Last year, I talked about the previous 12 months and the legacy that would have. A year on, we couldn't have predicted the variable yields, huge changes in policies and market trends that have eroded much of the optimism we had.
However, it continues to be vital to look to the opportunities ahead in our industry, despite the challenges we continue to face.
I don’t need to linger on the harvest, as we can all count the costs that a changing climate, poor market performance and increasing production costs are having on our ability to produce food in a financially sustainable way. Instead, I want to focus on what we as farmers, the government and the wider supply chain can do to create a more sustainable, resilient and profitable future.
Farming has nothing more to give
Our sector has been shaken to its core this year by a range of issues.
Having stood at the gates of the Vivergo Biofuels plant on the day it took its last load of British wheat, I felt a great sense of unease as a major market for our produce was cut off with such ease by a trade deal – one touted in Westminster as a diplomatic win, but experienced by growers as an overseas incursion into our domestic market.
I echo our president, Tom Bradshaw, in saying to the government that when it considers new trade agreements, farming simply has nothing more to give.
“It is precisely at moments like these, when adversity seems to be overwhelming, that our sector’s resilience and ingenuity will define our path forward.”
NFU Combinable Crops Board Chair Jamie Burrows
A busy year ahead
However, it is precisely at moments like these, when adversity seems to be overwhelming, that our sector’s resilience and ingenuity will define our path forward.
As we look to the next 12 months, we have much to do.
The long-awaited supply chain fairness review, the ongoing farm assurance review and the opportunities to see greater transparency in our market through the Digital Passport for Grain – all provide huge opportunities. But it is only you, our members, who can support us in achieving that change.
With your support, the NFU Combinable Crops Board and I will continue to work tirelessly for you, the future of your farms and your families.
