Tori explains more:
Last week Mike Hambly (NFU Combinable Crops Board Chairman), Guy Gagen (NFU chief combinable crops adviser) and myself attended the 19th International Oilseeds Producers Dialogue (IOPD) in Berlin. Germany.
The group meets annually to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the oilseeds sector (OSR, soya beans and sunflowers) and comprises of farmer organisations from across the globe including South America, Australia, Canada, the US and Europe.
The message from various speakers was clear, farmers are facing volatility in the markets and take a daily risk on weather, but by far the biggest risk lies with the current debate about farming in society and the subsequent political reaction.
I had a sense of deja-vu as we heard how our colleagues in the US are facing strict regulation over water quality and conservation of pollinators' habitat.
Across the North American border, the Canadians are facing a new political outlook under their new Prime Minister, one where public consultation has the final say so informing public opinion has never been more crucial.
Further south, sustainability and political reform were the hot topics for Mercosur countries; the Brazilians are working hard to implement their new forest code which aims to halt deforestation while Argentina is emerging bleary-eyed to a new world after the election of a new President after 10 years under their previous leader who restricted international trade!
The economists in the room at IOPD were certain, despite short term blips, that the long term outlook for oilseeds remains positive thanks to the growing global population, the expanding middle classes in developing nations and the associated demands for high quality protein.
But the outstanding question remained - will farmers be allowed meet these demands? The general consensus was that if we are to rise to the challenge farmers need to get smart fast, and we need to get better at explaining what we do and why it matters to the masses – if we don’t, someone else will!