After the initial shock and euphoria of a General Election win, the conference season comes to an end and the real work starts for David Cameron’s party. What direction might they take for food and farming in the coming months and years?
He writes:
There was a genuine sense of shock in Westminster after the election result. Any blueprints for coalition talks, minority government or a second election were ripped up as the reality of a majority government dawned.
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After so much effort exerted into the election campaign and permutations of the predicted result, all contingencies seemed to have been covered except for winning. After all, even the likes of the Financial Times was only giving the Tories a 0.3% chance of winning an outright majority.
In politics the NFU is here to play the long game and our sights are on the remaining four Queen’s speeches. That all said, we were delighted that the coalition followed through with their pledges and implemented four of the NFU’s manifesto policies prior to the election – The Control of Horses Fly-Grazing Bill, Grocery Code Adjudicator Bill fines, tractor and trailer weights and tax averaging.
The Conservatives also matched the NFU manifesto on 11 policies and the NFU will now hold them to account. With a slim Commons majority and no majority in the Lords, the Government will need to keep a tight whip on potentially rebellious backbenchers and work with others to get through any contentious legislation.
The Conservatives have been elected with a clear mandate on a bovine TB Eradication plan (including rollout of badger culls where the disease is endemic) and a food and farming plan. There will be little patience from farmers from swing seats such as the South West if action lacks ambition or speed.
As speculation continues about the future of various departments, one thing is certain – change and cuts lead to staff uncertainty and a period of lower productivity.
But continuity is also important, so it has been helpful to the farming sector to maintain the same Defra Secretary of State and Minister along with many rural MPs who were predicted to lose their seats. In addition, we have positively engaged with many new MPs both locally and in Westminster.
So what change is afoot? The Comprehensive Spending Review and Autumn Statement are likely to wield the heavy blow of further departmental cuts. While there is undoubtedly still some duplication and opportunity to streamline things amid the Defra Executive Agencies such as the Environment Agency, Natural England and the Rural Payments Agency, Defra has undergone a great deal of restructuring already.
As speculation continues about the future of various departments, one thing is certain – change and cuts lead to staff uncertainty and a period of lower productivity as people focus on saving themselves rather than their work. What is important is to identify and protect essential areas of expertise.
The elephant in the room is Europe and with a vote promised by the end of 2017, this topic is likely to dominate politics for the foreseeable future. With agricultural policy entangled in the Common Agricultural Policy, our sector will be at the forefront of this debate and that’s why we are beginning an in-depth analytical debate to help members make an informed decision. You can read more in the new NFU report: ‘EU referendum – UK farming’s relationship with the EU’.