Our work behind the scenes ensures the voices of farmers and growers are heard loud and clear by the public, politicians and key decision-makers.
Catch up on where you, our members, have featured in the news, where we’ve been, what we’ve said and how the media is helping push farming up the agenda.
You can also keep up to date with all of our activity by following us on X (formerly Twitter) @NFUPress.
“We need to recognise the importance of domestic food production so that 70 million people living on an island are guaranteed their supply of food three times a day.”
NFU President Tom Bradshaw speaking to BBC Breakfast
Conflict in the Middle East
The war in Iran remains a widely reported issue in both regional and national media.
NFU President Tom Bradshaw has continued to speak on how the conflict is impacting food and farming, as farmers and growers face soaring fuel, fertiliser and energy prices.
Tom has been interviewed on:
- CNN's One World programme, which is broadcast across the globe
- BBC Breakfast
- LBC News (2:42:00)
He has also been quoted on the impact of the conflict and how it could have a knock-on effect on food inflation in several national articles, including:
- The Express – Tom discusses the impact of fuel and fertiliser price hikes
- The Express – Tom highlights how the prices of some products could be impacted
- BBC Morning Live
- BBC News Online – Tom says disruption to global oil and gas markets is putting farmers and growers under "immense pressure".
- BBC News Online – Tom talks about how the price of tomatoes and cucumbers could be impacted
- The Mirror
- The Times
NFU Livestock Board chair David Barton welcomed Sky News Business and Economics Correspondent, Paul Kelso, to his farm in Gloucestershire as part of a story about how the Iran war is increasing his fertiliser prices. NFU member Jimmy Russo was also quoted in the article.
The story was pushed out on Sky News’ social channels including Instagram and TikTok and sent out as an alert on the Sky News app.
David was also mentioned on the news channel’s ‘This Is Why’ podcast (09:00) following the visit.
Tom Bradshaw on BBC Breakfast
Future of Food and Farming
NFU President Tom Bradshaw also wrote an opinion piece as part of a Future of Food and Farming campaign which featured in a supplement in The Guardian on Tuesday 31 March.
Tom highlighted the need to build resilience into British farming. He wrote that with the “right priorities”, public support and a partnership between Government and industry, we can progress to a “more resilient, thriving and profitable farming industry”.
Waste crime
NFU Vice-president Robyn Munt and NFU Berkshire member, William Westacott, were both quoted in a story in The Express this week in coverage of a joint letter to Farming Minister Dame Angela Eagle, urging the consideration of waste crime amendments to stop farmers being liable for clearing dumped waste.
Robyn said that "private landowners are forced to shoulder the financial burden of waste crime".
Members in the spotlight
Several NFU members have also been interviewed by the national newspapers this week discussing the impact of the war in Iran.
- NFU South Yorkshire member Phillip Hardy was interviewed by The Telegraph about how the conflict driven up the cost of red diesel
- The Times highlighted the pressure rising diesel, energy and fertiliser prices are putting on NFU Midlands member Tim Livesey and his mushroom-growing business
- The Financial Times discusses warnings of potential cucumber and tomato shortages due to the conflict, featuring insight from NFU Hertfordshire member Jimmy Russo
- The Guardian reports on comments from Sainsbury’s CEO Simon Roberts, who said any food price rises linked to the conflict are unlikely to reach shelves before the summer. The article also highlighted Sainsbury’s extension of its long term British farmer contracts to include berry growers. NFU Kent member Tim Chambers is quoted saying longer-term contracts were “joining the dots up across the supply chain”
And finally, Northamptonshire member Louise Penn was interviewed by BBC News Online about her trial to monitor crop quality from space.
Tell your story
If you’ve been affected by any of the issues covered in the news this week and want to share your story, contact our press and editorial teams.
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