at what is a critical moment for Yorkshire producers.
No comments have been made.