Members of the NFU’s national Environment Forum face a long ‘to do’ list in 2021, but are passionate about promoting their vision of environmental excellence alongside profitable, productive farming.
Scanning down the list of priorities identified by the NFU’s Environment Forum for 2021 is daunting to say the least – reading like a ‘who’s who’ of the most talked about issues in farming today. Huge challenges are summed up in just a few words, as though all are eminently achievable.
Champion the farmed environment, maintain and increase biodiversity, improve water quality, recognise good soil health management, mitigate flood and drought risk, strive for simple, accessible environmental schemes with farmers at their heart, help the industry achieve net zero and prepare for climate change – the list goes on.
Speak to the chairman, East Midlands member Phil Jarvis, and he stresses the group’s big ambitions to see British farmers and growers as the global leaders in climate-friendly food production, alongside their role in maintaining and improving our environment. “There is a lot to do,” he admits. But says the dedicated Forum members have a clear view of the road ahead.
Top of the list right now are the development of ELMS, the drive to achieve a more integrated approach to water management and contributing to the debate around how farmers can increase and manage farmland carbon storage in soils and vegetation.
To drive forward their agenda, regional reps on the Forum use a variety of approaches, whether that’s working closely with fellow members on national commodity and policy boards, hosting farm visits to show farming in action on the ground, or in the current climate, giving evidence to Parliamentary committees and enquiries virtually from their farm offices.
Crucial to their role is crafting the essential relationships necessary to build a consensus that delivers the best possible outcome for members.
Environment Forum members L-R: Caroline Knox, South East; Phil Jarvis (Chair), East Midlands; Mark Pope, South West; Richard Bramley, North East; Robert Lockhart, West Midlands; Robert Brunt, North West; Hedd Pugh, Wales and Jake Fiennes, East Anglia
Working alongside the Forum is the NFU’s chief environment adviser, Diane Mitchell, who sums up the contribution they make as “genuine and authentic voices that talk from the heart”.
“Staff have a key role in influencing policy formulation of course, but in some situations you simply can’t replicate the powerful contribution that farmers make,” she said. “With so many people, groups and organisations promoting their own particular vision of the environment they want to create, we are often the only farmer representatives in the room, so we have a crucial role in bringing farming practices to life, telling our story and telling it eloquently.
“We simply couldn’t do that without the commitment, drive and intellect of our farmer members who do this so brilliantly.”
With much of the focus turning to the rapidly changing political and regulatory landscape post Brexit, the Forum is not just focused on existing policy debates but also on emerging developments – long before they register on most members’ radars.
The new Environment Bill is a case in point. Although perhaps not as accessible to members as the Agriculture Bill, the Environment Bill has the potential to impact farm businesses significantly – not just courtesy of the new environmental targets it sets out, but also via a new regulator, the Office of Environmental Protection (OEP).
Charged with overseeing the interpretation and implementation of environmental law in England, the OEP will pick up where the European Commission left off and is likely to be very influential.
Alongside everything else, the Forum will be watching this development closely to understand how the OEP will operate within the regulatory framework, especially with chairman, Dame Glenys Stacey, already suggesting there will be an interest in ELMS.
“There is a lot at stake right now and we hope Brexit will open the way to do things a bit differently, and more in keeping with our ways of working in the UK,” added Diane.
“As the environmental voice of the NFU, the Forum will be at the heart of our work to influence the emerging direction of travel and achieve the best possible outcome for members.”
Read more about the Environment Forum:
Our challenge is to try and steer a fair course
North East environment rep, Richard Bramley, talks about his role on the Environment Forum.
Joining the Environment Forum six years ago, I’ve had the privilege of representing North East members nationally since its inception – and hasn’t it been timely?
The environment has always been at the heart of any farm. Farming of any persuasion is about influencing what might otherwise have happened without our intervention to feed ourselves and produce raw materials – there’s nothing natural about it.
However, the skill is in harnessing those natural processes to deliver what we need from the environment without degrading it – something that I’m sure all of us will agree hasn’t necessarily always been the case.
We are very much still learning how best to achieve this outcome but times are changing. It’s clear to me that there is an environmental crisis – here in the UK and globally. As I write this a third of my farm is under floodwater – again!
This crisis is gradually dawning on government, as is clear from the policies being developed. With our exit from Brussels, Westminster is now in the driving seat and must put in place the necessary mechanisms to help us and the rest of society respond effectively.
This presents both an opportunity (to do a much better job of it) and a threat – if the views of farmers, who manage 70% of our landscape, are ignored or if new policies fail to recognise the true value of the work they undertake.
That is where the Environment Forum role comes in. Our job is to provide an authoritative farming voice, working alongside the NFU’s expert staff regionally and nationally to represent members to the best of our ability. The challenge is to try and steer a fair course – one that recognises the environmental work managed on-farm alongside the need to promote farm productivity and make a living.
This can be a narrow path to walk, as it is impossible to satisfy everyone, but the starting point needs to be the views of our fellow farmers. Joining regional meetings, be they county or commodity boards, is important to help your representatives get a feel for different views. So please do get involved.
We will also need members to engage with local environmental prioritisation in the months and years ahead to ensure that the outcomes complement our business ambitions and not just those of other interested parties.
Something I’ve learned over the years is just how valuable the farming viewpoint is – without proper representation you risk poor outcomes. That’s in no-one’s interest.