The issue dominating conversations with members recently has been the closure of the 2026 Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) application window in under six hours. If your business was affected, please contact us on 0370 845 8458. We will do our best to answer your questions and provide legal or professional advice where needed. You can also find further information on our SFI webpage. The NFU is already raising members’ concerns with the RPA and Defra. We will continue pressing for an SFI offer that reflects farmers’ ambitions to improve the environment.
September marked the 11th year of our annual Back British Farming campaign, which highlights the vital role farmers play in feeding the nation and caring for our countryside. Here in Lancashire, we marked the occasion by welcoming a group of county councillors onto a local farm. We were delighted by both the attendance and the enthusiasm shown throughout the day. Then again, it is difficult to turn down an invitation involving tea, homemade cake and a tractor-and-trailer ride through the Forest of Bowland. Local government offers many attractions, but these are not usually listed among the benefits! A huge thank you goes to our generous host, Whitewell farmer and NFU Lancashire Council Delegate John Alpe. John opened his gates and showcased his business. This kind of engagement is becoming increasingly important. As Westminster continues its drive towards greater devolution, local authorities are expected to gain more influence over public services, infrastructure and environmental regulation. Councils already play a significant role in planning, rural connectivity, skills development and the public procurement of British food. It is essential that councillors understand not only the challenges facing our industry, but also the practical solutions farmers and growers can provide for communities, local economies and the environment.
The call to Back British Farming was also heard when the Labour Party arrived in Liverpool last month for its annual conference. As ever, the NFU was in the thick of the action, hosting our ‘Great British Breakfast’ event. More than 100 delegates attended to hear speeches from Defra Secretary of State, Angela Eagle and NFU President Tom Bradshaw, proving that nobody can resist the lure of a free all-you-can-eat, full English breakfast buffet! Thank you to those members who travelled into the city to support the event and ensure that some real farmers were present among the breakfast opportunists, policy enthusiasts and assorted political hangers-on. A few members were even rewarded with private conversations with Angela Eagle and Farming Minister, Stephen Morgan. Politics before lunch is not everyone’s idea of a prize, but it was an important opportunity to make farming’s case directly to those in power.
Enough about party conferences. There was only one real party in town this month: the NFU Lancashire Harvest Ball. A big thank you to everyone who joined us at Ribby Hall, near Blackpool. The evening supported an organisation that is vital to our rural community: the Air Ambulance. More than £20,000 was raised through ticket sales, sponsorship, the raffle and auction. That is a phenomenal achievement, particularly when most of us arrived intending merely to have dinner and leave with roughly the same bank balance!
Much of the credit must go to our NFU County Chair, Becki, who drove the event forward and managed the countless details needed to make it a success. This involved considerable patience, organisation and, one suspects, the occasional firmly worded message. I am clearly not alone in recognising her contribution. Becki was recently named as one of the winners of the BBC Radio Lancashire Make a Difference Awards, recognising her outstanding work for farming and rural communities. It is thoroughly deserved. Many congratulations!
Finally, I am pleased to say that NFU President Tom Bradshaw will visit Lancashire in November. Please join us for an audience with Tom at 12.30pm on Wednesday 18 November at Barton Manor Hotel, 746–768 Garstang Road, Barton, PR3 5AA. It is an excellent opportunity to hear directly from the top of the organisation and put your questions to the President himself. Scroll down the page for further details or contact NFU North on 02476 939 401.