Back British Farming Day 2026
Thank you to everyone who organised events and posted on social media in support of Back British Farming Day.
Thanks especially to Martin Brown, Richard Robinson, Paul Brown, Rob Atkin and Danni Mulligan, who joined me, and other NFU colleagues and members, by Ozzy the Bull, at Birmingham New Street Station:
The event was a great success, and I was encouraged by the amount of public support that we received and their understanding of the issues that British Farmers are currently facing. Hopefully this is an event that we can build on and repeat again next year.
Whilst we were in Birmingham, NFU President Tom Bradshaw was speaking to the secretary of state, ministers and MPs in London, at a Back British Farming Day reception sponsored by Cannock Chase MP, Josh Newbury.
Tom told the assembled ministers that this summer has been the most difficult in a generation. Drought, disease and conflicts abroad have all hit British farming, leaving no sector unscathed.
These problems are causing otherwise viable farm businesses to suffer acute cashflow problems, and asked for a government-backed, interest free loan which would give farm businesses the breathing space they need to weather the storm. The Keep Britain Growing Loan has been called for by all four British farming unions.
Tom also highlighted that agriculture is uniquely placed to fulfil the prime minister’s promise of good growth in every postcode. Farming directly employs 334,000 people. It sits at the heart of Britain’s largest manufacturing sector, food and drink, worth more than £162 billion.
Farming also supports businesses in feed, energy, fertiliser, logistics and professional services, purchasing more than £20 billion of goods and services each year. More on how farming can help fulfil the Government’s growth agenda is on NFU Online.
Welcome rain
The recent rain has been welcome, even if it did arrive on Ipstones Show day. Everything has greened up remarkably quickly and hopefully there will be an opportunity to make some reasonably quality autumn silage to top-up diminishing stocks, as well as helping to establish winter cereal crops.
However, there is some way to go, particularly for the livestock and dairy sector, so the temporary adjustments to some of the SFI, CS and HLS options may be worth exploring. Details of these can be found online.
SFI26 window 2
On 30 June, Defra confirmed changes to SFI26 accessibility for some farmers when the second application window opens, which is expected to be on 22 September.
Farmers with eligible SFI and stewardship agreements ending by 28 February 2027 will be able to apply for SFI26 Window 2 before their current agreement ends.
More information on this can be found online and via the NFU webinar held on 11 September, which you can watch again.(login required). There were several questions asked during the webinar which the NFU is seeking answers to from Defra. The answers will be posted on NFU Online as soon as they are received.
Bluetongue
Unfortunately, Staffordshire has not escaped the latest rise in bluetongue cases, with a hotspot developing on the Cheshire/ Staffordshire border in recent weeks.
The government is speeding up the fight against bluetongue, with new measures introduced on Friday, 11 September that will cut waiting times for farmers and give them quicker confirmation of suspected cases to act sooner to help protect livestock.
APHA has published a new heat map so farmers can see where suspected and confirmed cases of bluetongue are being reported which will help famers better understand the disease picture in their areas and make informed decisions around vaccination. More information on this can be found online.
Uplands survey
We'd like to hear your views on the challenges and opportunities facing upland farming. This survey will help us better understand the current pressures and priorities across the sector.
If your farm business operates in an upland area, we'd appreciate your feedback. Your input is vital in shaping NFU policy and guiding the work we do on your behalf. By taking part, you'll help ensure we're representing your interests and focusing on the issues that matter most to upland farmers
The survey, which can be accessed online, should take around 10 to 12 minutes to complete and will be undertaken in line with the Market Research Society Code of Conduct. All responses will be aggregated and analysed anonymously.
Local government reform stalled and under review
On Monday, 7 September, a shock announcement was made by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). The Secretary of State, Angela Rayner, announced that Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) would be paused.
There is a lot to unpack regarding this decision, as it stems from challenges made by souncils in the east of England who disagreed with the proposals for changing the landscape of local government, in preparation for further devolution.
This may come as a relief to some members, particularly those in the new North Staffordshire Authority region, made up of Newcastle-Under-Lyme Borough, Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Moorlands, where there were fears that rural areas would lose funding to urban areas.
However, this pause may just be a delay but will hopefully be an opportunity to ensure safeguards for fair and equitable funding will be in place if and when LGR resumes.
NFU Online has an introductory webpage on Devolution which will be updated as more information becomes available:
Post-harvest social
Thank you to everyone who attended the county post-harvest social event at the Green Man, Milwich, on Thursday, 10 September.
Once again, the Green Man staff looked after us incredibly well, and no one went home hungry. It was a great opportunity to catch-up with members, to listen to what they had to say and just to have a chat in a relaxed environment.
Hopefully, I’ll catch-up with some of you who weren’t able to make it at one of the upcoming SBAS District ploughing matches: