Food security topped the agenda when NFU president Peter Kendall visited East Sussex farmers yesterday (January 27). Mr Kendall outlined the part that farmers will play in meeting rising demand for food, with the world’s population predicted to hit nine billion by 2050.
The NFU president met nine young farm businessmen, aged between 21 and 38 at Cobbe Place Farm, Beddingham. The teatime debate was hosted by Ed and Tina Gribble and their son Tom who run a large mixed farming enterprise, with a dairy herd, beef cattle, sheep and arable crops on the Firle Estate.
Lewes and Wealden NFU chairman Ben Taylor said: “The NFU president spelt out his vision of a sustainable and productive agricultural industry. He believes there are opportunities for professional businesses of all scales to thrive in the countryside. We also heard how the NFU has been lobbying decision makers to help them understand the strategic importance of food production.”
Mr Kendall later addressed the East Sussex NFU AGM at Lower Dicker, near Hailsham. He raised NFU concerns on proposals for the reform of Common Agricultural Policy, saying the NFU wished the CAP to remain ‘simple and common across all member states’.
No comments have been made.