View from the President: 'How farming can achieve its potential'

He writes:

The British farming industry needs certainty. If thousands of us across England and Wales are to realise our ambition of a thriving future for British agriculture, we need confidence in our government coupled with a strong sense of direction.

We are now faced with a minority government calling on the support of the DUP in a confidence and supply agreement. There has been a cabinet reshuffle and Michael Gove has replaced Andrea Leadsom as the Secretary of State for Defra. The NFU has already set the wheels in motion to highlight the needs of our industry to Mr Gove in his important new role.

In an open letter to Mr Gove, I congratulated and welcomed him to his new position in our industry. I explained that NFU members needed certainty as soon as possible, that this Government will make Brexit a success for British food and farming. To achieve our potential, we need a future post-Brexit trade arrangement that delivers the best possible access to the vital EU market, as well as continued access to a competent and reliable workforce. With his experience in reforming policy environments, I look forward to working with Mr Gove to create a new, wider policy framework that better delivers for British food and farming – and for our nation.

I hope that under Mr Gove’s leadership Defra reaches out and listens to the farming and food industry so that we can shape our future together. In his early interviews Mr Gove has said he will be seeking early meetings with us at the NFU and I will be using those meetings and conversations to underline the importance of making Brexit a success for British farming.  

Ministers across government should have some key facts at the front of their minds when shaping future policy that impacts agriculture. British farms grow the raw ingredients for the UK food and drink manufacturing sector – the country’s largest manufacturing sector, worth £109 billion and providing 3.8million jobs. Farming is of enormous value to the economy – for every £1 invested, farming delivers around £7 back to this country. British farmers are proud to provide over 60% of the nation’s food and manage 70% of UK landscape. We do this all while focusing on producing safe, nutritious and high-quality food for people at home and abroad. It is simply undeniable that our industry is vital to the success of our country and we are working to ensure our voices are heard when the big decisions across Whitehall are made.

I know we can and want to deliver more. We are looking to Defra to work with us to champion farming within the Government and to work closely with the devolved powers across the UK. Our shared aim is to ensure a productive, progressive and profitable future for British farmers and assurance to British consumers.

The NFU is also calling on the new Government to support British farming through a number of other measures. Bovine TB continues to blight the UK’s livestock sector, which is why it is so important that the Government’s 25-Year TB Eradication strategy is implemented in full. Licensing and access to plant protection products is another area of concern for UK farmers. The NFU has consistently advocated for regulation to be based on robust scientific evidence. Consequently, I very much hope Mr Gove will be able to give his support to the reauthorisation of glyphosate and oppose the proposed ban on neonicotinoid seed treatments, both of which are important products for British farmers. And later this summer, the NFU will launch its Rural Crime Manifesto, where we highlight the very serious impact of issues like fly-tipping, theft and hare coursing for farms and rural communities. I look forward to hearing how the government will tackle this issue, which costs farmers millions every year.

But as much as I am calling for certainty I also believe we must work together to achieve a British farming sector that works for farmers, growers and the general public. Thank you to those of you that opened up your farms for Open Farm Sunday. This work is one very important way we can continue to keep the public onside. And I was delighted to see so many NFU members invite politicians to their farms to explain the big issues that impact on their businesses. We must build on this momentum to ensure that our politicians – the people who have the influence to shape the future – are left with no uncertainty when it comes to how they can back British farming.

No one wants to put children at risk and if there is any doubt as to whether an activity is safe it should be stopped and advice obtained.